Oxford is one of the fast growing commuter towns in the UK during the pandemic, new research as shown.

A new report by Dojo shows which commuter towns and cities in the UK have seen the biggest movement and growth during the Covid-19 pandemic.  

With a high number of businesses embracing home-working and reducing the number of days required in the office, many city workers are willing to live further away from their place of work and relocate to neighbouring towns. 

Jon Knott, Head of Customer Insights at Dojo said:  “During the course of the coronavirus pandemic, the interest in commuter towns has seen a substantial increase. 

“With working from home here to stay and less time needing to be spent in the office, many city dwellers have decided to relocate from built up urban areas.

"Despite a longer commute time when venturing into the office, the benefits of generally cheaper and more spacious properties in commuter towns has attracted many to these areas. 

Card payment provider, Dojo, analysed UK commuter towns and their nearby cities to reveal which have prospered the most from January 2020 to March 2021. To investigate this Dojo gathered data on the following 5 indicators of each location:

  • Property market - The change in property prices and number of sales in the area
  • Job vacancies  - The number of job openings in the area
  • Salaries  - The average wage of employees
  • Footfall - The transit station, workplace and residential movement detected on Google Maps

Each indicator was then scored and compared to the previous year to discover the percentage increase in growth for towns and cities across the UK.  

Oxford saw a growth of 4.22% throughout 2020, making it the fifth most successful commuter town in the report.

The town has proven a popular location for commuters with its frequent services to London.

Oxford saw a small 3.30% increase in property prices last year from £428,294 to £442,447. The number of property sales also saw a 25% increase from January to November 2020.

It was not just the property market that grew. Job vacancies in the area increase by a massive 57.99% from April 2020 to March 2021 despite the pandemic. The average salary in Oxford also saw a comfortable 7.86% increase.

Mr Knott said: “Despite fluctuations and instability, the coronavirus pandemic has brought growth to new businesses and has helped consumers appreciate the value of independent businesses.

"With more people now choosing commuter towns as their place of work and leisure, small businesses in the area will enjoy an uptick in footfall.

“Now lockdown is easing, businesses could be set to boom from customers determined to make the most of rediscovered freedoms.”

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Out of all the commuter locations, Exeter grew the most during the pandemic, by 17.94%.

Bradford, Newcastle Upon Tyne and Coventry saw the least amount of growth, with Bradford hardest hit with a decrease of 24.25%.