Under-25 claims rose 23% in a year to 395, the most since September 2021 and the steepest rise in Hertfordshire, while the district total edged up by just 70.
The number of young people claiming unemployment-related benefits in the St Albans district has hit its highest level in nearly five years. The district still has one of the lowest claimant rates in Hertfordshire.
There were 395 claimants aged 16 to 24 in July 2026, according to ONS figures published through nomis. That is up from 320 in July 2025, a rise of 23.4%, and the highest monthly figure since September 2021.
The district total barely moved. It rose from 2,155 to 2,225, an increase of 70, and the rate held at 2.4% of residents aged 16 to 64.
The headline hides three different stories
Split the total by age and the flat line comes apart. Over the twelve months to July 2026:
| Age | July 2025 | July 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 to 24 | 320 | 395 | +75 (+23.4%) |
| 25 to 49 | 1,310 | 1,235 | -75 (-5.7%) |
| 50 and over | 525 | 595 | +70 (+13.3%) |
| All ages | 2,155 | 2,225 | +70 (+3.2%) |
The middle band fell by almost exactly what the youngest band gained. What pushed the total up was the over-50s, whose claims rose by 70 in a year.
For the youngest group this is not a one-month blip. The July count has climbed in each of the last four years, from 245 in July 2022 to 255, 310, 320 and now 395.
No district in Hertfordshire rose faster
St Albans had the steepest twelve-month rise in under-25 claims of any of the county’s ten districts. It was well ahead of the national trend too: the UK figure rose 9.7% over the same period, and the East of England 11.9%.
The full county picture, by percentage change in under-25 claims over the year:
- St Albans +23.4% (320 to 395)
- Broxbourne +22.7% (330 to 405)
- Stevenage +19.5% (385 to 460)
- Three Rivers +15.7% (255 to 295)
- North Hertfordshire +15.3% (295 to 340)
- Hertsmere +14.5% (345 to 395)
- Welwyn Hatfield +13.5% (445 to 505)
- East Hertfordshire +6.1% (245 to 260)
- Dacorum +4.0% (505 to 525)
- Watford +1.1% (465 to 470)
Hertfordshire as a whole went from 3,590 to 4,055, a rise of 13.0%.
One caution on the ranking. All these counts are rounded to the nearest five, and St Albans and Broxbourne are less than a percentage point apart. Treat the top two as effectively level rather than as a clear first and second.
On the overall rate, the district still looks comfortable
None of this makes St Albans a high-claimant area. At 2.4% of working-age residents it is joint second lowest in the county, level with North Hertfordshire and behind only East Hertfordshire on 2.0%. Watford is highest at 4.5%.
The district sits well below Hertfordshire (3.0%), the East of England (3.3%) and the United Kingdom (3.9%).
Sopwell’s rate is three times Harpenden West’s
Ward figures show how unevenly that comfortable district average is spread. The twenty wards add up exactly to the district total of 2,225.
| Ward | Claimants | % of residents aged 16 to 64 |
|---|---|---|
| Sopwell | 215 | 4.2% |
| Cunningham | 210 | 4.1% |
| London Colney | 195 | 3.7% |
| St Peters | 240 | 3.7% |
| Batchwood | 155 | 3.1% |
| Colney Heath | 50 | 2.9% |
| Park Street | 135 | 2.6% |
| Redbourn | 80 | 2.6% |
| Sandridge & Wheathampstead | 100 | 2.2% |
| Bernards Heath | 100 | 1.9% |
| Hill End | 95 | 1.9% |
| St Stephen | 90 | 1.8% |
| Clarence | 95 | 1.7% |
| Harpenden East | 80 | 1.7% |
| Marshalswick East & Jersey Farm | 80 | 1.7% |
| Harpenden North & Rural | 80 | 1.6% |
| Marshalswick West | 50 | 1.6% |
| Verulam | 60 | 1.4% |
| Harpenden South | 55 | 1.4% |
| Harpenden West | 60 | 1.3% |
Sopwell, at 4.2%, is higher than every district average in Hertfordshire except Watford’s 4.5%, and more than three times the rate in Harpenden West. Sopwell and Cunningham are neighbouring wards a short walk from the city centre, and between them they account for 425 of the district’s 2,225 claimants.
All five Harpenden wards sit in the lowest seven. The ward series only starts recently, so there is no year-ago ward figure to compare against yet, and the ward counts cover all ages rather than the under-25s.
What it means for you
The claimant count is not the unemployment rate. It counts people claiming Universal Credit or Jobseeker’s Allowance who are required to look for work. That includes some people who are working but on low earnings, and it excludes people who are out of work but not claiming. It runs higher than the survey-based unemployment rate in most places.
Three more things worth knowing before quoting any of these numbers:
- The figures are not seasonally adjusted. July always picks up school and college leavers, which is why every comparison here is July against July.
- ONS rounds every count to the nearest five, so small changes and small wards are imprecise.
- Ward figures are placed by the claimant’s home address, not where they last worked.
If the pattern holds, the pressure is on 16 to 24 year olds looking for a first job, not on the district’s core working-age population, whose claims fell. Hertfordshire County Council runs Services for Young People, which offers careers guidance interviews, work experience and registration for help with jobs and apprenticeships. Vacancies are also listed on the government’s Find a job service.
We publish the district’s house prices and planning decisions from the same official sources, and the next claimant count release will cover August 2026.
Have your say
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