How many potential clients does your firm actually have on its doorstep? The answer depends enormously on where you are, and the gap between regions is bigger than most accountants realise.
We compared the number of accountancy firms in every UK region against that region’s total business population, using ONS business register data. The result is a simple, revealing number: local businesses per accountancy firm.
At the top sits Northern Ireland, with 114 local businesses for every accountancy firm. At the bottom sits London, with 56.
That’s a two-to-one gap. A firm in Belfast has twice the local client base of a firm in London.
The full ranking
Every single region moved the same direction
Look at that last column. In 11 of 12 regions, the number of local businesses per firm went up between 2019 and 2025. The UK average climbed from 62 to 68.
Fewer firms are sharing more businesses everywhere. Businesses can use accountants outside their region, of course, so this is a measure of local market density rather than a hard boundary.
But does local actually still matter?
More than you’d think, and the evidence comes from both sides of the relationship.
Start with the clients. The ICAEW’s own guidance for small businesses hiring an accountant says it plainly: technology means location matters less than it used to, but there’s tremendous value in face-to-face meetings, and a local accountant may better understand the specific challenges in your region. Trust is built in person, and accountancy runs on trust.
Then look at search behaviour. BrightLocal’s research shows 98% of consumers search online for local businesses, and 46% always or often add “near me” to their searches. Those searches convert too: 42% of local searchers click on the map pack rather than scrolling to the regular results. If your firm isn’t visible in local search, you’re invisible at the exact moment a nearby business decides it needs an accountant. We covered why Google Business Profiles fail to show up for accountants in detail if that’s where your problem sits.
How does this relate to you?
If you’re in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales or the North East, you’re sitting on the most favourable supply-and-demand balance in the country. The constraint on your growth isn’t the market. It’s whether local businesses can find you. Strong local SEO in a high-headroom region is about as close to unfair advantage as marketing gets.
If you’re in London or the South East, the ratio is tighter but moving your way fast. London’s number jumped from 46 to 56 in six years as firms disappeared. The competition is thinning. Visibility decides who inherits the clients.
See where your region stands
The full interactive study, with charts, regional trends and methodology, is here: UK accountancy firm data study.
Want to turn your region’s numbers into actual enquiries? Get in touch. Rapport Digital is the digital marketing agency built exclusively for accountants.