Economy and work in Dumfries and Galloway
Council areaSouth Scotland. 145,490 people in 6,437 square kilometres, the 6th most sparsely populated council in the UK.
4 layers about economy and work for Dumfries and Galloway, each at the level its publisher released it, with its own date and source.
Claimants by neighbourhood
Claimant count (Nomis) · August 2026
Dumfries and Galloway’s 202 neighbourhoods range from 0 to 50.
Median full-time pay
CouncilGreat Britain onlyFull-time workers living in Dumfries and Galloway earned a median of £34,895 in 2025.
People claiming out-of-work benefits
CouncilIn Dumfries and Galloway, 2,390 people were claiming out-of-work benefits in August 2026.
Claimant rate
CouncilIn Dumfries and Galloway, 2.9% 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
- 9% lower3.2%
- Against the UK
- 26% lower3.9%
Employment rate
CouncilGreat Britain only78.8% of people aged 16 to 64 in Dumfries and Galloway were in work in the year to March 2026.
Dumfries and Galloway is 115th highest of 348 for employment rate.