9,510 people in West Northamptonshire claimed unemployment benefits in June, 3.4% of working-age residents, below England's 4.0%. Under-25 claims rose 130.
9,510 people across West Northamptonshire were claiming unemployment-related benefits in June, according to the Office for National Statistics claimant count, 45 fewer than in June last year. That is 3.4 per cent of residents aged 16 to 64, comfortably below the England average of 4.0 per cent. (ONS claimant count, published via Nomis)
The claimant count records people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance plus those on Universal Credit who are required to look for work. It is not the full unemployment measure, but it is the only jobs figure published every month at council level, which makes it the best regular signal of how the labour market is moving across Northampton, Daventry, Towcester, Brackley and the villages between them.
An autumn fall that unwound by spring
The monthly figures from June 2025 to June 2026 run 9,555; 9,455; 9,305; 9,265; 9,120; 8,930; 8,715; 8,755; 9,285; 9,430; 9,515; 9,505; 9,510. The count fell steadily through the second half of 2025, dropping 840 between June and December to a low of 8,715, then jumped 530 in a single month between January and February 2026. Since April it has barely moved, sitting within 10 of 9,510 for three months running. (Nomis, claimant count for West Northamptonshire, retrieved 12 August 2026)
Under the flat headline number, the mix of claimants has shifted. Claims by 25 to 49 year olds fell from 5,705 to 5,475 over the year, a drop of 230, while claims by 16 to 24 year olds rose from 1,670 to 1,800 and claims by the over-50s rose from 2,175 to 2,235. Younger residents now make up roughly one claimant in five, and theirs is the only age group where the count has been clearly rising through 2026.
At 3.4 per cent, West Northamptonshire’s claimant rate matches next-door North Northamptonshire, where 7,895 people were claiming in June, and sits well under the England rate of 4.0 per cent, which covers 1,489,570 claimants. Put another way, about one working-age resident in 29 here is claiming, against one in 25 nationally.
What it means for you
For jobseekers the local picture is steadier than the national one: fewer people are chasing work here, proportionally, than across England as a whole, though the rise in under-25 claims is the number worth watching for anyone leaving school or college this summer. If you have lost work or had your hours cut, the main route into support is Universal Credit, claimed online. Low-income households can also apply to the council for Council Tax Reduction, which cuts the bill rather than paying cash.
A steady jobs market also underpins the housing market; our Northampton house prices page tracks what homes across the area actually sell for. The July claimant figures are due on Nomis in the coming weeks and we will report them when they appear.
Have your say