Global CityIntelligence

Economy & jobs

Economy and jobs in Chester

Chester has a tourism-driven economy with strengths in tourism, hospitality and technology.

Economy type
Tourism economy
Economy score
73/100

Economy overview

Chester has a tourism-driven economy with strengths in tourism, hospitality and technology.

Chester, United Kingdom is classified as a tourism economy in our deterministic economy index. These are planning estimates derived from country economic priors and existing city signals — not measured GDP or labour-market statistics. Data year 2025; last updated 2026-05-16.

Key industries

The sectors that most shape the local economy, derived deterministically from country and city signals.

Key industries

  • Tourism
  • Hospitality
  • Technology
  • Aerospace
  • Research
  • Manufacturing

Employment outlook

The breadth of the labour market and where opportunities concentrate.

Employment outlook

Employment72/100
Job market74/100

Chester's labour market is strong, with opportunities concentrated in tourism and hospitality, technology and healthcare.

Salary potential

Estimated pay levels and how far local incomes stretch against the cost of living.

Salary potential

Salary potential74/100
Affordability-adjusted income64/100

The affordability-adjusted income score combines estimated pay with the local cost of living, indicating how far a typical income stretches in Chester.

Business environment

Conditions for operating and growing a business locally.

Business environment

Business environment77/100

This reflects infrastructure, institutional capacity, and the scale of the local market relative to peer cities.

Startup ecosystem

How supportive the local ecosystem is for new ventures.

Startup ecosystem

Startup ecosystem71/100
Innovation75/100

The startup ecosystem in Chester is strong, supported by universities and skilled talent, a favourable business environment and strong infrastructure.

Remote work suitability

Suitability for remote and distributed work.

Remote work suitability

Remote work78/100
Remote job availability78/100

Chester offers strong infrastructure and amenities for remote professionals, with a remote-work score of 78/100.

Career opportunities

Overall career opportunity and how it breaks down by sector.

Career opportunities

Overall career opportunity75/100
Technology75/100
Healthcare63/100
Finance52/100
Manufacturing60/100
Tourism92/100
Education62/100

Economy score

A 0–100 composite of employment, salary, business environment, startups, innovation, remote work, and affordability-adjusted income. Used consistently across the platform.

Economy score

Economy score73/100
Employment72/100
Salary74/100
Business environment77/100
Startup ecosystem71/100
Innovation75/100
Remote work78/100

Jobs score

A 0–100 labour-market composite and its sector components.

Jobs score

Job market74/100
Technology75/100
Healthcare63/100
Finance52/100
Manufacturing60/100
Tourism92/100
Education62/100
Remote availability78/100
Career opportunity75/100

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Continue researching this city across the platform's other planning surfaces.

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