Buckinghamshire's claimant count rose 240 in August, the biggest July to August jump in five years. High Wycombe's eight town wards added just 35 of them.
The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits in Buckinghamshire rose by 240 in August, to 10,740. That is the largest rise between July and August in any of the last five years. In the four years before, the change from July to August ranged from a fall of 25 to a rise of 65.
Most of the rise did not happen in High Wycombe. The town’s eight urban wards went from 2,860 to 2,895 claimants, up 35. Aylesbury’s six town wards went from 2,075 to 2,175, up 100.
The figures are the Office for National Statistics claimant count for August 2026, published through nomis on Tuesday 15 September.
The wards in High Wycombe
Castlefield and Oakridge is still the ward with the highest claimant rate in Buckinghamshire, at 7.1%.
| Ward | Claimants | Share of 16 to 64s | Change on July |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castlefield and Oakridge | 635 | 7.1% | +5 |
| Totteridge and Bowerdean | 450 | 5.5% | +15 |
| Booker and Cressex | 205 | 5.2% | No change |
| Abbey | 455 | 4.8% | No change |
| Marsh and Micklefield | 395 | 4.7% | +5 |
| Disraeli | 190 | 4.6% | No change |
| Sands | 215 | 4.6% | +10 |
| Terriers and Amersham Hill | 350 | 4.6% | No change |
All eight have a higher claimant rate than the county’s 3.0%. Four of them did not move at all between July and August.
Across the rest of the patch, the picture is lower and just as steady:
- Marlow: 210 claimants, 2.0%, down 5
- Princes Risborough: 135 claimants, 2.2%, up 15
- Downley: 105 claimants, 2.9%, up 10
- Hazlemere: 85 claimants, 1.5%, no change
Where the rise went instead
The biggest monthly increases in the county were all in Aylesbury:
- Aylesbury North: up 30, to 455
- Aylesbury South West: up 25, to 440
- Aylesbury North West: up 20, to 545
Aylesbury North West, at 6.5%, has the second-highest rate in Buckinghamshire after Castlefield and Oakridge.
Buckinghamshire’s rise was in line with the country. The count across England rose 2.2% between July and August, to 1,486,460. Buckinghamshire rose 2.3%.
Against a year ago, the county is slightly down
In August 2025 there were 10,825 claimants in Buckinghamshire. The August 2026 figure is 85 lower. The county rate is 3.0%, against 3.1% for the South East and 4.0% for England.
The age groups have moved in different directions over those twelve months:
- Aged 16 to 24: 1,600 to 1,780, up 11.3%
- Aged 25 to 49: 6,385 to 6,060, down 5.1%
- Aged 50 and over: 2,840 to 2,900, up 2.1%
The rise among the youngest claimants is steeper than England’s, where the 16 to 24 count rose 9.4%. It is close to the South East’s rise of 11.7%.
More men are claiming than women. In August there were 5,825 men on the count, 3.4% of those aged 16 to 64, and 4,915 women, 2.7%.
July’s figures have been revised down
Nomis has revised the July count since it was first published. Buckinghamshire’s July total is now 10,500, not the 10,680 first published. The ward figures moved with it. Castlefield and Oakridge’s July count is now 630, a rate of 7.1%, rather than 650 and 7.3%.
Every change on July in this article uses the revised figures. We have added a note to our July claimant count story.
What the claimant count is, and what it is not
It is not the unemployment rate. Nomis describes it as people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance plus Universal Credit claimants who are required to seek work and be available for work.
- Some claimants are working. People on low pay or short hours can be on Universal Credit with work-search conditions, and they are counted.
- The figures are not seasonally adjusted. That is why the year-on-year comparison matters more than a single month.
- Ward figures are rounded to the nearest five. A change of 5 in a ward is within rounding, so read the small ward moves with care.
What it means for you
If you are out of work and live in Buckinghamshire, the council’s free Connect to Work programme offers one-to-one support. It is aimed at people with a disability, a long-term health condition or another barrier to work. You register through an online form.
For courses and bootcamps, the council lists its adult learning and Skills Bootcamps on its skills, opportunities and employment pages.
If your hours have dropped rather than your job ending, the Universal Credit rules on earnings and work search are set out on gov.uk.
For the cost of living in the town, see High Wycombe house prices and High Wycombe council tax bands.
Sources
- ONS claimant count, dataset NM_162_1 via nomis, pulled on 16 September 2026: Buckinghamshire’s 49 wards for July and August 2026 and January 2026; the county, South East and England totals and rates for August 2025, July 2026 and August 2026; the county’s July and August figures back to 2021; and the age and sex breakdowns. All counts are measure 1 and all rates measure 2, the proportion of residents aged 16 to 64. Not seasonally adjusted.
- Nomis claimant count source description, for what the series counts.
- Buckinghamshire Council, Connect to Work programme and skills, opportunities and employment.
The eight High Wycombe town wards are Abbey, Booker and Cressex, Castlefield and Oakridge, Disraeli, Marsh and Micklefield, Sands, Terriers and Amersham Hill, and Totteridge and Bowerdean. The six Aylesbury town wards are Aylesbury East, North, North West, South East, South West and West. The 49 ward counts sum to 10,755 against a county total of 10,740, because of rounding.
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