5,380 people in Bury claimed jobless benefits in September, up 110 for a second month running and the most since March 2025. Over-50s are up 10.2% in a year.
5,380 people in Bury were claiming unemployment-related benefits in September. That is 4.4 per cent of residents aged 16 to 64, and the highest monthly count in the borough since March 2025.
The figures are from the ONS claimant count, published through nomis on Tuesday 20 October. September’s count is 110 higher than August’s. August was itself 110 higher than July, so the count has risen by 220 in two months.
September does not usually go up
Between August and September, Bury’s count normally barely moves:
- 2022: down 5
- 2023: down 150
- 2024: up 5
- 2025: down 5
- 2026: up 110
The rise matched the UK’s in percentage terms, at 2.1 per cent. The North West rose 2.3 per cent.
Up 250 in a year
Bury has 250 more claimants than in September 2025, when the count was 5,130. That is a rise of 4.9 per cent. Over the same year the UK rose 2.8 per cent and the North West 4.1 per cent.
In Greater Manchester, three boroughs rose faster:
| Borough | September 2025 | September 2026 | Change in a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salford | 9,500 | 10,295 | +8.4% |
| Tameside | 6,980 | 7,370 | +5.6% |
| Trafford | 4,315 | 4,530 | +5.0% |
| Bury | 5,130 | 5,380 | +4.9% |
| Wigan | 7,485 | 7,750 | +3.5% |
| Manchester | 24,690 | 25,380 | +2.8% |
| Oldham | 9,965 | 10,240 | +2.8% |
| Stockport | 5,480 | 5,595 | +2.1% |
| Bolton | 9,840 | 10,020 | +1.8% |
| Rochdale | 8,625 | 8,775 | +1.7% |
The count is still lower than two years ago. In September 2024 it was 5,920, 540 higher than now.
Over-50s are still rising fastest
Split by age, the biggest rise in Bury over the year is among people aged 50 and over.
| Age group | September 2025 | September 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 to 24 | 1,120 | 1,175 | +55, +4.9% |
| 25 to 49 | 3,025 | 3,120 | +95, +3.1% |
| 50 and over | 985 | 1,085 | +100, +10.2% |
The pattern in Bury is not the national one:
- Over-50s rose 10.2 per cent in Bury, against 4.8 per cent across the UK and 8.1 per cent across the North West.
- 16 to 24s rose 4.9 per cent in Bury, less than half the UK rise of 10.6 per cent and the North West’s 11.1 per cent.
- 25 to 49s rose 3.1 per cent in Bury. Across the UK that group fell 0.6 per cent.
Where in the borough
Eleven of Bury’s 17 wards had more claimants in September than in August. Bury East and Radcliffe North and Ainsworth were unchanged, and four wards fell. The largest monthly rises were:
- Redvales, up 25 to 575, now 7.3 per cent
- Sedgley, up 20 to 325, now 4.0 per cent
- Holyrood and Unsworth, both up 15
Bury East, which takes in the town centre, and Moorside are joint highest at 7.7 per cent. North Manor is lowest at 1.9 per cent.
| Ward | Claimants, September | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Bury East | 705 | 7.7% |
| Moorside | 595 | 7.7% |
| Redvales | 575 | 7.3% |
| Radcliffe East | 450 | 5.8% |
| Radcliffe West | 385 | 5.0% |
| Besses | 315 | 4.3% |
| Sedgley | 325 | 4.0% |
| Elton | 265 | 3.7% |
| Holyrood | 270 | 3.7% |
| Radcliffe North and Ainsworth | 265 | 3.7% |
| St Mary’s | 265 | 3.5% |
| Bury West | 200 | 3.2% |
| Unsworth | 215 | 3.1% |
| Pilkington Park | 145 | 2.4% |
| Ramsbottom | 175 | 2.3% |
| Tottington | 125 | 2.0% |
| North Manor | 105 | 1.9% |
August’s figure has been revised down
When we reported August’s figures, the count was 5,345. The same month now reads 5,270, 75 lower. That makes August’s monthly rise 110, not 185, and its rise over the year 135, not 210. That story now carries a correction.
The latest month is routinely revised when the next one is published, so September’s 5,380 may move too.
What the claimant count is, and is not
This is not the unemployment rate. The count records people on Jobseeker’s Allowance, or on Universal Credit while required to look for work. So it:
- includes some people in work, whose earnings are low enough to keep them under work search rules
- excludes people out of work who are not claiming
- is not seasonally adjusted, which is why the fairest comparison is with the same month a year earlier
- is rounded to the nearest five
What it means for you
If you are over 50 and looking for work in Bury, you are still in the group whose numbers are growing fastest. The council’s NeighbourHub at 18 Union Arcade in the Mill Gate brings employment and skills support, adult learning and digital help into one town centre unit.
If you want to check the figures yourself, the ward and age data are in nomis dataset NM_162_1, which updates monthly. The next release, for October, is due in November.
For more on the borough’s money, see our report on the council’s budget consultation, which is open until 30 November.
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