Birmingham dwarfs Bath in scale with 85,374 active companies versus 8,809 — a 9.7x difference. Despite the size gap, both cities play distinct roles in the UK economy. Bath may be smaller, but its industry mix and growth patterns offer unique advantages. Both cities share strength in Activities of other holding companies n.e.c. and Buying and selling of own real estate.
Birmingham has 85,374 active companies compared to 8,809 in Bath — 76,565 more.
Birmingham has a higher 2020s company formation rate (63.7%) compared to Bath (43.9%).
Both cities share these top industries: Activities of other holding companies n.e.c., Buying and selling of own real estate, Management consultancy activities other than financial management, Other business support service activities n.e.c., Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate. Birmingham is uniquely strong in Freight transport by road and Other human health activities, while Bath stands out in Business and domestic software development and Development of building projects.