Why Cambridge has pulled ahead of Oxford on jobs, productivity and housing – and what it means for both cities.
Cambridge and Oxford are often spoken about as a pair – two high-achieving university towns with highly educated populations, cutting-edge firms and high average incomes. Both are prosperous, yet both struggle with tight housing supply.
But beneath these similarities, differences are emerging. The three drivers of higher living standards identified in Cities Outlook 2026 – jobs in Knowledge-Intensive Business Services (KIBS), productivity (GVA per hour) and average workplace wages – have begun to diverge between the two.
So, what’s behind this shift, and what does it mean for their future? This blog takes a closer look.
Once closely matched in performance, Cambridge and Oxford are now pulling apart
A decade ago, Cambridge and Oxford looked remarkably similar, as shown in Table 1.
Despite being slightly smaller, Cambridge had a higher share of KIBS jobs and a small productivity edge. Wages were almost identical, with Oxford ahead by just £5 per week.
But over the past ten years, that balance has shifted.
Read the full blog here: https://www.centreforcities.org/blog/oxbridge-blues-how-have-cambridge-and-oxford-economies-performed-over-the-past-decade/
