Socio-economic statistics for Belsford, Devon

Is Belsford in South Hams a nice place to live or is it a bit rough? We have collated a series of socio-economic statistics and demographics from UK government sources such as the 2021 Census and the Index of Multiple Deprivation. They should give you a broad snapshot of the area and the surrounding locations. Are the residents of Belsford older than the national average or younger? What is the population of Belsford and South Hams? What is the claimant count in Belsford and how many residents are unemployed? This page should provide you with the answers.

Belsford & South Hams Immigration Statistics

We have analysed the Census 2021 raw data on country of birth and compiled immigration statistics as percentages of the population. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. Below are the figures for Belsford in the South Hams local area district.

Area	Born in UK	Born outside UK
West Dart	91.82%	8.18%
South Hams	93.75%	6.25%
South West	89.8%	10.2%
England	82.65%	17.35%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Belsford compared to other wards in South Hams

#	Ward	Born in UK	Born outside UK
1	Totnes	90.61%	9.39%
2	Dartington & Staverton	90.92%	9.08%
3	Woolwell	91.71%	8.29%
4	West Dart	91.82%	8.18%
5	Dartmouth & East Dart	92.64%	7.36%
6	South Brent	93.14%	6.86%
7	Ermington & Ugborough	93.46%	6.54%
8	Charterlands	93.7%	6.3%
9	Kingsbridge	94.08%	5.92%
10	Blackawton & Stoke Fleming	94.34%	5.66%
11	Newton & Yealmpton	94.4%	5.6%
12	Allington & Strete	94.62%	5.38%
13	Salcombe & Thurlestone	94.8%	5.2%
14	Marldon & Littlehempston	95.06%	4.94%
15	Loddiswell & Aveton Gifford	95.09%	4.91%
16	Ivybridge East	95.11%	4.89%
17	Wembury & Brixton	95.14%	4.86%
18	Stokenham	95.5%	4.5%
19	Bickleigh & Cornwood	95.52%	4.48%
20	Ivybridge West	95.6%	4.4%

';Belsford is ranked 4 out of 20 wards in South Hams for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Belsford Age Distribution Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 Census and the calculated the proportion of age groups in West Dart.

Age Band	Proportion
4 & under
5 - 9 years
10 - 15 years
16 - 19 years
20 - 24 years
25 - 34 years
35 - 49 years
50 - 64 years
65 - 74 years
75 - 84 years
85 years & over

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Belsford Health Statistics

West Dart has more residents (very_good_pc-$country_health->very_good_pc, 2)%) describing their health as very good than the national average for England.

Area	VG	G	F	B	VB
West Dart	50.66%	34.06%	11.25%	3.2%	0.82%
South Hams	49.08%	33.18%	12.74%	3.85%	1.15%
South West	47.6%	34.21%	13.12%	3.95%	1.12%
England	48.49%	33.71%	12.65%	3.98%	1.17%

VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

How has the health of residents in South Hams changed since 2011?

South Hams residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 0.48% between the 2011 and 2021 census.

Year	VG	G	F	B	VB
2011	47.41%	34.37%	13.32%	3.8%	1.11%
2021	49.08%	33.18%	12.74%	3.85%	1.15%

VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

Source: Census 2011/2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Belsford Unemployment Statistics

Since the introduction of Universal Credit, The Department for Work & Pensions have not issued any statistics (in our view) that can be used to ascertain the levels of unemployment or under employment in the UK, just meaningless geographic counts. However, the Office of National Statistics does publish claimant counts of people receiving out of work benefits, be that legacy Jobseeker’s Allowance or Universal Credit as a proportion of people over 16. These figures are usually updated once a month and are for Local Authority Districts and Unitary Authority Districts. So below are the figures of South Hams.

Area	Unemployed	Yearly Change
South Hams	1.8%	-0.6%
South West	2.5%	-0.4%
England	3.8%	-0.3%
UK	3.7%	-0.3%

Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Last Retrieved: March 2023

The 2021 census had data on people who were economically active (seeking work) yet unemployed on Census day (Sunday March 21st 2021). These statitics do cover Belsford on a ward level. However, it has to be noted that the Census day was during the height of the Covid19 pandemic and therefore are not reflective of normal levels of unemployment. For example, between March 2020 and June 2020 people claiming Universal Credit doubled in most areas of the United Kingdom and then steadily declined up to the day of the Census and beyond. This data also contains the proportion of people in part-time work (working between 1-35 hours per week), which maybe an indicator of under employment in Belsford.

Economic Status	Proportion
In Employment	53.99%
In Part-Time Work	41.35%
Unemployed	3.06%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

58.65% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Belsford

How many residents own or rent their home in Belsford and South Hams

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Belsford either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 73.61 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 26.39 of Belsford residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.

Area	Owned	Rented
West Dart	73.61%	26.39%
South Hams	70.46%	29.54%
South West	65.88%	34.12%
England	61.31%	38.69%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Belsford has a significantly higher level of home ownership than the national average. This is indicative or an economically wealthy area.

Belsford compared to other wards in South Hams

#	Ward	Owned	Rented
1	Marldon & Littlehempston	80.06%	19.94%
2	Stokenham	79.33%	20.67%
3	Wembury & Brixton	77.89%	22.11%
4	Woolwell	75.93%	24.07%
5	Ermington & Ugborough	75.53%	24.47%
6	Ivybridge East	75.34%	24.66%
7	Ivybridge West	74.28%	25.72%
8	Bickleigh & Cornwood	73.78%	26.22%
9	West Dart	73.61%	26.39%
10	Allington & Strete	73.53%	26.47%
11	Charterlands	71.95%	28.05%
12	Loddiswell & Aveton Gifford	71.95%	28.05%
13	Dartington & Staverton	71.93%	28.07%
14	Blackawton & Stoke Fleming	71.84%	28.16%
15	South Brent	71.19%	28.81%
16	Salcombe & Thurlestone	70.97%	29.03%
17	Newton & Yealmpton	70.44%	29.56%
18	Dartmouth & East Dart	66.76%	33.24%
19	Kingsbridge	61.03%	38.97%
20	Totnes	56.94%	43.06%

Belsford is ranked 9 out of 20 wards in South Hams for the percentage of home owners.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

What are the occupations of the residents of Belsford?

The largest employment sector in Belsford is Professional Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Process Plant & Machine Operatives.

Sector	Proportion
Professional Occupations	21.43%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials	19.54%
Skilled Trades	16.09%
Associate Professional & Technical	14.37%
Administrative & Secretarial	7.64%
Elementary Occupations	7.47%
Caring, leisure & Other Services	5.91%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives	2.63%

Source: Office for National Statistics (30 June 2020)

Belsford Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Belsford residents have in terms of formal qualifications as a percentage. The UK government breaks qualifications down into 7 levels. A detailed explanation of these levels can be found here. However, the Census groups these into just 4 \'levels\'. Here are some examples of the qualifications each census level represents when not stated;

Level 1 - GCSE grades D, E, F, or G & below
Level 2 - GCSE A*, A, B, C or O Level grades A, B or C
Level 3 - A or AS qualification at any grade
Level 4 - HNC, Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree or Phd

In this first table we have compared Belsford to the national average for England.

Level	West Dart	England
No Qualifications	9.59%	18.08%
Level 1	7.75%	9.69%
Level 2	11.79%	13.32%
Apprenticeship	4.17%	5.32%
Level 3	14.66%	16.92%
Level 4	50.02%	33.92%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

What is the population of Belsford and South Hams?

The table below contains the populations figures for each ward in South Hams including Belsford. These population ONS figures are estimated are dated Mid 2020.

Ward	Population
Allington & Strete	3106
Bickleigh & Cornwood	3012
Blackawton & Stoke Fleming	2427
Charterlands	2968
Dartington & Staverton	2854
Dartmouth & East Dart	7997
Ermington & Ugborough	3187
Ivybridge East	5426
Ivybridge West	6394
Kingsbridge	5841
Loddiswell & Aveton Gifford	2855
Marldon & Littlehempston	3001
Newton & Yealmpton	6302
Salcombe & Thurlestone	5057
South Brent	5349
Stokenham	2651
Totnes	8924
Wembury & Brixton	5079
West Dart	2583
Woolwell	2933
South Hams Total	87946

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Last updated: 20/02/2024, Additional Sources: Office for National Statistics & Department for Work & Pensions.

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