City by city

Our core aim is to improve the economies of the UK's largest cities and towns and we can only do that by getting to know the city economies as they are now.

Go to your city or combined authority to get the data and latest reports about your area.

How we define a city

Our research looks at the UK’s 63 largest cities and towns. There are many ways of defining a city, but as an economics think tank, our focus is on identifying where economic activity takes place in urban areas.

The best way for us to do this is through Primary Urban Areas (PUAs), which measure the built-up space of different places across the country – giving a clear and comparable picture of where economic activity is concentrated. You can read more about the latest review of this definition in our methodology note.

To get all the latest data on your city, use the map or list below. And you can also find data by mayoral combined authority area.

City Visits:

City Visits
City Visits: Reflections from York

Andrew Carter

Centre for Cities spent some time in York this week to get a better understanding of how the city’s economy is faring.

Blog Post 20 May 2024
Aerial view of Blackburn's suggested plans for Business Improvement District
City Visits
City Visits: regeneration in Blackburn

Rob Johnson

Last week, Centre for Cities’ whistle stop city visit tour arrived in Blackburn. There we saw the beginnings of the £250 million city centre regeneration taking shape. This told us about the...

Blog Post 19 Jun 2024