A new study has revealed the best counties for new finance graduates. The study, by InvestinGoal, created an index by analysing almost 9,000 finance sector job listings aimed at graduates in order to find the best counties for finance graduates in the UK. Counties with less than ten finance job listings were omitted from the final ranking.
In first place with an index score of 85.27 out of 100 is, perhaps unsurprisingly, Greater London. Seeing both the highest median wage nationwide at £46,500 – over 45% (45.51%) higher than the national average of £31,956 – as well as by far the highest number of listings at 39 per 100,000 residents, it may not be a shock seeing the capital coming in at first place. In terms of unadjusted job listing figures, Greater London also saw by far the highest amount at 3,433 – over one in seven times that of the next closest area, Yorkshire, with 442 listings.
Second place goes to Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Scoring 80.31 out of 100, Aberdeenshire sees one of the highest median wages throughout the UK at £42,000 – over 30% (31.43%) higher than the national average and is one of four counties in Scotland to feature in the top ten, alongside Stirling in third.
Stirling ranks in at third place with a score of 73.01 out of 100. Stirling sees both a higher-than-average median wage of £35,000 (compared to the national average of £31,956) – working out to almost 10% (9.52% higher than the national average, as well as a higher-than-average availability of jobs, coming in at 16 listings per 100,000 people (compared to the average of 11 per 100,000 people).
Berkshire comes in at fourth place, with a score of 72.23 out of 100. With a median wage over 15% (15.78%) higher than the national average, Berkshire also sees a higher-than-average amount of job listings at 19 per 100,000.
Fifth place goes to Lothian, Scotland, with a score of 71.76 out of 100. Lothian, like Stirling, sees a median wage for new finance grads of £35,000 – almost 10% (9.52%) higher than the national average.
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By GlobalDataThe remainder of the top ten features Bristol in at sixth place, scoring 71.57 out of 100. Bristol was seen to have some of the highest number of job listings aimed at new finance graduates at 31 per 100,000 people, only being surpassed by Greater London and Armagh (39 and 67 per 100,000, respectively).
In seventh place is Armagh, Northern Ireland, scoring 71.46 out of 100. The only county in Northern Ireland to feature on the list, Armagh has by far the most job listings per 100,000 people aimed at new finance graduates of any county, seeing 67 listings per 100,000 people. In this category, Armagh is followed by London (39 per 100,000) and Bristol (31 per 100,000).
Eighth place goes to Dorset, with a score of 70.01 out of 100, whilst Lanarkshire, Scotland takes ninth place, scoring 68.65.
Rounding out the list in tenth place is Wiltshire, scoring 68.59 out of 100.
Interestingly, England almost draws with Scotland in terms of areas within the top ten. England features five places within the top ten, whilst Scotland features 4, and Northern Ireland just one.
Across all counties, the median wage for a new finance graduate was found to be £31,956, with Greater London having the highest median wage (£46,500) and Worcestershire having the lowest (£24,500). Additionally, the average number of new finance graduate job listings per county was seen to be 11 per 100,000 people.
Worcestershire was found to be the worst area in the UK for new finance graduates, scoring only 39.44 out of 100.
| Rank | County | Score / 100 |
| 1. | Greater London | 85.27 |
| 2. | Aberdeenshire | 80.31 |
| 3. | Stirling | 73.01 |
| 4. | Berkshire | 72.23 |
| 5. | Lothian | 71.76 |
| 6. | Bristol | 71.57 |
| 7. | Armagh | 71.46 |
| 8. | Dorset | 70.01 |
| 9. | Lanarkshire | 68.65 |
| 10. | Wiltshire | 68.59 |
A spokesperson for InvestinGoal commented on the findings, saying: “The study highlights diverse prospects for finance graduates across various counties in the UK. It uncovers distinctive patterns and dynamics, providing valuable insights into the varied economic landscapes and professional environments present in different areas.
“The findings serve as a comprehensive guide for recent finance graduates, offering a broad understanding of the opportunities and nuances prevalent within the financial sector across the country.”
