Socio-economic statistics for Highfields, Staffordshire

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

Highfields & Stafford 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 Highfields in the Stafford local area district.

Area	Born in UK	Born outside UK
Highfields & Western Downs	89.97%	10.03%
Stafford	92.51%	7.49%
West Midlands	84.84%	15.17%
England	82.65%	17.35%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Highfields compared to other wards in Stafford

#	Ward	Born in UK	Born outside UK
1	Coton	82.6%	17.4%
2	Forebridge	85.98%	14.02%
3	Common	87.03%	12.97%
4	Littleworth	88.49%	11.51%
5	Penkside	89.82%	10.18%
6	Highfields & Western Downs	89.97%	10.03%
7	Doxey & Castletown	90.69%	9.31%
8	Rowley	90.83%	9.17%
9	Weeping Cross & Wildwood	91.75%	8.25%
10	Baswich	91.95%	8.05%
11	Holmcroft	92.27%	7.73%
12	Milwich	92.7%	7.3%
13	Manor	92.93%	7.07%
14	Seighford & Church Eaton	93.25%	6.75%
15	Milford	94.83%	5.17%
16	Walton	95.04%	4.96%
17	Swynnerton & Oulton	95.14%	4.86%
18	St Michael's & Stonefield	95.48%	4.53%
19	Eccleshall	96.14%	3.86%
20	Barlaston	96.27%	3.73%
21	Gnosall & Woodseaves	96.67%	3.33%
22	Fulford	97.11%	2.89%
23	Haywood & Hixon	97.42%	2.58%

';Highfields is ranked 6 out of 23 wards in Stafford for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Highfields Education Statistics

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

Level	Highfields & Western Downs	England
No Qualifications	21.2%	18.08%
Level 1	11.84%	9.69%
Level 2	16.47%	13.32%
Apprenticeship	5.01%	5.32%
Level 3	17.99%	16.92%
Level 4	24.16%	33.92%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Highfields Health Statistics

Highfields & Western Downs has a significantly lower proportion of residents (>5%) describing their health as very good than the national average for England.

Area	VG	G	F	B	VB
Highfields & Western Downs	41.91%	35.97%	15.44%	5.02%	1.65%
Stafford	46.78%	35.02%	13.3%	3.8%	1.1%
West Midlands	46.4%	34.38%	13.54%	4.37%	1.31%
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 Stafford changed since 2011?

Stafford residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 0.08% between the 2011 and 2021 census.

Year	VG	G	F	B	VB
2011	46.13%	35.59%	13.23%	3.91%	1.14%
2021	46.78%	35.02%	13.3%	3.8%	1.1%

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

Source: Census 2011/2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Highfields Age Distribution Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 Census and the calculated the proportion of age groups in Highfields & Western Downs.

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)

Highfields 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 Stafford.

Area	Unemployed	Yearly Change
Stafford	2.6%	-0.1%
West Midlands	5%	-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 Highfields 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 Highfields.

Economic Status	Proportion
In Employment	54.49%
In Part-Time Work	26.19%
Unemployed	4.89%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

73.81% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Highfields

How many residents own or rent their home in Highfields and Stafford

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Highfields either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 52.45 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 47.55 of Highfields residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.

Area	Owned	Rented
Highfields & Western Downs	52.45%	47.55%
Stafford	70%	30%
West Midlands	62.8%	37.2%
England	61.31%	38.69%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Highfields has a lower level of home ownership than than the national average.

Highfields compared to other wards in Stafford

#	Ward	Owned	Rented
1	Baswich	88.5%	11.5%
2	Milford (Stafford)	87.9%	12.1%
3	Weeping Cross & Wildwood	86.49%	13.51%
4	Rowley (Stafford)	82.28%	17.72%
5	Fulford	81.86%	18.14%
6	Seighford & Church Eaton	81.84%	18.16%
7	Haywood & Hixon	81.68%	18.32%
8	Swynnerton & Oulton	80.76%	19.24%
9	Gnosall & Woodseaves	77.71%	22.29%
10	Holmcroft	75.78%	24.22%
11	Milwich	75.56%	24.44%
12	Walton (Stafford)	75.21%	24.79%
13	Eccleshall	75.13%	24.87%
14	Barlaston	73.45%	26.55%
15	Littleworth	70.39%	29.61%
16	St Michael's & Stonefield	67.71%	32.29%
17	Manor (Stafford)	61.83%	38.17%
18	Highfields & Western Downs	52.45%	47.55%
19	Doxey & Castletown	51.61%	48.39%
20	Penkside	47.04%	52.96%
21	Forebridge	45.54%	54.46%
22	Coton	45.4%	54.6%
23	Common	43.73%	56.27%

Highfields is ranked 18 out of 23 wards in Stafford for the percentage of home owners.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

What are the occupations of the residents of Highfields?

The largest employment sector in Highfields is Elementary Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Process Plant & Machine Operatives.

Sector	Proportion
Elementary Occupations	18.45%
Professional Occupations	13.75%
Caring, leisure & Other Services	11.11%
Associate Professional & Technical	11.05%
Skilled Trades	9.91%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials	9.3%
Administrative & Secretarial	8.19%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives	8.13%

Source: Office for National Statistics (30 June 2020)

What is the population of Highfields and Stafford?

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

Ward	Population
Barlaston	2860
Baswich	6217
Common	4893
Coton	8841
Doxey & Castletown	4173
Eccleshall	6974
Forebridge	3793
Fulford	6053
Gnosall & Woodseaves	6795
Haywood & Hixon	6704
Highfields & Western Downs	7110
Holmcroft	6735
Littleworth	5866
Manor	7301
Milford	3040
Milwich	7452
Penkside	3994
Rowley	3004
Seighford & Church Eaton	6390
St Michael's & Stonefield	10311
Swynnerton & Oulton	6581
Walton	6700
Weeping Cross & Wildwood	6071
Stafford Total	137858

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

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