Stockport had 5,595 claimants in September, up 115 on the month. Under-25s hit 1,265, the most for a September since 2021, yet the rate is GM's lowest.
There were 5,595 people claiming unemployment-related benefits in Stockport in September 2026. That is 115 more than in August and 115 more than in September last year.
The rate is 3.0% of residents aged 16 to 64. That is now the lowest of the ten Greater Manchester boroughs outright. Last month Stockport and Trafford were level; Trafford is now on 3.1%. The England rate is 4.1%.
The Office for National Statistics published the figures on 20 October. They come from the claimant count series on nomis, dataset NM_162_1, where Stockport is local authority E08000007.
Young claimants account for most of the rise
Compared with September 2025:
- 16 to 24: 1,265, up 100
- 25 to 49: 3,225, down 15
- 50 and over: 1,105, up 35
So the under-25s make up most of the year’s increase. Nomis rounds every figure to the nearest five, so the changes do not add up exactly.
The September count for under-25s is the highest since 2021. Every September since 2019:
| September | All claimants | Aged 16 to 24 |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 4,460 | 805 |
| 2020 | 10,650 | 2,115 |
| 2021 | 8,015 | 1,475 |
| 2022 | 6,065 | 1,010 |
| 2023 | 5,580 | 1,080 |
| 2024 | 6,275 | 1,115 |
| 2025 | 5,480 | 1,165 |
| 2026 | 5,595 | 1,265 |
Since September 2019, the total has risen by 25%. The under-25 count has risen by 57%. Under-25s are now 22.6% of all claimants in the borough, up from 18.0% in 2019.
It is happening across Greater Manchester
This is not a Stockport problem on its own. The under-25 count rose in all ten boroughs between September 2025 and September 2026. Across Greater Manchester it went up 9.6%, from 18,400 to 20,175. Stockport’s rise was a little below that.
| Borough | Sept 2025 | Sept 2026 | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bury | 1,120 | 1,175 | +55 | +4.9% |
| Manchester | 4,795 | 5,165 | +370 | +7.7% |
| Bolton | 1,825 | 1,975 | +150 | +8.2% |
| Stockport | 1,165 | 1,265 | +100 | +8.6% |
| Wigan | 1,595 | 1,745 | +150 | +9.4% |
| Salford | 2,000 | 2,195 | +195 | +9.8% |
| Trafford | 820 | 900 | +80 | +9.8% |
| Rochdale | 1,715 | 1,890 | +175 | +10.2% |
| Oldham | 1,920 | 2,150 | +230 | +12.0% |
| Tameside | 1,445 | 1,715 | +270 | +18.7% |
Next door in Tameside, the number of young claimants rose by almost a fifth.
August has been revised down
When the ONS published August’s figure last month, Stockport stood at 5,550, as we reported at the time. The August figure is now recorded as 5,480, which is 70 lower.
That is normal for this series. The ONS quality and methodology report says the Universal Credit part of the count “allows for revisions to the data for one previous month”. So September’s 5,595 may move too when October’s figures come out.
The claimant count is also not the unemployment rate. The ONS says it “does not attempt to measure unemployment”. It counts people claiming benefits mainly because they are out of work, plus Universal Credit claimants who are required to look for work.
The split by sex in September was 3,240 men and 2,355 women.
What it means for you
- If you are under 25 and looking for work, more people your age are claiming than in any September since 2021. That is true across Greater Manchester, not only here.
- To make or check a claim, find your nearest Jobcentre Plus on gov.uk.
- If you employ people in the borough, the number of young claimants is the highest for this time of year since 2021.
- The next figures, for October, are due from the ONS in November. We will update the series then.
Our other data pages for the borough cover house prices and council tax bands.
Sources: ONS claimant count via nomis, dataset NM_162_1, Stockport (E08000007), the ten Greater Manchester boroughs and England, counts and rates for September 2019 to September 2026, released 20 October 2026 and read on 23 October 2026; ONS, Claimant Count QMI.
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