Socio-economic statistics for Torquay, Devon

Socio-economic statistics for Torquay, Devon

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

Torquay Age Distribution Statistics

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

How many residents own or rent their home in Torquay and Torbay

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Torquay either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 41.32 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 58.68 of Torquay residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.
AreaOwnedRented
Tormohun41.32%58.68%
Torbay64.07%35.93%
South West65.88%34.12%
England61.31%38.69%

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

Torquay compared to other wards in Torbay

#WardOwnedRented
1Churston with Galmpton84.07%15.93%
2Preston (Torbay)77.53%22.47%
3Clifton with Maidenway75.91%24.09%
4Collaton St Mary73.02%26.98%
5Furzeham with Summercombe72.67%27.33%
6Goodrington with Roselands72.35%27.65%
7Shiphay70.59%29.41%
8Cockington with Chelston70.01%29.99%
9St Peter's with St Mary's68.57%31.43%
10Wellswood64.19%35.81%
11St Marychurch63.9%36.1%
12Barton with Watcombe59.49%40.51%
13King's Ash57.18%42.82%
14Ellacombe55.8%44.2%
15Roundham with Hyde45.45%54.55%
16Tormohun41.32%58.68%
Torquay is ranked 16 out of 16 wards in Torbay for the percentage of home owners.

Torquay Health Statistics

Tormohun has a significantly lower proportion of residents (>5%) describing their health as very good than the national average for England.
AreaVGGFBVB
Tormohun41.29%32.78%17.37%6.63%1.93%
Torbay42.23%34.23%16.21%5.67%1.66%
South West47.6%34.21%13.12%3.95%1.12%
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 Torbay changed since 2011?

Torbay residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 0.32% between the 2011 and 2021 census.
YearVGGFBVB
201141.7%34.44%16.31%5.82%1.73%
202142.23%34.23%16.21%5.67%1.66%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

Torquay 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 Torbay.
AreaUnemployedYearly Change
Torbay3.3%-0.6%
South West2.5%-0.4%
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 Torquay 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 Torquay.
Economic StatusProportion
In Employment50.24%
In Part-Time Work31.47%
Unemployed7.69%
68.53% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Torquay

What are the occupations of the residents of Torquay?

The largest employment sector in Torquay is Caring, leisure & Other Services. The smallest employment sector is Administrative & Secretarial.
SectorProportion
Caring, leisure & Other Services16.04%
Elementary Occupations15.79%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials11.86%
Skilled Trades11.77%
Professional Occupations11.54%
Associate Professional & Technical8.95%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives8.06%
Administrative & Secretarial6.58%

Torquay Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Torquay 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 Torquay to the national average for England.
LevelTormohunEngland
No Qualifications21.04%18.08%
Level 112.57%9.69%
Level 216.23%13.32%
Apprenticeship6.47%5.32%
Level 315.63%16.92%
Level 424.58%33.92%

Torquay & Torbay 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 Torquay in the Torbay local area district.

AreaBorn in UKBorn outside UK
Tormohun84.92%15.08%
Torbay92.89%7.11%
South West89.8%10.2%
England82.65%17.35%

Torquay compared to other wards in Torbay

#WardBorn in UKBorn outside UK
1Tormohun84.92%15.08%
2Wellswood89.64%10.36%
3Roundham with Hyde90.96%9.04%
4Cockington with Chelston91.88%8.12%
5Ellacombe92.17%7.83%
6Shiphay92.7%7.3%
7St Marychurch93%7%
8Barton with Watcombe93.08%6.92%
9Preston94.88%5.12%
10King's Ash94.9%5.1%
11Clifton with Maidenway95.11%4.89%
12Collaton St Mary95.2%4.8%
13Goodrington with Roselands95.53%4.47%
14St Peter's with St Mary's95.71%4.29%
15Furzeham with Summercombe95.81%4.19%
16Churston with Galmpton96.58%3.42%
';Torquay is ranked 1 out of 16 wards in Torbay for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

What is the population of Torquay and Torbay?

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

WardPopulation
Barton with Watcombe12160
Churston with Galmpton6467
Clifton with Maidenway7523
Cockington with Chelston8031
Collaton St Mary3432
Ellacombe8054
Furzeham with Summercombe9983
Goodrington with Roselands7399
King's Ash7947
Preston10300
Roundham with Hyde8484
Shiphay7939
St Marychurch12163
St Peter's with St Mary's6840
Tormohun12552
Wellswood6944
Torbay Total136218



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