Lancaster ranked as ninth best city to start a remote business

Starting a remote business is a great way to save costs on office spaces and commutes – but where in the UK is the best city to start up your remote business?
By Gayle Rouncivell
Published 20th Apr 2022, 10:48 BST
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A new study by card payment provider Dojo has revealed the best cities to start a remote business in 2022 - and Lancaster ranks in ninth place!

Dojo analysed and scored more than 40 cities on the following criteria to assess which city in the UK has the best working conditions to start a remote business:

*Population - Number of people living in the city

Lancaster is the UK’s ninth best city to start a remote business this year!Lancaster is the UK’s ninth best city to start a remote business this year!
Lancaster is the UK’s ninth best city to start a remote business this year!
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*Five-year start-up survival rate - % of start-up businesses that last longer than five years

*Internet Accessibility - Population with access to the internet within the city and the average download speed

*Income - Average pay for full-time workers

*Unemployment Rate - % population of the city that is unemployed

*Post Offices - Number of post offices in each region

Each element was assigned a weighted value that contributed to the final index score.

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Winchester comes top of the list, followed by Oxford, St Albans, Cambridge, Brighton and Hove, Chelmsford, Portsmouth, Gloucester, Lancaster and Bristol.

The unemployment rate in Lancaster is fairly low at 3.80 per cent, with the average five-year survival rate at 45.50 per cent proving Lancaster has a prospering economy.

You can expect to earn a high weekly salary in Lancaster of £569.30 and the rent for a one-bed city apartment is £579.27 on average - the cheapest rent in the top 10.

Jon Knott, head of customer insights at Dojo, said: “Interestingly, none of the cities that made the top five in our 2021 index are in this year’s top five.

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"It seems a lot more has changed in a year than you’d think.

“When choosing a city to live in during the often challenging venture of starting a remote business, be it a start-up or SME with an online and offline presence, or an online-only business, there are many things to take into account.

"You want to be somewhere with a lively and thriving economy, with plenty of customers searching for businesses like yours, and cheap enough accommodation to be sure you’ll never miss a payment.”

For more information, see the full research here.

Related topics:LancasterDojoWinchester