The UK cities where each trade is most in-demand

It’s hard to know exactly what is best for you and your business, but looking at Google search data can give an indication of where your trade is most sought-after.

Our recent research did just that and revealed the regional hotspots for twelve of the UK’s most popular trades.

Check below to see the towns and cities where your skillset is most in-demand.

Plumbers

Plumbers are by far the most coveted trade online, with a staggering 408,809 UK Google searches every month. This is almost a quarter (23%) of all the searches for tradespeople.

The biggest hotspot for plumbers is Blackpool, with 29 searches per 1,000 people in the seaside town.

1.       Blackpool – 4,158 monthly searches (29 per 1,000 people)

2.       Bedford – 2,139 (23)

3.       Lincoln – 2,373 (22)

4.       Preston – 2,216 (22)

5.       Cambridge – 3,206 (22)

Electricians

Second on the list is electricians, with 287,902 searches a month. In Cardiff, electricians are actually the most in-demand of all tradespeople, but based on searches-per-1000 residents, Worcester tops the list.

1.       Worcester – 2,088 monthly searches (20 per 1,000 people)

2.       Bedford – 1,723 (19)

3.       Preston – 1,783 (18)

4.       Lincoln – 1,696 (16)

5.       Colchester – 2,149 (16)

Roofers

Next up is roofers, with 193,738 searches each month on average. In Birmingham, their services are more coveted than any other trade, but per-person, Preston leads the way.

1.       Preston – 1,810 monthly searches (18 per 1,000 people)

2.       Blackpool – 1,932 (13)

3.       Stockport – 1,453 (13)

4.       Chester – 1,085 (12)

5.       York – 1,980 (12)

Landscapers

Fourth on the leader board are landscapers, who are searched for 164,640 times a month in the UK. Like a few other trades further down the list, they are most sought-after in the Devonshire city of Exeter.

1.       Exeter – 930 monthly searches (8 per 1,000 people)

2.       Preston – 718 (7)

3.       Nottingham – 2,122 (7)

4.       Glasgow – 3,403 (6)

5.       Bolton – 1,064 (5)

Builders

With 162,238 monthly Google searches, builders make the top five, with Exeter being the main hotspot once again.

1.       Exeter – 1,702 monthly searches (14 per 1,000 people)

2.       Bath – 1,277 (13)

3.       Bedford – 1,053 (11)

4.       Preston – 1,078 (11)

5.       York – 1,740 (11)

Plasterers

Plasterers are searched for 146,018 times a month on average. Per capita, this demand is greatest in the Somerset city of Bath.

1.       Bath – 3,525 monthly searches (35 per 1,000 people)

2.       Ipswich – 1,323 (9)

3.       Norwich – 1,460 (7)

4.       Preston – 738 (7)

5.       Exeter – 916 (7)

Carpenters

There are 128,095 searches for carpenters in a typical month and Bedford tops the list for enquiries-per-person.

1.       Bedford – 866 monthly searches (9 per 1,000 people)

2.       Norwich – 1,729 (9)

3.       Exeter – 1,050 (9)

4.       Cambridge – 1,253 (8)

5.       Swansea – 1,478 (8)

Joiners

Joiners are the last of the tradespeople to generate over 100,000 searches a month (105,323). They actually top the list in Southampton, with more enquiries for their services than any other trade. The Hampshire city also leads the way for searches-per-person.

1.       Southampton – 4,813 monthly searches (18 per 1,000 people)

2.       Aberdeen – 2,941 (15)

3.       Preston – 1,231 (12)

4.       Dundee – 1,461 (10)

5.       Chester – 855 (10)

Bricklayers

Brits search for bricklayers 34,258 times on average every month. Per capita, Colchester is where brickies are most desired.

1.       Colchester – 354 monthly searches (3 per 1,000 people)

2.       Southport – 208 (2)

3.       Poole – 321 (2)

4.       Bedford – 159 (2)

5.       Preston – 140 (1)

Building surveyors

Squeezing into the top 10 are building surveyors, with 22,309 searches a month. Cambridge is the main hotspot for this trade.

1.       Cambridge – 173 monthly searches (1 per 1,000 people)

2.       Preston – 98 (1)

3.       Bath – 98 (1)

4.       Chester – 83 (1)

5.       Cheltenham – 111 (1)

Scaffolders

Scaffolders take the penultimate spot on the list, with 20,757 searches every month across the UK. Exeter takes the title once again for having the most searches per-capita.

1.       Exeter – 253 monthly searches (2 per 1,000 people)

2.       Bedford – 187 (2)

3.       Manchester – 896 (2)

4.       Plymouth – 377 (2)

5.       Norwich – 295 (2)

Painter and decorators

Finally, there are 17,164 monthly Google searches for painter and decorators. Exeter tops the charts for the fourth time.

1.       Exeter – 183 monthly searches (1 per 1,000 people)

2.       Luton – 277 (1)

3.       Ipswich – 169 (1)

4.       Oxford – 184 (1)

5.       Norwich – 198 (1)

Wherever you work, make sure to check out our range of screws, fixings and adhesives, locks, safety and security products, and cabinet and shelf hardware, so you have all the equipment you need.

Methodology:

Data from Google Ads analysed by IronmongeryDirect in March 2022. Search terms included the 12 twelve trades plus the trade + ‘near me’ (e.g. “builder near me”).

The research included data for the 100 largest UK towns and cities: https://www.thegeographist.com/uk-cities-population-100/