Recent research has outlined the ten most tech obsessed cities in the UK, and Redditch’s nearest city, Birmingham, has been named number three on the list. It’s another sign of the city’s growing industry. Earlier in the year, Brum was named the second most important tech city outside of London, behind only Manchester. This article examines both of these reports.
Study shows Birmingham’s tech obsession
A recent study looked at the number of monthly Google searches for a range of 18 tech products, including smartphones, consoles, tablets, and other devices. The study took the total of these searches and divided that number by the total population to determine an average search volume, i.e. the number of searches per 10,000 people.
“PS5” was the most popular of the tech search terms chosen for the study, with 331,940 monthly searches across the selected cities. There was variation between the cities when it came to other tech searches. For example, the Samsung S21 proved popular in Blackburn, the iPhone 4 in Leicester, and the iPhone 3 in Newcastle.
According to the study, Preston was the city with the most tech searches, with 1,751.54 per 10,000 people. Manchester came in second place, with 1,674.82 searches.
Birmingham came in as the third most “tech obsessed” city, at least by tech search volume. The city has a population of 1,074,300 and a combined monthly volume of 171,740 searches, which works out at 1598.63 per 10,000 people.
Top ten tech obsessed cities
Here’s the full top ten list of tech obsessed cities:
Rank City/Town Population Combined average monthly search volume Searches per 10,000 people
1 Preston 114,300 20,020 1751.54
2 Manchester 552,000 92,450 1674.82
3 Birmingham 1,074,300 171,740 1598.63
4 Liverpool 465,700 74,120 1591.59
5 Glasgow 598,830 90,460 1510.62
6 Newcastle 280,177 42,080 1501.91
7 Bristol 465,866 68,390 1468.02
8 Reading 174,200 25,290 1451.78
9 Leicester 329,839 47,020 1425.55
10 Blackburn 105,085 14,610 1390.31
Granted, the metrics used in this study are not overly sophisticated. Tech search terms do not necessarily equate to tech obsession. However, these search volumes do give an indication as to consumer trends and could be predictors of future purchase.
Birmingham’s consumers are interested in tech. And the tech industry itself has been growing in the city.
Second leading tech city outside of London
Affirming Birmingham’s place as one of the UK’s leading tech cities, CBRE’s UK Tech Cities Report 2022 placed the city in second.
The report ranks the top 15 cities outside of London according to several factors, including office space, access to educational opportunities and high quality tech courses, and the availability of talent.
London is omitted for obvious reasons; the UK’s capital is a base for tech companies as prolific as Amazon, IBM, and leading online poker provider PokerStars.
The last time the report was released, back in 2019, Birmingham ranked fourth behind Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Manchester has retained its place as the UK’s leading tech city outside of London, while Birmingham has moved up the list, taking Edinburgh’s place in second.
Birmingham has several leading educational institutes and some of the best computer science and IT degrees in the country. Outside of London, the city has the highest graduate retention rate in the UK, and also the highest number of Millennials and GenZs, who will be crucial for filling jobs in a growing tech market.
Which is a good job, because Brum is also a leader when it comes to regional growth for employment in the IT and communication sector, with an expected growth rate of 7.65 percent between 2021 and 2025.
Established tech incubators include Fazeley Studios, Innovation Birmingham Campus, and The Custard Factory. The city is also home to The Engine Room, one of Europe’s biggest FinTech companies, which provides 5,000 square feet of office space to tech startups
In Conclusion
The recent study that places Birmingham as the third most tech obsessed city in the country points to consumer trends in the city, but search volume alone cannot tell the full story.
Perhaps more importantly, Birmingham has been ranked the second most important tech city outside of London in 2022, a sure sign of growth and development in the industry. This development seems sustainable, bolstered by education, well established tech companies, and a constant flow of young talent.
The future looks bright for the tech industry in Birmingham
