Economy and work in Argyll and Bute
Council areaWest Scotland. 87,310 people (mid-2025 estimate) in 7,005 square kilometres, the 3rd most sparsely populated council in the UK.
4 layers about economy and work for Argyll and Bute, each at the level its publisher released it, with its own date and source.
Claimants by neighbourhood
Claimant count (Nomis) · August 2026
Argyll and Bute’s 125 neighbourhoods range from 0 to 30.
Median full-time pay
CouncilGreat Britain onlyFull-time workers living in Argyll and Bute earned a median of £39,010 in 2025.
People claiming out-of-work benefits
CouncilIn Argyll and Bute, 1,280 people were claiming out-of-work benefits in August 2026.
Claimant rate
CouncilIn Argyll and Bute, 2.5% of residents aged 16 to 64 were claiming out-of-work benefits in August 2026.
For the UK as a whole, the figure was 3.9%.
- Against Scotland
- 22% lower3.2%
- Against the UK
- 36% lower3.9%
Employment rate
CouncilGreat Britain only68.9% of people aged 16 to 64 in Argyll and Bute were in work in the year to March 2026.
Argyll and Bute is 29th lowest of 348 for employment rate.