The Sussex city and town took the number one and two spots respectively in the Cities Outlook 2026 report by think tank Centre for Cities, released today (January 25).
Brighton took the top spot with a total disposable income growth of 8.1% and total economic growth of 38.3% between 2013 and 2023.
This is closely followed by Worthing with a disposable income growth of 7.8% and economic growth of 29.4%.
Worthing was also recognised as a top performer (Image: The Argus)
London came third, with other top locations including Barnsley, Warrington, and Bristol.
Councillor Bella Sankey, Leader of Brighton and Hove Council, said: “Cities Outlook 2026 underlines Brighton & Hove’s potential to lead the way in the UK economy.
“Thanks to the data from Centre for Cities, with growth running at twice the national rate and rising incomes, we have the foundations for long-term success and invaluable evidence to help shape our future plans.
“The report provides a clear and accessible evidence base for local decision-making.
“Our challenge now is to build on this momentum by investing in skills, housing and connectivity, so that Brighton & Hove’s growth is inclusive and drives down the inequality that otherwise holds our city back.”
As a group, the top-performing cities and towns experienced economic growth of 27 per cent between 2013 and 2023 – compared to 18.4 per cent nationally – and delivered total real-terms disposable income growth of 5.2 per cent.
Real-terms disposable incomes grew by 2.3 per cent on average in cities and towns in the Greater South East, including London in that period.
According to the figures, had all of the greater south east’s cities and large towns experienced the same rate of real-terms disposable income growth as top performers since 2013, residents would have pocketed an extra £1,300 per person on average in that period.
Centre for Cities’ “mission” is to “help the UK’s largest cities and towns realise their economic potential”, it said.
Chief executive Andrew Carter said: “It is understandable that the Government has shifted its emphasis onto the cost of living in recent weeks, but ultimately it is stronger economic growth that raises household incomes. Without growth, cost-of-living fixes can only ever be temporary.
“Nationally, the last decade has delivered the same amount of growth in living standards as we typically experienced in a single year prior to 2008.
“In places like Warrington and Barnsley, economic growth has translated into higher household incomes and less deprivation. That isn’t accidental: it is shaped by policy choices on skills, transport, housing, and support for businesses.
“The Government’s planning reforms, devolution agenda and Industrial Strategy are crucial for supporting growth in cities and delivering better living standards year after year. Cities need to support more jobs in the new economy – in sectors backed by the Industrial Strategy like life sciences, digital and AI. These jobs cluster in urban areas and generate benefits for those working in the ‘everyday economy’, too.
“As the Prime Minister has said, 2026 needs to be the year that ‘politics shows it can help again’. The test, at the end of this year, will be whether we are seeing more jobs, higher wages, and stronger local growth in more places across the country.”
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