July 11, 2024

The UK cities with the most night shift workers

UK Cities with the Most and Least Night Workers

Night shifts play a crucial role in keeping our cities running smoothly, but their prevalence varies significantly across the UK. To see which areas' economies are most reliant on night shift employees, BlueTrolley has analysed ONS data to reveal which cities have the highest and lowest percentage of nocturnal workers.

Cities with the Highest Percentage of Night Shift Workers

Bath stood out with the highest percentage of night workers, having an impressive 37.62% of the overall population working in a jobs that operates in the twilight hours. Similarly, Exeter and Manchester follow closely, with around 30% of their populations engaged in night work. These cities exemplify the significant role of night-time labour in their local economies.

Derby and Oxford also show high percentages of night workers, highlighting the essential services provided during the night in these areas. In both cities, over a quarter of the population works night shifts, indicating a strong dependence on round-the-clock operations.

Cambridge and Preston join the list with nearly 27% of their populations working at night. This is particularly notable given Cambridge's status as a hub for research and development, where night work supports continuous innovation.

Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham, and Aberdeen also feature prominently, each with over 26% of their workforce engaged in night shifts.

Cities with the Lowest Percentage of Night Shift Workers

On the other end of the spectrum, London has the lowest percentage of night workers, with only 0.86% of its massive population working night shifts. Despite being the largest city in the UK, London’s diverse economy spreads employment across various sectors and times of the day, reducing the relative need for night work.

Dover and Rochdale also have a low percentage of night workers, with smaller cities tending to have economies that do not heavily rely on night shifts, reflecting a more traditional work schedule.

Newcastle-under-Lyme, Wigan, and Oldham, each with about 14% of their populations working night shifts, show that some cities maintain a balance between day and night-time operations, without a heavy tilt towards night work.

These statistics reveal a diverse landscape of night work across the UK, influenced by the unique economic and social dynamics of each city. Whether due to industrial needs, healthcare demands, or educational institutions, the prevalence of night workers varies widely, shaping the fabric of urban employment.

City	No. of night workers	Population	Percentage of night workers
Bath	38,000	101,000	37.62
Exeter	39,400	131,400	29.98
Manchester	172,500	576,500	29.92
Derby	75,700	260,700	29.04
Oxford	44,500	157,900	28.18
Cambridge	41,000	149,200	27.48
Preston	40,100	147,100	27.26
Newcastle	83,200	309,500	26.88
Nottingham	88,600	331,000	26.77
Aberdeen	60,800	229,060	26.54
Glasgow	163,300	635,640	25.69
Belfast	88,100	345,418	25.51
Liverpool	125,900	495,600	25.40
Carlisle	27,300	108,400	25.18
Lincoln	25,800	103,600	24.90
Bristol	116,300	467,100	24.90
Dundee	36,800	148,210	24.83
Edinburgh	129,100	527,620	24.47
Blackpool	33,100	139,720	23.69
Warrington	49,600	211,000	23.51
Cardiff	86,100	366,900	23.47
Milton Keynes	67,800	290,700	23.32
Peterborough	49,500	215,700	22.95
Stoke	59,200	258,000	22.95
Darlington	24,600	107,500	22.88
Winchester	29,100	127,300	22.86
Wrexham	30,300	136,300	22.23
Worcester	22,700	102,800	22.08
Scarborough	23,900	108,800	21.97
Hull	56,700	259,000	21.89
Wakefield	77,400	354,000	21.86
Newport	34,800	159,600	21.80
Portsmouth	46,700	214,800	21.74
Gloucester	28,700	132,500	21.66
Luton	49,800	230,000	21.65
Norwich	30,700	142,000	21.62
Cheltenham	25,600	118,800	21.55
Falkirk	34,100	160,340	21.27
Middlesbrough	29,600	140,300	21.10
Leicester	77,200	368,600	20.94
Blackburn	31,400	150,030	20.93
York	44,700	214,100	20.88
Leeds	169,500	812,000	20.87
Salford	56,500	270,700	20.87
Ipswich	29,000	139,300	20.82
Worthing	23,100	111,000	20.81
Reading	35,800	173,700	20.61
Slough	32,200	156,700	20.55
Brighton	59,700	290,885	20.52
Southampton	53,400	261,600	20.41
Warwick	30,900	152,000	20.33
Harrogate	32,500	160,500	20.25
Chesterfield	21,000	104,600	20.08
Doncaster	62,100	311,900	19.91
Bournemouth	79,100	397,600	19.89
Guildford	29,200	148,900	19.61
Birmingham	223,300	1,140,500	19.58
Lichfield	20,300	104,100	19.50
Maidstone	34,400	176,600	19.48
Plymouth	51,200	264,200	19.38
Stockport	56,800	294,200	19.31
Bedford	33,700	174,900	19.27
Wolverhampton	50,200	265,300	18.92
Sunderland	50,200	272,800	18.40
Woking	18,400	101,400	18.15
Wandsworth	59,000	327,500	18.02
Mansfield	19,500	108,900	17.91
Gateshead	36,200	202,400	17.89
Sheffield	103,800	581,000	17.87
Swindon	41,600	233,300	17.83
Coventry	65,100	371,500	17.52
Stockton-on-Tees	34,500	197,300	17.49
Colchester	33,800	194,500	17.38
Bolton	49,900	287,550	17.35
Canterbury	28,500	165,900	17.18
Isle of Wight	24,300	142,000	17.11
Barnsley	41,600	244,600	17.01
Eastleigh	23,400	138,400	16.91
Swansea	40,900	247,200	16.55
Southend-on-Sea	30,100	183,100	16.44
Lancaster	23,700	146,700	16.16
Walsall	45,200	286,700	15.77
Rotherham	41,500	264,700	15.68
Bradford	83,400	546,400	15.26
St. Helens	27,400	180,100	15.21
Bury	28,900	190,700	15.15
St Albans	22,400	148,500	15.08
Oldham	34,500	237,110	14.55
Wigan	47,500	329,300	14.42
Newcastle-under-Lyme	18,200	129,300	14.08
Rochdale	30,300	223,100	13.58
Dover	14,900	119,200	12.50
London	77,500	8,961,989	0.86

Methodology

To work out which cities have the highest percentage of night workers, we used ONS data from 2022 which specified how the number of night-time employees are in each area. We then compared this to the latest population data and calculated the percentage of night workers in each UK city. This percentage then determined the final rankings in the study.

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