# Claimant rate: highest and lowest councils in South West (August 2026)

Bristol had the highest claimant rate of South West’s 27 councils in August 2026, at 3.6%.

Isles of Scilly had the lowest, at 1.5%. The middle council, Tewkesbury, had 2.4%.

| Rank | Area | Claimant rate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Bristol](https://openindex.co.uk/bristol) | 3.6% |
| 2 | [Gloucester](https://openindex.co.uk/gloucester) | 3.5% |
| =3 | [Plymouth](https://openindex.co.uk/plymouth) | 3.4% |
| =3 | [Swindon](https://openindex.co.uk/swindon) | 3.4% |
| =3 | [Torbay](https://openindex.co.uk/torbay) | 3.4% |
| 6 | [Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole](https://openindex.co.uk/bournemouth-christchurch-and-poole) | 3.3% |
| 7 | [Cornwall](https://openindex.co.uk/cornwall) | 3.0% |
| =8 | [Cheltenham](https://openindex.co.uk/cheltenham) | 2.7% |
| =8 | [North Devon](https://openindex.co.uk/north-devon) | 2.7% |
| =8 | [Torridge](https://openindex.co.uk/torridge) | 2.7% |
| =11 | [Forest of Dean](https://openindex.co.uk/forest-of-dean) | 2.6% |
| =11 | [Somerset](https://openindex.co.uk/somerset) | 2.6% |
| 13 | [North Somerset](https://openindex.co.uk/north-somerset) | 2.5% |
| 14 | [Tewkesbury](https://openindex.co.uk/tewkesbury) | 2.4% |
| =15 | [Dorset](https://openindex.co.uk/dorset) | 2.3% |
| =15 | [Mid Devon](https://openindex.co.uk/mid-devon) | 2.3% |
| =15 | [Wiltshire](https://openindex.co.uk/wiltshire) | 2.3% |
| =18 | [Exeter](https://openindex.co.uk/exeter) | 2.2% |
| =18 | [Teignbridge](https://openindex.co.uk/teignbridge) | 2.2% |
| =18 | [West Devon](https://openindex.co.uk/west-devon) | 2.2% |
| =21 | [Cotswold](https://openindex.co.uk/cotswold) | 2.1% |
| =21 | [East Devon](https://openindex.co.uk/east-devon) | 2.1% |
| =21 | [South Gloucestershire](https://openindex.co.uk/south-gloucestershire) | 2.1% |
| =21 | [South Hams](https://openindex.co.uk/south-hams) | 2.1% |
| =21 | [Stroud](https://openindex.co.uk/stroud) | 2.1% |
| 26 | [Bath and North East Somerset](https://openindex.co.uk/bath-and-north-east-somerset) | 1.9% |
| 27 | [Isles of Scilly](https://openindex.co.uk/isles-of-scilly) | 1.5% |

Source: Claimant count (Nomis), ONS via Nomis. Period: August 2026. Period: August 2026.

## Other rankings of this measure

- [UK](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/uk)
- [England](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/england)
- [Northern Ireland](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/northern-ireland)
- [Scotland](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/scotland)
- [Wales](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/wales)
- [North East](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/north-east)
- [North West](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/north-west)
- [Yorkshire and The Humber](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/yorkshire-and-the-humber)
- [East Midlands](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/east-midlands)
- [West Midlands](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/west-midlands)
- [East of England](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/east-of-england)
- [London](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/london)
- [South East](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/south-east)

- [The map](https://openindex.co.uk/map/claimant-rate)
- [Source and method](https://openindex.co.uk/sources/claimant-rate)

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/south-west.

Open Index's own text and the figures it works out are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source data keeps its publishers' licences, named with each figure. Give each figure's period and source with it.

Snapshot 2026.10.11. The HTML page: https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/claimant-rate/south-west