PwC’s 2025 Good Growth for Cities Index reveals people in the West Midlands place a greater priority on their High Streets compared to the UK average

• Stoke-on-Trent is the West Midlands’ highest performing city – ranking 13th out of 50 nationally.  

• The five Good Growth cities (Stoke-on-Trent, Birmingham, Walsall, Coventry and Wolverhampton) in the West Midlands perform most strongly on two criteria: Income distribution and house price to earnings.  

• Cities in the region scored poorly on Income, Health and New Businesses variables.  

The Demos-PwC Good Growth for Cities Index (‘the Index’) 2025 shows that people in the West Midlands place a slightly higher priority on High Streets compared to the UK average. Stoke-on-Trent continues to be the highest performing city in the West Midlands, improving its ranking from 16th to 13th this year, primarily due to improvements in job opportunities and educational attainment compared to last year. The city scored above average for key components including high streets, transport and jobs.  

The Index ranks 50 of the UK’s largest cities, excluding London, based on both the public’s assessment and the actual performance of 12 economic measures, which this year, in order of public importance, were: income; income distribution; safety; work-life balance; health; jobs; housing; environment; transport; high streets; skills and new businesses. The higher the city scores on the public's top priorities, the better the city performs on the Index.  

Financial measures such as income and jobs have previously led in their importance to the public by a wide margin, but results from this year’s survey reveal a rise in the importance of non-financial measures. Skills, high streets, housing and transport have all risen on the public agenda. Income and income distribution remain the top two priorities but have seen their sharpest year-on-year decline.   

The West Midlands performance  

Cities in the West Midlands generally performed below the national average when measured against public priorities, except for Stoke-on-Trent. Both Birmingham and Coventry scored above average for new businesses.   

Rankings in the Index are as follows:  

• Stoke-on-Trent: ranked 13th (16th last year) 

• Coventry: ranked 26th (27th last year) 

• Wolverhampton: ranked 39th (no change from last year)   

• Birmingham: ranked 48th (49th last year) 

• Walsall: ranked 50th (48th last year) 

Growth forecasts  

Regional economic growth in the West Midlands’s is expected to be below the UK average growth rate of around 1.2% this year. However, there is expected to be some disparity in the growth experienced by different cities in the region.  

Birmingham’s forecasted GVA growth rate is significantly greater than the other West Midlands cities. Economic growth in Birmingham can be partly attributed to the high concentration of economic activity in the financial services and insurance industry. Birmingham is home to some of the top Insurtech companies in the UK. 

Wolverhampton is the West Midlands city with the weakest forecasted growth. The manufacturing sector continues to boost the region’s economy, while wholesale and real estate activities also make a significant contribution.   

David Morris, Central Region Market Lead at PwC, said:  

"Our local high streets really matter to people in the West Midlands, so it’s encouraging to see recent investments in this area. It also tells us that a collective vision for community-centred economic regeneration will be crucial to driving local growth and resilient communities. 

“The region continues to underperform when compared to the UK average in several areas and improvement has stalled compared to last year. The shining star of the West Midlands is yet again Stoke-on-Trent which ranked highest in the Index and has made strides in improving job opportunities and educational attainment, reflecting the city's proactive approach to economic development.  

“The region has ample opportunity for growth, with Birmingham forecasted for significant growth compared to other cities in the region. Our analysis shows that both Birmingham and Coventry scored above average for new business, highlighting the potential fertile ground for innovation and entrepreneurship, which can act as catalysts for wider economic momentum. However, we mustn’t ignore the challenges, particularly in skill development, income, and health. Addressing these issues is fundamental for enhancing economic resilience and ensuring that opportunities are accessible to everyone.”  

How other cities in the UK performed  

York is the highest performing city in the Index, with Edinburgh rising to second place and Bristol in third place. These cities scored highly across high streets, skills, and jobs which are key indicators of prosperity that the public increasingly values. York ranked among the top three cities for both high street and jobs.   

Rachel Taylor, Government and Health Industries Leader at PwC, said:   

“Our research indicates that ongoing financial pressures are pushing people to prioritise things that improve their quality of life and future prospects. Bustling high streets, new businesses, and reliable transport links build confidence and optimism. To strengthen local and regional economies in the UK, we need to concentrate on the fundamental elements that support thriving communities and businesses. This involves maximising local strengths with genuine economic potential and achieving noticeable results.  

“Good growth strategies should recognise the link between economic and social foundations. People need secure jobs, accessible services, reliable transport, and a sense of wellbeing to thrive, while businesses rely on healthy, skilled populations and stable infrastructure to grow.”  

Carl Sizer, Chief Markets Officer at PwC, said:   

“The cities and regions making the most progress are those that align their sector priorities with local strengths and invest in essentials like housing, transport, digital infrastructure, and skills. They ensure that the priorities of communities, employers, and key institutions are in sync. A strong economic identity is crucial, understanding what a place stands for, its strengths, and growth plans is vital for local leaders, investors, businesses, and residents alike. Clarity helps direct decisions, focus efforts, and make a strong case for investment.   

“With these foundations, local growth strategies become more than policy documents. They serve as a framework connecting short-term efforts with long-term goals, organising choices to support resilience, opportunity, and inclusive growth. To stay relevant, these strategies need to be active and adaptable, regularly updated, transparently tracked, and based on clear insights into what's working and what needs change.”  

Notes to Editors:  

About the Good Growth for Cities Index  

• The Demos-PwC Good Growth for Cities Index was established in 2011 and is updated annually.  

• In recognition of its unique scale and economy, London is not included in this year’s Good Growth Index. The Index looks beyond core economic indicators (such as GDP) and instead considers broad measures of economic wellbeing to measure success.  

• The Index measures the performance of 50 of the UK's largest cities, each typically having a population of at least 340,000, excluding London. It also assesses 37 Rural Areas, based on the prior Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) definitions, and 16 Combined Authorities and city regions, using a set of 12 factors deemed most crucial by the public for economic well-being. These include jobs, health, income, safety and skills, as well as work-life balance, housing, travel-to-work times, income equality, high street and shops, environment and business start-ups. More details on the methodology can be found in the report.