Cambridge is the least equal city in the UK for the second year in a row, a new report by the Centre for Cities has shown.

The Cities Outlook 2018 report found that the top ten least equal cities in the UK were mostly in the Greater South East, with only two exceptions. Cambridge was followed by Oxford and London as the most unequal. These were also the three least equal cities in the 2017 report.

The Cities Outlook report uses the Gini coefficient to measure equality, which provides a value between zero and one, with zero representing total equality and one representing maximal inequality. Cambridge has a Gini coefficient of 0.460.

Recently, data from MoneySupermarket also showed that two areas of Cambridge are among the most burgled places in the UK. The CB5 area ranked as the second worst area for thefts, and the CB4 area as ninth.

The most equal cities in the report tended to be in the north of England or Wales, and to have weaker economies, with lower average incomes and fewer knowledge-based jobs. Just ten cities from the 63 largest cities in the UK taken into account were below the England and Wales average.

The report also found that fewer jobs are at risk in Cambridge in comparison with other UK cities. While in settlements like Mansfield, Sunderland, Wakefield and Stoke, almost 30% of the workforce is in a profession very likely to shrink by 2030, less than 15% of jobs are at risk in Cambridge.

Cambridge is also predicted to have the highest growth in high-skill private sector occupations by 2030, followed by Aberdeen and Oxford. Almost half of all jobs expected to be more highly demanded are in high-skilled professions.

The report revealed that in 2016, Cambridge had the highest percentage of residents with high qualifications, at 66.8%. This includes anyone with a National Vocational Qualification Level 4, the equivalent of an Undergraduate degree, or above. The city was 6th in terms of residents with no formal qualifications, at just 4.4%.

It also highlighted the fact that emissions were reduced by more than 10% in the city between 2014 and 2015. Cambridge was one of seven cities where this was the case.

Speaking to Varsity, leader of Cambridge City Council, Councillor Lewis Herbert, said: “Cambridge is scored as unequal because we have such a large number of high earners in a city that also has too many employers, including colleges paying lower income staff a wage less than the Real Living wage of £8.75 an hour, leaving them to struggle with high housing rents locally.

“The annual data report also shows Cambridge has many other strengths and is tackling root causes of inequality. We are building new and affordable housing as fast as any city in the UK, and we have the health of our economy and skills development which means we are the lowest out of over 60 cities for unemployment, and there are plenty of opportunities for people to progress in both work and incomes.”

He added: “We are determined to create ‘One Cambridge fair for all’”, which he is working towards through “pressing employers to pay fair wages” and “building 500 homes at social rents for people in greatest need.”

The Centre for Cities is an independent think tank which publishes economic data on cities in the UK. They aim to provide data in order to produce research and run events that support better city policies and more successful urban economies. Their Cities Outlook report is published annually.