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Companies in Exeter

Exeter is the 57th biggest place on the UK company register, with 13,760 live companies, or 0.2% of the UK total. 1,301 of those were formed in 2025. 683 (5.0%) have a proposal to strike off on file, below the UK figure of 7.3%. Compared with the UK as a whole, Exeter stands out for raising of dairy cattle: 22 companies, 5.5 times the national share.

What Exeter has more of than the rest of the UK

Each trade's share of Exeter companies, compared with its share across the UK.

• Raising of dairy cattle (22 companies)5.5×
• Silviculture and other forestry activities (27 companies)4.3×
• Activities of construction holding companies (45 companies)4.0×
• Production of electricity (90 companies)3.4×
• Repair and maintenance of ships and boats (17 companies)3.3×

Biggest trades in Exeter

• Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate1,179
• Management consultancy activities other than financial management459
• Buying and selling of own real estate451
• Development of building projects444
• Information technology consultancy activities204
• Other human health activities198
• Business and domestic software development197
• Construction of domestic buildings196

Live Exeter companies, by year formed

Only companies still live are counted, so older years look smaller. 2026 stops on 1 November 2026.

See every year as a table

Year	Live companies
2012	351
2013	379
2014	413
2015	452
2016	429
2017	544
2018	612
2019	686
2020	702
2021	753
2022	815
2023	936
2024	1,062
2025	1,301
2026	1,163

Oldest active companies in Exeter

Nearest in size

• Solihull
• Swansea
• Altrincham
• Walsall
• Maidstone
• Ashford

Town means the post town of the registered address, which isn't always where a company trades. Many companies use an accountant's or formation agent's address. Figures come from Companies House on 1 November 2026.

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