4,010 people in Maidstone borough were claiming in September, the first month over 4,000 since October 2021. Only Thanet added more claimants in Kent.
The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits in Maidstone borough reached 4,010 in September. It is the first month above 4,000 since October 2021.
The count rose by 95 in a month and by 285 in a year, a rise of 7.7%. As a share of residents aged 16 to 64, it is now 3.5%, up from 3.2% a year ago.
The figures come from the ONS claimant count, published through nomis at 7am on Tuesday 20 October (nomis, claimant count dataset). They cover September 2026.
The number in context
Maidstone’s count fell to 2,935 in September 2022 and has climbed in most months since. The last time it was higher was October 2021, at 4,065, as the borough was still coming out of the pandemic peak.
The last six months, as now published:
| Month | Claimants |
|---|---|
| April 2026 | 3,880 |
| May 2026 | 3,855 |
| June 2026 | 3,905 |
| July 2026 | 3,915 |
| August 2026 | 3,915 |
| September 2026 | 4,010 |
One correction to the record. Last month we reported August’s count as 3,980, the figure the ONS first published on 15 September. The ONS has since revised August down to 3,915. Claimant figures for the latest month are provisional and are routinely revised as late claims are processed, so the September number may move too.
How Maidstone compares in Kent
Maidstone added 285 claimants over the year. Only Thanet, up 365, added more among Kent’s twelve districts.
| District | Claimants, Sep 2026 | Rate | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thanet | 4,425 | 5.3% | +365 (+9.0%) |
| Maidstone | 4,010 | 3.5% | +285 (+7.7%) |
| Dartford | 2,600 | 3.3% | +220 (+9.2%) |
| Canterbury | 3,235 | 3.2% | +160 (+5.2%) |
| Tonbridge and Malling | 2,080 | 2.5% | +160 (+8.3%) |
| Sevenoaks | 1,685 | 2.4% | +135 (+8.7%) |
| Tunbridge Wells | 1,835 | 2.6% | +130 (+7.6%) |
| Folkestone and Hythe | 2,480 | 3.8% | +105 (+4.4%) |
| Swale | 3,430 | 3.5% | +75 (+2.2%) |
| Ashford | 2,570 | 3.0% | +55 (+2.2%) |
| Dover | 2,290 | 3.3% | +45 (+2.0%) |
| Gravesham | 2,965 | 4.3% | +15 (+0.5%) |
Across Kent the count reached 33,605, up 5.5% on the year. England’s total was 1,493,875, up 2.6%. So Maidstone’s count is rising about three times as fast as England’s.
The rate is a different story. At 3.5%, Maidstone sits below England’s 4.1%, level with Swale, and just above Kent’s 3.4% and the South East’s 3.1%.
Who the rise is made up of
The dataset splits the count by age. Comparing September 2026 with September 2025:
| Age | Sep 2025 | Sep 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 to 24 | 725 | 850 | +125 (+17.2%) |
| 25 to 49 | 2,210 | 2,245 | +35 (+1.6%) |
| 50 and over | 790 | 920 | +130 (+16.5%) |
Almost all of the rise is at the two ends of working life. Claimants under 25 and over 50 are each up by around a sixth. The largest group, those aged 25 to 49, barely moved.
The same pattern showed in August. Two months running is not yet a trend, but it is worth watching.
What this number is, and what it is not
This is not the unemployment rate. The ONS says the claimant count “does not attempt to measure unemployment”, which it defines by the international standard of people out of work, looking and available to start (ONS, Claimant Count QMI).
Two gaps matter locally:
- people out of work but not eligible to claim, including most 16 and 17-year-olds and people over state pension age, are not counted
- under Universal Credit, some people in low-paid work who are required to look for more hours are counted
What the figure is good for is comparison: the same measure, in the same place, month after month, and across neighbouring districts on the same day.
What it means for you
If you are looking for work in Maidstone, there are more people claiming alongside you than at any time in five years.
- The figures are borough-wide. The ONS does not break them down to Bearsted, Marden or Staplehurst in this release.
- If your income has dropped, check whether you qualify for a council tax reduction. Our council tax bands guide explains the bands and what each costs.
- House prices are the other side of the household budget. They fell 1.1% over the year to August, which we cover in our August house prices report.
- The next release, covering October, is due from the ONS in November. We will report it when it lands.
Sources
- ONS claimant count, nomis dataset NM_162_1, last updated 20 October 2026 at 07:00. Maidstone series from the nomis data API
- Kent district comparison from the same dataset for all Kent districts
- ONS, Claimant Count Quality and Methodology Information
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