The economy of the County of Dorset in South West England was worth £16.189 billion to the UK economy in 2013.

History

Historically, agriculture has dominated the Dorset economy, but over time it has decreased in importance. Dorset was the birthplace of the

trade union movement The labour movement or labor movement consists of two main wings: the trade union movement (British English) or labor union movement (American English) on the one hand, and the political labour movement on the other. * The trade union movement ...

, with the Tolpuddle Martyrs hailing from the county. Being a coastal county,

smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various ...

has been a dominant part of the Dorset economy with the

Battle of Mudeford The Battle of Mudeford was a skirmish fought between Smuggling, smugglers and HM Customs and Excise, Customs and Excise officers which occurred in 1784 on what is now a car park at Mudeford Quay, Mudeford, Christchurch, Dorset, Christchurch, Englan ...

being fought in 1784 at Mudeford Quay, Mudeford, Christchurch. Fleet and Kinson were also home to smugglers. The

COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confir ...

has damaged the economy heavily.

Corporate economy

Barclays Bank once had a regional headquarters in Poole Town Centre. Merlin Entertainments is also based in

Poole Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...

Defence industry

Dorset is home to a number of

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

facilities that employ many people; RM Poole, Lulworth Ranges,

Bovington Camp Bovington Camp () is a British Army military base in Dorset, England. Together with Lulworth Camp it forms part of Bovington Garrison. The garrison is home to The Armour Centre and contains two barracks complexes and two forest and heathland tr ...

and the Wyke Regis Training Area.

Digital economy

Redweb, a leading firm in the digital and creative industry of Dorset was liquidated in December 2021.

Environment

In 2015, Dorset County Council reported that the environmental economy was worth between £0.9 billion and £2.5 billion per annum; and supports between 17,000 and 61,000 jobs.

Manufacturing

Factories in Dorset include those at

Ryvita Ryvita is a rye-based crispbread originally manufactured by the Ryvita Company. The company was founded in Birmingham, England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and S ...

and

Sunseeker Sunseeker International is a Chinese owned British luxury performance motor yacht brand. Originally named Poole Power Boats, the company was founded by brothers Robert and John Braithwaite in 1969. The company changed its name to Sunseeker In ...

Maritime industry

The maritime transport industry of Dorset is based at the

Port of Poole The Port of Poole is a cross channel port on Poole Harbour in Poole, Dorset, South West England. Along with Weymouth Harbour, Poole has the other major Channel Port in Dorset. History In World War II, the port was used in the Normandy landi ...

and the

Portland Harbour Portland Harbour is located beside the Isle of Portland, Dorset, on the south coast of England. Construction of the harbour began in 1849; when completed in 1872, its surface area made it the largest man-made harbour in the world, and rema ...

at the Isle of Portland.

Media

Dorset is home to newspapers; Dorset Echo and the

Bournemouth Daily Echo The ''Bournemouth Daily Echo'', commonly known as the ''Daily Echo'' (a.k.a. the ''Bournemouth Echo''), is a local newspaper that covers the area of southeast Dorset, England, including the towns Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch. Published ...

Retail

Dorset is the headquarters for a number of retail companies. The cosmetics company

Lush Lush may refer to: People Music * Lush (band), a British rock band * ''Lush'' (Mitski album), a 2012 album by Mitski * ''Lush'' (Snail Mail album), a 2018 album by Snail Mail * "Lush", a single by Skepta featuring Jay Sean * ''Lush 3'', a si ...

was founded and is headquartered in

. Hobbycraft has headquarters in Christchurch and New Look has corporate headquarters in Weymouth. Dolphin Shopping Centre in

is the largest indoor shopping centre in Dorset.

Science and Technology

The Dorset Green Technology Park employs many people. HeliOperations is based on the Isle of Portland.

Tourism

Tourism in Dorset is valued at £1bn a year 40,000 people are employed in the industry.