13,230 Barnet residents claimed out-of-work benefits in September, up 370 in a month, the biggest rise since February 2025. Cricklewood is highest at 8.6%.
The number of Barnet residents claiming out-of-work benefits rose by 370 in September, the biggest one-month rise in the borough for a year and a half.
13,230 people were on the claimant count in September 2026, 5.1% of residents aged 16 to 64. In August the figure was 12,860. The last time it rose by more in a single month was February 2025, when it went up by 555.
The figures are from the Office for National Statistics, published through nomis on Tuesday.
The count is still slightly lower than a year ago. In September 2025 it was 13,335, so the borough is 105 claimants down on the year.
A London-wide rise, not just Barnet
September usually brings a small rise, but not one this size. In the same month of the last three years, Barnet’s count went up by 130 (2022), 90 (2023) and 70 (2024), and in 2025 it fell by 45.
The jump this year was shared across the capital:
- Barnet: up 2.9%, from 12,860 to 13,230
- London: up 3.0%, from 340,095 to 350,280
- United Kingdom: up 2.1%, from 1,667,095 to 1,702,905
The ONS figures do not say why. Barnet moved in line with London as a whole, which points to something affecting the whole city rather than a local employer or a single part of the borough.
August has been revised down
When the August figures were first published, we reported 13,125 claimants. That has now been revised to 12,860, 265 lower. Recent months are routinely revised as late claims are processed, so September’s figure may move too.
The revision also changes the picture for young people. We reported 1,710 claimants aged 16 to 24 in August. That now reads 1,675.
By age and sex
The split by age, September 2026 against a year earlier:
| Age | September 2026 | September 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| 16 to 24 | 1,700 | 1,620 |
| 25 to 49 | 8,305 | 8,490 |
| 50 and over | 3,225 | 3,225 |
The 16 to 24 group rose by 25 on the month to 1,700. That is the highest figure for the age group since October 2021, and it is the only one of the three that is higher than a year ago. The over-50s are exactly level with September 2025.
Of the total, 6,965 claimants were men and 6,265 were women.
Ward by ward
Cricklewood has the highest rate in the borough, at 8.6%. Garden Suburb has the lowest, at 2.0%. Cricklewood rose from 8.1% in the revised August figures, with 35 more claimants. Garden Suburb was unchanged.
The five highest rates in September:
| Ward | Rate | Claimants |
|---|---|---|
| Cricklewood | 8.6% | 660 |
| Colindale North | 7.3% | 695 |
| Burnt Oak | 7.1% | 1,070 |
| West Hendon | 7.0% | 920 |
| Hendon | 6.8% | 1,035 |
The five lowest:
| Ward | Rate | Claimants |
|---|---|---|
| Garden Suburb | 2.0% | 140 |
| Totteridge & Woodside | 2.8% | 255 |
| High Barnet | 3.6% | 270 |
| Underhill | 3.7% | 290 |
| Barnet Vale | 3.8% | 400 |
Burnt Oak still has the most claimants of any ward, at 1,070. The biggest rise on the month was in Hendon, up 45 to 1,035, followed by Friern Barnet, up 40 to 690. Cricklewood and Colindale North each rose by 35.
Only three of the 24 wards fell: Garden Suburb, Underhill and East Finchley, each by 5. Ward figures are rounded to the nearest five, so small moves should not be read too closely.
How Barnet compares
Barnet’s rate is below London’s and above the UK’s:
- Barnet: 13,230 claimants, 5.1%
- London: 350,280 claimants, 5.6%
- United Kingdom: 1,702,905 claimants, 3.9%
Among London’s 32 boroughs and the City, 16 have a higher rate than Barnet. Barking and Dagenham and Newham are joint highest at 7.5%, and Richmond upon Thames is the lowest borough at 2.6%.
Two neighbours sit well above Barnet: Enfield on 7.3% and Brent on 7.2%. Harrow is on 4.9% and Camden on 4.6%.
What this number is, and is not
The claimant count is not the unemployment rate. The ONS methodology note says it “does not attempt to measure unemployment”.
- It counts Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants and Universal Credit claimants who are required to look for work.
- Some of those people have a part-time or low-paid job, so the count includes some people in work.
What it means for you
If you are claiming, your nearest Jobcentre is on the DWP’s postcode finder, and vacancies are listed on Find a job. The Universal Credit guidance sets out what is expected of you in each conditionality group.
If you are 16 to 24 and on Universal Credit, the government says extra help is available for your age group, including jobs, training and apprenticeships.
The pattern across the borough has not changed. The highest rates run along the western and southern edge, from Burnt Oak and Colindale down to Cricklewood. The lowest are in the north, around Totteridge and High Barnet, with Garden Suburb the exception in the south. For housing costs, see our Barnet house prices page.
The October 2026 claimant count is due in November.
Sources
- ONS claimant count via nomis, dataset NM_162_1, September 2026, London Borough of Barnet, by age and sex, with revised earlier months
- Ward-level claimant count via nomis, wards as of May 2025
- London borough, London and UK comparison via nomis
- Claimant Count methodology, Office for National Statistics
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