Socio-economic statistics for Blue Town, Kent

Socio-economic statistics for Blue Town, Kent

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

Blue Town & Swale 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 Blue Town in the Swale local area district.

AreaBorn in UKBorn outside UK
Sheerness91.84%8.16%
Swale91.99%8.01%
South East84.24%15.76%
England82.65%17.35%

Blue Town compared to other wards in Swale

#WardBorn in UKBorn outside UK
1Chalkwell83.89%16.11%
2Murston85.01%14.99%
3Kemsley87.1%12.9%
4Roman87.12%12.88%
5The Meads89.79%10.21%
6Milton Regis90.37%9.63%
7Teynham and Lynsted91.1%8.9%
8Abbey91.37%8.63%
9Sheerness91.84%8.16%
10Homewood92.01%7.99%
11Sheppey East92.44%7.56%
12Boughton and Courtenay92.83%7.17%
13St Ann's93.31%6.69%
14Watling93.47%6.53%
15Borden and Grove Park93.51%6.49%
16Woodstock93.89%6.11%
17Bobbing, Iwade and Lower Halstow93.93%6.07%
18East Downs93.99%6.01%
19West Downs94.43%5.57%
20Queenborough and Halfway94.55%5.45%
21Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch94.68%5.32%
22Sheppey Central94.94%5.06%
23Priory95.08%4.92%
24Minster Cliffs95.51%4.49%
';Blue Town is ranked 9 out of 24 wards in Swale for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Blue Town 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 Swale.
AreaUnemployedYearly Change
Swale3.7%-0.6%
South East2.9%-0.3%
England3.8%-0.3%
UK3.7%-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 Blue Town 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 Blue Town.
Economic StatusProportion
In Employment49.01%
In Part-Time Work25.95%
Unemployed9.23%
74.05% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Blue Town

How many residents own or rent their home in Blue Town and Swale

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Blue Town either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 40.66 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 59.34 of Blue Town residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.
AreaOwnedRented
Sheerness40.66%59.34%
Swale66.97%33.03%
South East65.66%34.34%
England61.31%38.69%

Blue Town has a significantly lower level of home ownership than the national average. This is indicative or an economically deprived area.

Blue Town compared to other wards in Swale

#WardOwnedRented
1Woodstock (Swale)81.99%18.01%
2West Downs80.62%19.38%
3Minster Cliffs80.36%19.64%
4Bobbing, Iwade and Lower Halstow79.91%20.09%
5Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch78.3%21.7%
6Boughton and Courtenay75.39%24.61%
7Borden and Grove Park74.3%25.7%
8East Downs70.83%29.17%
9Sheppey East70.69%29.31%
10Kemsley69.24%30.76%
11Queenborough and Halfway68.48%31.52%
12St Ann's (Swale)68.2%31.8%
13Sheppey Central68.18%31.82%
14The Meads67.77%32.23%
15Watling (Swale)67.17%32.83%
16Homewood66.17%33.83%
17Chalkwell (Swale)65.99%34.01%
18Teynham and Lynsted64.44%35.56%
19Abbey (Swale)63.49%36.51%
20Priory (Swale)62.25%37.75%
21Milton Regis60.7%39.3%
22Murston58.64%41.36%
23Roman (Swale)56.82%43.18%
24Sheerness40.66%59.34%
Blue Town is ranked 24 out of 24 wards in Swale for the percentage of home owners.

Blue Town Health Statistics

Sheerness has a significantly lower proportion of residents (>5%) describing their health as very good than the national average for England.
AreaVGGFBVB
Sheerness40.93%33.41%17.44%6.38%1.85%
Swale45.47%34.77%14.07%4.41%1.28%
South East49.98%34.01%11.77%3.31%0.93%
England48.49%33.71%12.65%3.98%1.17%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

How has the health of residents in Swale changed since 2011?

Swale residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 0.05% between the 2011 and 2021 census.
YearVGGFBVB
201144.32%35.87%14.07%4.42%1.32%
202145.47%34.77%14.07%4.41%1.28%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

Blue Town Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Blue Town 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 Blue Town to the national average for England.
LevelSheernessEngland
No Qualifications30.75%18.08%
Level 115.95%9.69%
Level 216.71%13.32%
Apprenticeship5.17%5.32%
Level 314.72%16.92%
Level 413.72%33.92%

What are the occupations of the residents of Blue Town?

The largest employment sector in Blue Town is Elementary Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Professional Occupations.
SectorProportion
Elementary Occupations19.16%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives14.22%
Skilled Trades12.99%
Caring, leisure & Other Services12.07%
Associate Professional & Technical9.27%
Administrative & Secretarial8.5%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials7.37%
Professional Occupations6.98%

Blue Town Age Distribution Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 Census and the calculated the proportion of age groups in Sheerness.
Age BandProportion
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

What is the population of Blue Town and Swale?

The table below contains the populations figures for each ward in Swale including Blue Town. These population ONS figures are estimated are dated Mid 2020.

WardPopulation
Abbey5356
Bobbing, Iwade and Lower Halstow6216
Borden and Grove Park6454
Boughton and Courtenay6720
Chalkwell3445
East Downs2717
Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch6289
Homewood6389
Kemsley7135
Milton Regis6285
Minster Cliffs7765
Murston7040
Priory2903
Queenborough and Halfway8173
Roman6876
Sheerness13475
Sheppey Central9120
Sheppey East7254
St Ann's5628
Teynham and Lynsted6326
The Meads4118
Watling6317
West Downs2880
Woodstock6134
Swale Total151015



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