Economy
Harborough District has market towns, rural businesses and major employment sites. Skills, business survival and access to jobs are important to its future.
A distinctive local economy
The district has a different mix of jobs from the East Midlands and England. Agriculture and transport and storage have a particularly strong presence in the local economy.
Employment by sector, 2022
In 2022, agriculture and transport and storage made up a greater share of jobs in Harborough District than across the East Midlands and England.
| Sector | Harborough District | East Midlands | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | 4.0% | 1.8% | 1.3% |
| Transport and storage | 13.% | 6.4% | 5.1% |
Agriculture accounted for more than twice the share of jobs in Harborough District than in the East Midlands. Transport and storage also had a much larger share, influenced by the presence of Magna Park and the district’s location.
Businesses and enterprise
Most businesses in Harborough District are small. In 2025, 90.4% were micro businesses with 0 to 9 employees. This was similar to the UK figure of 89.1%.
Business size, 2025
| Business Size | Harborough District | UK |
|---|---|---|
| Micro, 0 to 9 staff | 90.4% | 89.1% |
| Small, 10 to 49 staff | 8.0% | 8.8% |
| Medium, 50 to 249 staff | 1.3% | 1.6% |
| Large, 250 or more staff | 0.3% | 0.4% |
Business survival
Of businesses started in 2021, 61.1% in Harborough District were still active three years later. This compared with 51.3% in the East Midlands and 53.5% across the UK.
Harborough District businesses had a higher three-year survival rate than the East Midlands and UK.
Employment, skills and younger workers
In June 2026, 1,050 people in Harborough District were claiming unemployment-related benefits. This was 1.7% of residents aged 16 to 64, compared with 3.5% in the East Midlands and 3.9% across the UK.
Among younger people, 215 claimants were aged 18 to 24 in June 2026, up from 180 in June 2025.
In 2025, median gross weekly pay for employee jobs, based on where people live, was about £654 in Harborough District, compared with about £643 across the UK.
What this means
- Harborough District has a relatively low claimant rate.
- The increase in younger claimants shows that access to work still matters.
- Education, training and access to well-paid local jobs can help younger people build careers in Harborough District.
- Links between schools, colleges, training providers and employers remain important.
Magna Park and local employment
Magna Park Lutterworth is a major logistics and distribution site in Harborough District. It has more than 13.7 million square feet of space across 50 buildings. This helps explain the high share of transport and storage jobs locally.
A study using 2021 commuting data estimated that 14% of Magna Park workers lived in Harborough District, while 31% lived in Leicester. Stronger transport and skills links could help more local residents access jobs at the site.
Earlier planning work estimated that 41% of roles at Magna Park could be managerial, professional, technical or administrative. This shows that logistics can provide a range of different career opportunities.
Why this is important
- Magna Park is a major employment site in the district.
- Better local access to jobs and training could help younger people build careers locally.
- Transport and skills links can help residents access a wider range of jobs
Market towns, markets and visitors
In 2024, shop occupancy in the town centres surveyed was 92.4%, compared with 86.1% across the UK. This means the surveyed town centres had fewer empty shops than the UK average.
Market Harborough indoor market won Best Small Indoor Market at the Great British Market Awards 2025. It had 100% occupancy when the award was announced.
Tourism also made a significant contribution in 2025. Visitors brought about £209.29 million to the district, up 6.1% from 2024. There were 2.78 million visitors and 3.25 million visitor days, supporting about 1,865 full-time-equivalent jobs.
Transport and connectivity
Harborough District has strong road and rail links, including the Midland Main Line, A6, A14 and M1. Some communities still have limited access to public transport and services, which can make it harder to reach jobs, education and training.
In January 2026, gigabit-capable broadband was available to 80.8% of premises in Harborough District, compared with 89.3% across the East Midlands. This shows that digital connectivity in the district remained below the regional average.