Uttlesford named UK's second-best place for entrepreneurs

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 14 Oct, 04:58 · Archive

Uttlesford in Essex has been ranked the UK's second-best area for entrepreneurship in research commissioned by American Express.

Uttlesford, an Essex district including Saffron Walden, Great Dunmow and Stansted Mountfitchet, has been named the UK's second-leading entrepreneurial hotspot in research commissioned by American Express and conducted by Development Economics. The study examined all 317 local authority areas across the UK, assessing them using two equally weighted measures: the rate of new business creation and business resilience.

Only Stratford-on-Avon in the West Midlands ranked higher than Uttlesford. According to American Express, Stratford recorded 85 new businesses per 10,000 working-age residents, compared with a UK average of 73. The area also achieved a two-year business resilience rate of 81.4 per cent, meaning more than eight in ten of the businesses established in 2022 were still trading two years later.

The start-up rate was calculated using the number of new business registrations in 2024 per 10,000 working-age residents. Business resilience was measured by the proportion of businesses established in 2022 which remained trading two years on. The analysis was carried out in August 2026 using data from the Office for National Statistics.

American Express did not provide the corresponding start-up and resilience figures specifically for Uttlesford, so the exact metrics behind the district's second-place ranking are not disclosed. The research nonetheless demonstrates strong entrepreneurial activity and business survival rates in the Essex area.

Uttlesford named UK's second-best place for entrepreneurs — Image: Colchester Gazette

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How it is being reported

Essex district named second best place in UK for entrepreneursUttlesford named UK's second entrepreneurial hotspot in American Express research, behind Stratford-on-Avon, after analysis of start-ups and business resilience.Colchester Gazette · 14 Oct, 04:00
Essex district named second best place in UK for entrepreneursUttlesford named UK's second entrepreneurial hotspot in American Express research, behind Stratford-on-Avon, after analysis of start-ups and business resilience.Brentwood Guardian · 14 Oct, 04:00
Essex district named second best place in UK for entrepreneursUttlesford named UK's second entrepreneurial hotspot in American Express research, behind Stratford-on-Avon, after analysis of start-ups and business resilience.Echo (Basildon) · 14 Oct, 04:00

In this story: Uttlesford · Stratford-on-Avon · American Express · Saffron Walden · Great Dunmow · Stansted Mountfitchet · West Midlands · Office for National Statistics

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