Employment rate: highest and lowest councils in South East (March 2026)
Crawley had the highest employment rate of South East’s 64 councils in March 2026, at 90.0%.
Gravesham had the lowest, at 59.7%. The middle council, Rother, had 79.6%.
See it on the map| Rank | Council | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crawley | 90.0% |
| 2 | Surrey Heath | 89.9% |
| 3 | Worthing | 88.8% |
| 4 | Horsham | 88.7% |
| 5 | West Oxfordshire | 88.1% |
| 6 | Fareham | 87.6% |
| 7 | Cherwell | 86.0% |
| 8 | Mole Valley | 85.1% |
| 9 | Woking | 83.9% |
| 10 | South Oxfordshire | 83.7% |
| 11 | Lewes | 83.5% |
| 12 | Chichester | 83.4% |
| 13 | Maidstone | 82.8% |
| 14 | Guildford | 82.5% |
| 15 | Havant | 82.4% |
| 16 | Rushmoor | 82.0% |
| 17 | Oxford | 81.7% |
| =18 | Adur ONS rates this figure as uncertain. The survey sample in this council is small, so the margin of error is wide (more than 7.5 percentage points either way) or ONS does not publish one. | 81.5% |
| =18 | West Berkshire | 81.5% |
| 20 | Bracknell Forest | 81.4% |
| 21 | Reading | 81.2% |
| 22 | Medway | 81.0% |
| 23 | Eastleigh | 80.7% |
| 24 | Buckinghamshire | 80.6% |
| 25 | Wealden | 80.5% |
| =26 | Basingstoke and Deane | 80.2% |
| =26 | Dartford ONS rates this figure as uncertain. The survey sample in this council is small, so the margin of error is wide (more than 7.5 percentage points either way) or ONS does not publish one. | 80.2% |
| 28 | Epsom and Ewell ONS rates this figure as uncertain. The survey sample in this council is small, so the margin of error is wide (more than 7.5 percentage points either way) or ONS does not publish one. | 79.9% |
| =29 | New Forest | 79.8% |
| =29 | Runnymede ONS rates this figure as uncertain. The survey sample in this council is small, so the margin of error is wide (more than 7.5 percentage points either way) or ONS does not publish one. | 79.8% |
| =31 | Reigate and Banstead | 79.6% |
| =31 | Rother ONS rates this figure as uncertain. The survey sample in this council is small, so the margin of error is wide (more than 7.5 percentage points either way) or ONS does not publish one. | 79.6% |
| 33 | Mid Sussex | 79.4% |
| =34 | Vale of White Horse | 79.3% |
| =34 | Winchester | 79.3% |
| 36 | Windsor and Maidenhead | 78.9% |
| 37 | Wokingham | 78.8% |
| 38 | Spelthorne ONS rates this figure as uncertain. The survey sample in this council is small, so the margin of error is wide (more than 7.5 percentage points either way) or ONS does not publish one. | 78.7% |
| 39 | East Hampshire | 78.5% |
| 40 | Arun | 78.4% |
| 41 | Hart | 78.3% |
| 42 | Milton Keynes | 78.1% |
| 43 | Swale | 78.0% |
| 44 | Portsmouth | 77.8% |
| =45 | Brighton and Hove | 76.9% |
| =45 | Test Valley | 76.9% |
| =45 | Tunbridge Wells | 76.9% |
| 48 | Dover | 76.2% |
| 49 | Tandridge ONS rates this figure as uncertain. The survey sample in this council is small, so the margin of error is wide (more than 7.5 percentage points either way) or ONS does not publish one. | 76.0% |
| 50 | Elmbridge | 75.9% |
| 51 | Waverley | 75.6% |
| 52 | Slough | 74.9% |
| 53 | Ashford | 74.7% |
| 54 | Sevenoaks ONS rates this figure as uncertain. The survey sample in this council is small, so the margin of error is wide (more than 7.5 percentage points either way) or ONS does not publish one. | 73.9% |
| 55 | Gosport ONS rates this figure as uncertain. The survey sample in this council is small, so the margin of error is wide (more than 7.5 percentage points either way) or ONS does not publish one. | 73.7% |
| 56 | Isle of Wight | 73.6% |
| 57 | Southampton | 73.3% |
| 58 | Tonbridge and Malling ONS rates this figure as uncertain. The survey sample in this council is small, so the margin of error is wide (more than 7.5 percentage points either way) or ONS does not publish one. | 72.8% |
| 59 | Thanet | 72.5% |
| 60 | Folkestone and Hythe ONS rates this figure as uncertain. The survey sample in this council is small, so the margin of error is wide (more than 7.5 percentage points either way) or ONS does not publish one. | 70.6% |
| 61 | Canterbury | 69.4% |
| 62 | Eastbourne ONS rates this figure as uncertain. The survey sample in this council is small, so the margin of error is wide (more than 7.5 percentage points either way) or ONS does not publish one. | 69.3% |
| 63 | Hastings ONS rates this figure as uncertain. The survey sample in this council is small, so the margin of error is wide (more than 7.5 percentage points either way) or ONS does not publish one. | 61.7% |
| 64 | Gravesham ONS rates this figure as uncertain. The survey sample in this council is small, so the margin of error is wide (more than 7.5 percentage points either way) or ONS does not publish one. | 59.7% |