The State of the City Report is an annual snapshot of the city’s progress towards their vision for a world class city by 2015 as set out in the refreshed Community Strategy
It is a comprehensive assessment of achievements and challenges to supplement the quarterly monitoring of progress published in the Community Strategy Performance Dashboard.
This year’s report will also inform the development of a new Manchester Strategy from 2015.
Evidence forming the report gives council leaders and partner organisations an insight to the city’s strengths and weaknesses – as well as priorities for the future.
Findings from the report include:
• Estimates suggest that by mid-2013 Manchester’s population had reached 514,000, with projections showing an increase to 543,100 by 2021 – far surpassing the community strategy target for 2015 of 480,000. Between 2001 and 2013 Manchester grew at an average annual rate of 1.6%, over twice the average for England as a whole.
• Manchester, together with other southern districts of Greater Manchester, generated an economic output of £34.8bn in 2012 – a 3% increase on the previous year. In terms of Gross Value Added (GVA) per head of resident population, Manchester outperforms similar regional and national areas – rising from £22,807 in 2011 to £23,476 in 2012.
• There is also limited sign of improvement in the city’s employment rate in the last two years increasing to almost 62%, but with increasing numbers in part-time employment. Manchester also has the highest average weekly workplace wage (£453) of all the Core Cities, but the second lowest resident wage (£367) – the largest gap between resident and workplace wages in the Core Cities.
• Health-wise, life expectancy at age 65 continues to rise slowly at 15.8 years for men and 18.8 years for women (2010-2012), however the gap between Manchester and England has increased. The mortality rate from preventable causes continues its downward trend to 340.5 per 100,000 in 2010-12 – but is still almost double the national rate.
The State of the City report is available at: www.manchester.gov.uk/SoC2013-14