transport
Commuting between local authorities in the Greater West of England, 2021
This data insight describes the commuting patterns of workers in and out of the Greater West of England, defined here as Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire.
The data describe the flow of workers in and out of the local authorities of the Greater West of England using origin-destination data taken from the 2021 Census.
4.4% of all resident workers (or 8.5% when home workers are excluded) in the Greater West of England work outside the region. Conversely, 65,786 workers commute in from outside the region, accounting for 5.2% of all the people who work in the Greater West of England (or 9.8% if home workers are excluded).
The Census was completed during the COVID-19 pandemic, which increased the number of people working from home. The data below included here is therefore presented with home workers excluded.
It is also noted that the data includes some uncertainty in the responses of furloughed workers, especially with regards to working from home patterns.
13.8%
Percentage of resident workers in the Greater West of England who commute to a different local authority
5.9%
Net in-commute of workers to Bristol as a percentage of all who work there
55,693
Number of resident workers in the Greater West of England who work outside the region
Percent of residents working in a different local authority, 2021
This visualisation shows the rates at which workers who live in the Greater West of England commute between local authorities for work.
13.8% of resident workers in the Greater West of England commute to a different local authority for work. When home workers are excluded, the figure is 26.5%
When home workers are excluded, there is large variation between local authorities; 14.5% of resident workers in Gloucestershire commute to another local authority for work while South Gloucestershire has the largest proportion at 45.5%.
Percent of workers in a local authority commuting in from another, 2021
This visualisation shows the proportion of workers in each local authority within the Greater West of England who commute in from another local authority in 2021, excluding those working mainly at or from home. The proportion ranged from 14.5% in Gloucestershire to 48.0% in South Gloucestershire.
Workers by local authority of residence and workplace, 2021
This visualisation shows the number of workers travelling between local authorities of residence and workplace within the Greater West of England in 2021. Most workers were employed within their local authority of residence, with higher counts in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol.
Flows between local authorities were also observed, including movements into Bristol from South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset.
The “Other” category includes workers whose place of work is outside the Greater West of England, offshore or outside the UK.
Workers by local authority of residence and workplace, excluding home workers, 2021
This visualisation shows the number of workers travelling between local authorities of residence and workplace within the Greater West of England in 2021, excluding those working mainly at or from home. Most workers were employed within their local authority of residence.
Flows between local authorities were also observed, including movements into Bristol from South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset. In Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire, more workers travelled to locations outside the Greater West of England than to any single local authority within the region.
The “Other” category includes workers whose place of work is outside the Greater West of England, offshore or outside the UK.
