Socio-economic statistics for Birch Green, Essex

Is Birch Green in Colchester 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 Birch Green older than the national average or younger? What is the population of Birch Green and Colchester? What is the claimant count in Birch Green and how many residents are unemployed? This page should provide you with the answers.

How many residents own or rent their home in Birch Green and Colchester

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Birch Green either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 79.72 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 20.28 of Birch Green residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.

Area	Owned	Rented
Marks Tey and Layer	79.72%	20.28%
Colchester	64.58%	35.42%
East	65.23%	34.77%
England	61.31%	38.69%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

Birch Green compared to other wards in Colchester

#	Ward	Owned	Rented
1	Mersea and Pyefleet	82.38%	17.62%
2	Prettygate	81.49%	18.51%
3	Rural North	81.29%	18.71%
4	Lexden and Braiswick	80.5%	19.5%
5	Tiptree	80.16%	19.84%
6	Marks Tey and Layer	79.72%	20.28%
7	Wivenhoe	77.21%	22.79%
8	Stanway	74.74%	25.26%
9	St Anne's and St John's	73.08%	26.92%
10	Berechurch	60.59%	39.41%
11	Mile End (Colchester)	60.07%	39.93%
12	Highwoods	58.28%	41.72%
13	Old Heath and The Hythe	54.52%	45.48%
14	New Town and Christ Church	53.51%	46.49%
15	Shrub End	46.66%	53.34%
16	Castle (Colchester)	45.9%	54.1%
17	Greenstead	36.55%	63.45%

Birch Green is ranked 6 out of 17 wards in Colchester for the percentage of home owners.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Birch Green Age Distribution Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 Census and the calculated the proportion of age groups in Marks Tey and Layer.

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)

Birch Green & Colchester 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 Birch Green in the Colchester local area district.

Birch Green has a lower rate of immigrants than Colchester, the East of England region and England as a whole.

Area	Born in UK	Born outside UK
Marks Tey and Layer	92.38%	7.62%
Colchester	85.47%	14.53%
East	85.09%	14.91%
England	82.65%	17.35%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Birch Green compared to other wards in Colchester

#	Ward	Born in UK	Born outside UK
1	Castle	74.63%	25.37%
2	Greenstead	76.01%	23.99%
3	Mile End	77.48%	22.52%
4	New Town and Christ Church	79.05%	20.95%
5	Highwoods	83.02%	16.98%
6	Shrub End	84.21%	15.79%
7	Wivenhoe	84.23%	15.77%
8	Old Heath and The Hythe	85.18%	14.82%
9	Berechurch	85.86%	14.14%
10	St Anne's and St John's	87.24%	12.76%
11	Prettygate	89.68%	10.32%
12	Lexden and Braiswick	90.01%	9.99%
13	Stanway	90.64%	9.36%
14	Marks Tey and Layer	92.38%	7.62%
15	Rural North	94.15%	5.85%
16	Mersea and Pyefleet	95.34%	4.66%
17	Tiptree	95.42%	4.58%

';Birch Green is ranked 14 out of 17 wards in Colchester for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Birch Green 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 Colchester.

Area	Unemployed	Yearly Change
Colchester	2.9%	-0.2%
East of England	3%	-0.3%
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 Birch Green 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 Birch Green.

Economic Status	Proportion
In Employment	60.86%
In Part-Time Work	26.94%
Unemployed	2.67%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

73.06% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Birch Green

What are the occupations of the residents of Birch Green?

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

Sector	Proportion
Professional Occupations	20.08%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials	16.76%
Associate Professional & Technical	15.26%
Skilled Trades	11.33%
Administrative & Secretarial	11.22%
Caring, leisure & Other Services	8.37%
Elementary Occupations	6.4%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives	5.03%

Source: Office for National Statistics (30 June 2020)

Birch Green Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Birch Green 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 Birch Green to the national average for England.

Level	Marks Tey and Layer	England
No Qualifications	14.27%	18.08%
Level 1	10.16%	9.69%
Level 2	16.46%	13.32%
Apprenticeship	5.59%	5.32%
Level 3	19.36%	16.92%
Level 4	31.68%	33.92%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Birch Green Health Statistics

Marks Tey and Layer 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
Marks Tey and Layer	52.57%	34.02%	10.3%	2.37%	0.74%
Colchester	49.18%	34.75%	11.89%	3.26%	0.92%
East	48.28%	34.64%	12.5%	3.58%	1%
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 Colchester changed since 2011?

Colchester residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 0.27% between the 2011 and 2021 census.

Year	VG	G	F	B	VB
2011	48.83%	34.83%	12.09%	3.29%	0.96%
2021	49.18%	34.75%	11.89%	3.26%	0.92%

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

Source: Census 2011/2021 (Nomis/ONS)

What is the population of Birch Green and Colchester?

The table below contains the populations figures for each ward in Colchester including Birch Green. These population ONS figures are estimated are dated Mid 2020.

Ward	Population
Berechurch	11105
Castle	11602
Greenstead	17137
Highwoods	10667
Lexden and Braiswick	9734
Marks Tey and Layer	10584
Mersea and Pyefleet	9795
Mile End	13405
New Town and Christ Church	15420
Old Heath and The Hythe	12648
Prettygate	10235
Rural North	10821
Shrub End	12375
St Anne's and St John's	10701
Stanway	9147
Tiptree	9308
Wivenhoe	12516
Colchester Total	197200

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

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