England cities host over one-third of NEET population

Research from the Centre for Cities indicates that more than half of young people in England who are not in employment, education, or training (NEET) reside in urban areas. Over one-third of these individuals are concentrated within the nine largest cities in England.

London contains the highest number of NEETs, estimated at 117,100, representing approximately one in six of the total in England. Birmingham and Manchester follow with 45,000 and 37,700 individuals, respectively. Other areas showing high proportions include Blackpool at 21%, while Doncaster, Bradford, Middlesbrough, and Barnsley each report 17%.

In contrast, York has the lowest share of NEETs at 6%. Senior analyst Rob Johnson noted that the issue requires localized solutions rather than a single national approach, suggesting that mayors need more power to address specific barriers such as skills, training, and transport to jobs.