Four North West cities score above the UK average for income distribution, according to PwC’s Good Growth for Cities Index

• Four North West cities included in PwC’s Index are performing above the UK average for income distribution and work-life balance
• The cities also perform above or around the UK average for housing and skills 

Liverpool, Manchester, Preston and Warrington & Wigan have performed above the UK average for income distribution and work-life balance, according to PwC’s Good Growth for Cities Index. The report measures income distribution by the ratio of median to mean income, and work-life balance by the proportion of employed people working less than 45 hours per week.

Most of the cities in the region included in the analysis also perform above or around the UK average for house price to earnings, skills and new businesses. 

The Demos-PwC Good Growth for Cities Index ranks 50 of the UK’s largest cities (generally considered those with populations of at least 350,000 people), plus the London boroughs as a whole, based on the public’s assessment of 12 economic measures, including jobs, health, income, safety and skills, as well as work-life balance, housing, travel-to-work times, income equality, high street shops, environment and business startups. 

Looking at the rankings as a whole, Preston is the 11th highest performing city in the country, and also the highest across the North. 

In terms of areas for improvement, the data shows that cities in the North West need continued focus on measures such as income, health, the environment and high streets. 

Adam Waller, Market Senior Partner for PwC Manchester, said:

“Good Growth for Cities is an important report as it shows where our cities are performing well, and where there are opportunities for growth and intervention. It’s encouraging to see the North West performing well for work-life balance, income distribution and skills as we know that these measures have a real impact on the day-to-day lives of people living here. 

“The areas where our cities haven’t met the national average such as income, health and high streets should be our focus in the North West, and the report will provide regional partnerships guidance on where interventions can have the biggest impact.”