Kingston upon Hull, City of

Kingston upon Hull, City of ranks 195th of 361 UK local authorities, with a Local Growth Score of 973: 27 points below the UK benchmark of 1,000, 3 points below the Yorkshire and The Humber score and 4 points above the East Yorkshire score. It stands out most on ESG, at 1,026; its biggest opportunity is Innovation, at 962.

  • Top pillar: ESG
  • Biggest opportunity: Innovation
  • 10,307 active companies

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Kingston upon Hull, City of's scores are built from the area's 10,307 active companies, each measured on the same 16 characteristics.

The Local Growth Index scores every UK local authority on four pillars (Innovation, Scaling, Investment and ESG) using company-level data from the Beauhurst platform. Each measure is averaged across the area's companies, so a score reflects how active the typical local company is rather than how large the local economy is.

Every score is set against a fixed UK benchmark of 1,000, the score of the UK as a whole, so Kingston upon Hull, City of's 973 puts it 27 points below the UK. Its likely range, 960–986, shows how much the score could move with a slightly different mix of companies. A score is only published when that range is narrow enough to rely on.

Yorkshire and The Humber

Each dot shows the pillar score on a scale where the UK as a whole scores 1,000, marked by the line. The paler band is the likely range. The composite weights Innovation, Scaling and Investment 30% each and ESG 10%.

  • Innovation 30%962Average nationally
  • Scaling 30%1,005Above average nationally
  • Investment 30%936Average nationally
  • ESG 10%1,026Above average nationally

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Pillar breakdown

How Kingston upon Hull, City of's composite score of 973 is built up, pillar by pillar.

Innovation

962

Average nationally

−38 points against the UK · Likely range 945–979 · 30% of the composite

Innovation is Kingston upon Hull, City of's clearest opportunity, scoring 962 (38 points below the UK). It currently outperforms 40.2% of authorities. The Innovation pillar measures how rooted local companies are in research and new technology: granted patents filed in the last 20 years, university spinouts, R&D grant funding won in the last five years, and the share of companies in innovative sectors or the eight IS-8 growth sectors.

The 5 measures behind this pillar

  • Patents25%See the data on Beauhurst

    Granted patent families filed in the last 20 years, held anywhere in the corporate group (capped, log scale).

  • Academic spinouts25%See the data on Beauhurst

    Whether the company is a university spinout.

  • R&D grant value25%See the data on Beauhurst

    Value of R&D grants received in the last five years: Innovate UK, EU programmes and other grants for R&D (capped, log scale).

  • Innovative sectors15%See the data on Beauhurst

    Tagged with any industry or buzzword on a curated list of innovative sectors, for example chips, biotechnology, quantum, AI, data, SaaS, FinTech and CleanTech. About 2.5% of companies.

  • IS-8 sectors10%See the data on Beauhurst

    Tagged with any of the eight IS-8 sectors: advanced manufacturing, clean energy, creative industries, digital and technologies, financial services, life sciences, professional and business services, and defence. About 18% of companies.

We publish a score for each pillar, not for the measures inside it. The percentage beside each measure is how much it counts towards the pillar score. Select the lock to see the companies behind a measure on the Beauhurst platform.

Scaling

1,005

Above average nationally

+5 points against the UK · Likely range 982–1,028 · 30% of the composite

Kingston upon Hull, City of sits in the upper half nationally on Scaling, ahead of 60.8% of authorities. The Scaling pillar looks past the startup phase: how many local companies are scaleups, how fast established companies are adding staff, and how many have attended an accelerator.

The 3 measures behind this pillar

  • Scaleups45%See the data on Beauhurst

    Whether the company is a 20% scaleup (Beauhurst high-growth signal).

  • Headcount growth45%See the data on Beauhurst

    Annualised three-year employee growth rate over the latest four years of accounts, including group accounts, for companies with five or more employees at the start (capped). All other companies count as zero.

  • Accelerator10%See the data on Beauhurst

    Whether the company has attended an accelerator.

We publish a score for each pillar, not for the measures inside it. The percentage beside each measure is how much it counts towards the pillar score. Select the lock to see the companies behind a measure on the Beauhurst platform.

Investment

936

Average nationally

−64 points against the UK · Likely range 912–960 · 30% of the composite

Kingston upon Hull, City of sits in the lower half nationally on Investment, ahead of 41.1% of authorities. The Investment pillar captures equity finance: how many local companies raised equity in the last five years, how much they raised, and how many raised for the first time.

The 3 measures behind this pillar

  • Equity raisers40%See the data on Beauhurst

    Whether the company raised equity in the last five years.

  • Equity raised40%See the data on Beauhurst

    Amount of equity raised in the last five years (capped, log scale).

  • First-time raisers20%See the data on Beauhurst

    Whether the company's first equity deal ever was in the last five years. A first-time raiser always counts as an equity raiser too.

We publish a score for each pillar, not for the measures inside it. The percentage beside each measure is how much it counts towards the pillar score. Select the lock to see the companies behind a measure on the Beauhurst platform.

ESG

1,026

Above average nationally

+26 points against the UK · Likely range 1,006–1,046 · 10% of the composite

ESG is Kingston upon Hull, City of's strongest pillar relative to other authorities, scoring 1,026 (26 points above the UK) and outperforming 62.0% of authorities nationally. The ESG pillar tracks clean energy and other green activity, environmental accolades, social and governance signals, and the share of companies set up on a not-for-profit basis.

The 5 measures behind this pillar

  • Clean energy30%See the data on Beauhurst

    Active in clean or renewable energy, or clean technology.

  • Other green activity20%See the data on Beauhurst

    Active in green buildings and infrastructure, green transport, or sustainable farming and food.

  • Environmental accolades20%See the data on Beauhurst

    Has an environmental accolade, including completed Innovate UK clean growth grants.

  • Social and governance15%See the data on Beauhurst

    Has a gender pay equality signal from a report in the last five years, a director gender equality signal, or a social accolade.

  • Not-for-profit proxy15%See the data on Beauhurst

    Is limited by guarantee without share capital, a rough indicator of non-profit status.

We publish a score for each pillar, not for the measures inside it. The percentage beside each measure is how much it counts towards the pillar score. Select the lock to see the companies behind a measure on the Beauhurst platform.

Compared to East Yorkshire

Kingston upon Hull, City of scores 3 points below the Yorkshire and The Humber score, and 4 points above the East Yorkshire score.

Dots share one axis across the site. The line marks the UK benchmark of 1,000; differences are in points.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Kingston upon Hull, City of's Local Growth Score and how it's calculated.

Read the methodology
What is Kingston upon Hull, City of's Local Growth Score?

Kingston upon Hull, City of has a Local Growth Score of 973, ranking 195th of 361 authorities nationally. The UK as a whole scores 1,000. Its pillar scores are Innovation 962, Scaling 1,005, Investment 936, ESG 1,026.

How is the Local Growth Score calculated?

Each company is measured on 16 characteristics, which are averaged across the area and compared with a fixed UK baseline. The results are combined into four pillar scores, and a composite weighted 30% each to Innovation, Scaling and Investment and 10% to ESG, on a scale where the UK scores 1,000.

What is Kingston upon Hull, City of's strongest economic pillar?

Relative to other authorities, ESG is Kingston upon Hull, City of's strongest pillar at 1,026, placing Kingston upon Hull, City of in the top 50% of UK local authorities on that pillar.

Where does Kingston upon Hull, City of have the most room to improve?

Innovation is Kingston upon Hull, City of's weakest pillar relative to other authorities, at 962, 38 points below the UK benchmark. It is the clearest opportunity for local economic development.

How does Kingston upon Hull, City of compare to the rest of East Yorkshire?

Kingston upon Hull, City of ranks 1st of the 2 authorities in East Yorkshire, scoring 4 points above the county score. The next-highest-scoring authority in the county is East Riding of Yorkshire, on 966.

How many active companies are based in Kingston upon Hull, City of?

Kingston upon Hull, City of has 10,307 active, non-dormant companies with their head office there. Every measure in the Local Growth Index is averaged across these companies.

Explore the data behind the index

Every score on this page is built from real, named company activity, patent filings, fundraisings, spinouts and scaleups. Book a call to see the data behind any authority's score, and how Beauhurst can support your work.

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