Eastbourne

Economic profile. Data last updated 2026-03-28.

Eastbourne supports 37,960 workplace jobs with median earnings 6% below the England average. The claimant rate (4.9%) is higher than the England average of 4.1%. Productivity (GVA per job) is ranked 362nd of 391 local authorities.

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Workplace Jobs

37,960

Claimant Rate

4.9%

England: 4.1%

Median Annual Earnings

£31,199

218th of 348

England: £33,080

Median House Price

£259,834

1.8%

England: £290,000

Price-to-Earnings

8.3x

GVA per Job

£53,610

England: £63,763

Source: ONS, Nomis, HM Land Registry, 2024-2025·Last updated March 2026

Employment & Labour Market

Monthly claimant count rate over the past 3 years.

Source: Claimant Count via Nomis, BRES, 2020-2026·Last updated March 2026

Industry Structure

Location quotients and shift-share analysis for Eastbourne's economy.

The most specialised sectors are Human health & social work (LQ 1.96) and Accommodation & food service (LQ 1.46). Water supply & waste management shows the strongest local competitive advantage. Human health & social work underperforms its national sectoral trend.

Largest Sector

Human health & social work

Most Specialised

Human health & social work

England: LQ 1.96

Fastest Growing

Water supply & waste management

Specialised Sectors

3

England: LQ > 1.25

Source: BRES via Nomis, 2020-2024·Last updated March 2026

Economic Output

Estimated Gross Value Added for Eastbourne, derived from sector employment and national productivity ratios.

Total GVA

£2.0bn

GVA per Job

£53,610

England: £63,763

Productivity Rank

362

362nd of 391

Top GVA Sector

Human health & social work

Estimates based on national GVA-per-job ratios applied to local sector employment (BRES). Indicative only. See Methodology for details.

Earnings & Income

Gross annual earnings distribution, 2025.

Median annual earnings of £31,199 are below the England median of £33,080.

Median Annual

£31,199

England: £33,080

10th Percentile

N/A

90th Percentile

N/A

90/10 Ratio

N/A

Source: ASHE via Nomis, 2025·Last updated March 2026

Skills & Qualifications

Census 2021 highest qualification and occupation data.

Source: Census 2021, ONS

Demographics

Census 2021 population by age band.

The population is 101,685 with 59.7% of working age. The dependency ratio is 67.4% (above average, indicating a relatively older or younger population).

Population

101,685

Working-Age %

59.7%

Dependency Ratio

67.4%

Working-Age Pop.

60,737

Source: Census 2021, ONS·Last updated 2021

Commuting & Travel to Work

Census 2021 method of travel to work for Eastbourne residents.

23.1% of residents work from home (below the national average). The most common commute method is driving a car or van (49%).

Total Commuters

43,831

Work from Home

23.1%

Source: Census 2021 TS061, ONS·Last updated 2021

Business Environment

Active enterprises in Eastbourne from the UK Business Counts dataset.

3,040 active enterprises operate in this area. The business base has declined by 3.9% over three years. 77.4% of enterprises have fewer than 5 employees.

Active Enterprises

3,040

3-Year Growth

-3.9%

3.9%

Share of England

0.1%

Source: UK Business Counts via Nomis, 2024·Last updated March 2026

Housing & Property Market

Estimated house prices for Eastbourne vs England, 2015-2025.

The median house price of £259,834 is below the England median of £290,000. The price-to-earnings ratio is 8.3x. Prices have risen 1.8% over the past year.

Median Price

£259,834

England: £290,000

Price-to-Earnings

8.3x

12-Month Change

1.8%

Source: HM Land Registry, Census 2021, 2015-2025·Last updated March 2026

Place & Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation 2019. Eastbourne is ranked 106 out of 317 local authorities (1 = most deprived).

Ranked 106th of 317 local authorities on the IMD (1 = most deprived). The most challenging domain is Employment (ranked 58th), while Living Environment ranks comparatively better (232nd).

IMD Rank

106 / 317

IMD Score

22.1

Deprivation Percentile

67th

Source: MHCLG English Indices of Deprivation, 2019·Last updated 2019

Impact Calculator

Estimate the economic impact of investment or job creation in Eastbourne using regional input-output multipliers.

Source: Derived from ONS Supply-Use Tables, regionalized via SLQ, 2019·Last updated March 2026