Claims from 16 to 24-year-olds hit 710 in September, up 90 on a year, while claims from people aged 25 to 49 fell. The district total is 3,190, or 2.4%.
The number of young people claiming out-of-work benefits in North Somerset is still climbing. In September, 710 people aged 16 to 24 were on the claimant count, up 90 on September last year.
Every other age group is flat or falling. Claims from people aged 25 to 49 fell by 40 over the same year. The district total was 3,190, or 2.4% of residents aged 16 to 64 (nomis, ONS claimant count, dataset NM_162_1).
The claimant count is not the same as unemployment. It counts people on Jobseeker’s Allowance, plus people on Universal Credit who are required to look for work. Some of them are in work but expected to find more hours (nomis, claimant count notes).
The figures by age
| Age group | Sept 2024 | Sept 2025 | Sept 2026 | Change in a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 to 24 | 595 | 620 | 710 | +90 |
| 25 to 49 | 2,075 | 1,750 | 1,710 | -40 |
| 50 and over | 820 | 755 | 770 | +15 |
| All ages | 3,490 | 3,125 | 3,190 | +65 |
Two things stand out:
- The district total is up 65 on a year, and the under-25s account for more than all of that rise.
- Over two years the picture splits further. The total is down 300 since September 2024, driven by a fall of 365 among 25 to 49-year-olds. Claims from under-25s are up 115 over the same two years.
The monthly series shows when it turned. Under-25 claims sat between 595 and 625 for the whole of the year to September 2025. They then rose almost every month to a peak of 725 in April 2026.
How North Somerset compares
North Somerset’s rate of 2.4% is below the South West’s 2.7% and well below England’s 4.1%.
The district’s total is also rising more slowly than elsewhere:
- North Somerset: up 2.1% on a year, from 3,125 to 3,190
- South West: up 4.1%, from 94,150 to 97,965
- England: up 2.6%, from 1,456,065 to 1,493,875
Ward by ward
The spread inside the district is wide. Weston-super-Mare Central has the highest rate, at 6.8% with 425 claimants. Portishead North has the lowest, at 0.8% with 20.
| Ward | Claimants, Sept 2026 | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Highest rates | ||
| Weston-super-Mare Central | 425 | 6.8% |
| Weston-super-Mare South | 385 | 6.4% |
| Weston-super-Mare Hillside | 205 | 3.7% |
| Nailsea Yeo | 65 | 3.0% |
| Weston-super-Mare Uphill | 145 | 2.9% |
| Lowest rates | ||
| Backwell | 30 | 1.1% |
| Nailsea Golden Valley | 25 | 1.1% |
| Portishead North | 20 | 0.8% |
The 10 Weston-super-Mare wards have 1,840 claimants between them. Portishead’s four wards have 230, Clevedon’s five have 225 and Nailsea’s four have 170 (nomis, claimant count by ward, September 2026). Ward figures are rounded to the nearest five, so they do not add up exactly to the district total.
Nailsea Yeo is the one ward outside Weston in the top four. Its rate rose from 2.7% in July to 3.0% in September, though on small numbers: 60 claimants to 65.
A correction to the earlier figures
The ONS has revised the district figures for earlier months. In August we reported July’s total as 3,235. The figure on nomis now is 3,185. The under-25 count for July now reads 680, not 695. The ward figures we reported then still match.
What it means for you
If you are 16 to 24 and out of work, you are in the one group where claims are going up locally. Universal Credit claims and Jobcentre appointments start on GOV.UK.
Weston College has just won £8.8m to expand construction and low-carbon training at its Locking Road campus. Our story has what the money pays for.
For the full ward table and the July picture, see our July claimant count story.
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