West Midlands · 2025-26
Business Rates in Worcester
Businesses in Worcester paid £36.5m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Worcester
Share of £18.1m total relief, 2025-26.
Worcester at a glance
Worcester granted £18.1m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £3.6m in Small Business Rate Relief and £2.3m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £5.8m went to charity relief and £2.1m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Worcester has an estimated 3,245 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Worcester ranks 145 out of 296 local authorities in England on the 2025 Index of Multiple Deprivation, where 1 is most deprived and 296 is least deprived.
Following the 2026 revaluation, the total rateable value of industrial property in Worcester rose by 26.3% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Worcester?
Worcester's local authority collected £36.5m in net business rates income during 2025-26, based on the national multiplier applied to each property's rateable value, less any relief granted.
What reliefs are available in Worcester?
Worcester granted £18.1m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £3.6m in Small Business Rate Relief, £2.3m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £5.8m in charity relief, and £2.1m in empty property relief.
How do I know if I'm overpaying?
If your rateable value looks high compared to similar properties nearby, or you're not currently receiving relief you may be entitled to, it's worth checking your assessment. Use our free checker to compare your rateable value and see if you may be eligible for a reduction or backdated refund.
Worcester compared with the West Midlands and England
- Average rateable value
- £33,921£5,699 above the West Midlands average (£28,222)£69 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 32.6%4.6 percentage points above its 28.0% share in the West Midlands
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +16.4%West Midlands: +17.4%England: +19.6%
Counts and rateable values are from the stock of properties at March 2026, on the 2023 rating list. Changes are from the 2026 revaluation, comparing the 2023 rating list with the 2026 rating list.
Property mix
Worcester comes 104th of 296 English councils on average rateable value (£33,921) and 10th of 30 in the West Midlands. The largest group of Worcester's rateable properties is retail property (32.3%), yet other commercial property holds the largest share of value (32.6%).
Retail makes up 32.3% of Worcester's rateable properties and 28.0% of its rateable value, both above the 24.2% and 20.1% across the West Midlands. At March 2026, around 20 of Worcester's rateable properties had a rateable value of £500,000 or more, rising to around 40 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Worcester's +16.4% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation sits mid-table in the West Midlands: stronger than in 10 of the 29 other councils and weaker than in 19. The sharpest increase in Worcester was in industrial property, where total rateable value rose 26.3% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +20.7% for industrial property across the West Midlands. No sector fell in Worcester: retail property moved least, up 4.4% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +9.7% for retail property across the West Midlands.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in Worcester came to 31.7% of gross rates payable, above the 21.2% for England as a whole. Charity relief was the largest of the four main reliefs in Worcester, at 31.9% of total relief, above 29.7% across England.
Source: HM Revenue & Customs, using Valuation Office Agency data, and MHCLG relief returns. Open Government Licence v3.0. Method and rounding: /methodology.
See how Worcester compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in West Midlands, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in the West Midlands
Other West Midlands councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to Worcester's £33,921.
- Business rates in Redditch£34,676 average rateable value, £755 higher than Worcester
- Business rates in Lichfield£32,927 average rateable value, £994 lower than Worcester
- Business rates in Telford & Wrekin UA£35,212 average rateable value, £1,291 higher than Worcester
- Business rates in Nuneaton & Bedworth£31,763 average rateable value, £2,158 lower than Worcester
- Business rates in Stafford£30,506 average rateable value, £3,415 lower than Worcester
- Business rates in South Staffordshire£30,225 average rateable value, £3,696 lower than Worcester
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Worcester
By email.