Sheffield Agency Launches Entrepreneurial Cities Report 2024

27th November 2024

A new report has been released by Sheffield-based marketing agency, Wildcat Digital, revealing the most entrepreneurial cities in the UK.

The report has been released in celebration of the incredible business community across Yorkshire, with several of the region’s cities performing well in the Entrepreneurial Cities 2024 rankings. 

The study compares 4 unique data sources across 30 of the biggest cities in the UK. Each data point represents a factor which is relevant to the city, based on its entrepreneurial credentials and business innovation. 

 These ranking factors include,

- A Higher Number of New Business Registrations (Business Births) per 100,000 people
- A Higher Business Confidence Score
- A Higher Number of Self-employed Workers per 100,000 people 
- A Higher Number of Business owners on LinkedIn (based on profiles) per 100,000 people

Interestingly, Bradford took the top spot and this was closely followed by Hull and Reading which came in second and third place respectively. 

With a total score of 238 points, the city of Bradford ranked as the leading entrepreneurial city in the UK. Set to be named the UK’s next “City of Culture” in 2025, Bradford has proven itself to be a fantastic up-and-coming hub for new and existing businesses. 

Though Sheffield didn’t make the top ten in the main rankings table, it did score well for “business confidence”, coming in joint first place. This shows that the city’s estimated 685,368 residents are feeling positive about the current business landscape and what is to come.

Will Hitchmough, Managing Director of Wildcat Digital, commented on the findings: 

“It’s interesting to see so many great cities gaining recognition in our study. Often entrepreneurs can feel like they have to be London based to succeed however, these findings show that there is so much opportunity outside of the capital. 

“In today’s digitally-focused business landscape, the emergence of technology and digital marketing solutions are all helping shape a thriving start-up economy. Being based in Yorkshire, we know that there is so much going on in our business community, so it comes as no surprise to see the top two entrepreneurial cities are located in the region. With both scoring particularly high in terms of business confidence.”

To see the full research findings and see how other cities compare, visit the rankings report. Or get in touch to see what Wildcat Digital can do for your business. Contact the team on 0114 312 3641 or visit the website.