Bolton has a very rich history as a major centre of the Northwest Cotton Industry and later flourishing with mining and textiles. The town center was very successful but changing retail trends over the last 20 years have led to famous stores such as Prestons of Bolton and Beales closing.

However, Bolton has a culturally diverse economy and the future for the town is very promising as the statistics below show:

The population of Bolton is 296,041

There was a 7% increase in roles between 2020 and 2021. In England as a whole there was a 3% decrease.

The largest industry in Bolton is Health.  Other major industries include manufacturing, retail which make up over 10% of roles.

Financial & Insurance companies make up 4% of the Bolton economy

Fastest growing industry between 2020 and 2021 is contruction

There are 40 large businesses in Bolton (a large business is defined as having over 250 employees).

165 Medium businesses (between 50 and 249 employees)

980 small business (between 10 and 49 employees)

Source: Bolton Economy | Labour Market & Industries (varbes.com)