New Research Highlights the Top Cities for UK Remote Workers

New research has unveiled the top cities for UK remote workers for 2024, with a surprising lineup leading the charge. Bristol, Edinburgh, and Southend emerged as the frontrunners, offering the ideal blend of connectivity, culture, and comfort. Notably, coastal areas have made a significant splash, claiming half of the top 10 spots, surpassing several major cities in their appeal to remote professionals.

Top Cities for Remote Workers

Bristol came out on top as the best city for remote workers, followed closely by Edinburgh - with both cities boasting higher than average availability of ultra-fast broadband (92.7% and 91.4% of premises respectively).

With an average distance of 333m to the nearest park, Bristol’s remote workers have the closest proximity to green spaces, while Edinburgh’s 255 coffee shops cater to the needs of a remote workforce looking to swap the home office for a change of scene.

*The rankings exclude London

Coastal areas around the UK dominated half of the top 10 places in the table, coming above other major cities like Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham. Southend, Portsmouth, Southampton and Bournemouth took 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place respectively, while Brighton landed 8th place in the ranking.

The rise of remote working has transformed the way people work, with the trend accelerated by the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. 

In the wake of a return to the office, many businesses have permanently opted to keep remote working, either with hybrid models or allowing workers to be fully remote.

For many employees, commutes and in-person interactions have been replaced with home comforts and video calls, and workplace perks now come in the form of flexibility and local amenities.

Personnel Checks Managing Director, Jack Mellor, commented:

“The data shows that the needs of workers have changed exponentially in recent years, particularly since the pandemic.

“Those based away from the traditional office setting are looking for different things to elevate their working experience - from super fast internet to access to coffee shops and green spaces.

“It’s interesting to note that coastal towns and cities seem to have the edge on other areas when it comes to appealing to remote workers. Cleaner air and access to green spaces have made these seaside destinations some of the best in the country for the growing remote workforce.”

How We Ranked the Best UK Cities for Remote Workers

To determine the best UK cities for remote workers in 2024, we consulted multiple data sources. We looked at the most populous cities, using data from reliable sources like Centre for Cities for population stats, Ofcom for broadband and mobile data, ONS for working age population and access to green spaces, WHO for air quality, and TripAdvisor for the number of cafes and coffee shops.

Each city was scored from 1 to 25 across these categories, leading us to our final rankings that give a clear picture of where remote workers might find their next best spot.