23,525 active companies are currently registered in Bolton, a major UK business hub. Out of 30,076 companies ever registered here, 3,675 are no longer active — a 78% survival rate. The area has seen significant recent growth, with 63.1% of active businesses incorporated since 2020. Over half (79%) of active companies were formed since 2020, making this one of the UK's fastest-growing business locations. The most common industry sector is buying and selling of own real estate, with 1,250 companies. The area hosts 147 large enterprises, 92 small firms. Bolton is home to 481 FCA-regulated firms and 142 registered charities. Companies here hold 495 government contracts worth £3.3B in total. The average company age is 6.7 years. The earliest company registration in Bolton dates back to 1879.
Source: Companies House register via UVAGATRON, October 2026
Bolton is a growth hotspot — over half of its active companies were formed since 2020.
The average active company in Bolton is 6.7 years old. There are 481 <Link href="/glossary/fca-financial-conduct-authority">FCA-regulated firms</Link> in the area. 142 registered charities operate locally.
Companies in Bolton have been awarded 495 government contracts with a combined value of £3274.1M. See the Top Government Contractors report.
There are 23,525 active companies registered in Bolton, out of 30,076 total. 3,675 (12%) are no longer active.
The top industries in Bolton include Buying and selling of own real estate (1,250 companies), Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate (1,231 companies), Retail sale via mail order houses or via Internet (1,227 companies).
63.1% of currently active companies in Bolton were incorporated since 2020, indicating strong recent growth.
Our database contains 197,061 data signals across 12 categories for active companies in Bolton. The largest category is Governance with 97,390 signals from 6 sources.
The oldest company registration in Bolton dates back to 1879, spanning over 147 years of business history.