Socio-economic statistics for Canterbury, Kent

Socio-economic statistics for Canterbury, Kent

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

What are the occupations of the residents of Canterbury?

The largest employment sector in Canterbury is Professional Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Process Plant & Machine Operatives.
SectorProportion
Professional Occupations27.57%
Associate Professional & Technical12.39%
Elementary Occupations11.92%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials10.2%
Caring, leisure & Other Services9.1%
Skilled Trades8.72%
Administrative & Secretarial6.55%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives5.59%

Canterbury 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 Canterbury.
AreaUnemployedYearly Change
Canterbury3.3%-0.3%
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 Canterbury 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 Canterbury.
Economic StatusProportion
In Employment54.19%
In Part-Time Work27.35%
Unemployed5%
72.65% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Canterbury

Canterbury & Canterbury 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 Canterbury in the Canterbury local area district.

AreaBorn in UKBorn outside UK
Wincheap78.55%21.45%
Canterbury87.1%12.9%
South East84.24%15.76%
England82.65%17.35%

Canterbury compared to other wards in Canterbury

#WardBorn in UKBorn outside UK
1Westgate72.13%27.87%
2Northgate75.44%24.56%
3Wincheap78.55%21.45%
4Blean Forest78.66%21.34%
5St Stephen's78.73%21.27%
6Sturry89.73%10.27%
7Little Stour & Adisham91.23%8.77%
8Tankerton91.64%8.36%
9Nailbourne92.04%7.96%
10Gorrell92.54%7.46%
11Heron92.79%7.21%
12Chestfield94.28%5.72%
13Seasalter94.82%5.18%
14Swalecliffe95.15%4.85%
15West Bay95.23%4.77%
16Herne & Broomfield95.35%4.65%
17Reculver95.55%4.45%
18Beltinge95.58%4.42%
19Greenhill95.95%4.05%
';Canterbury is ranked 3 out of 19 wards in Canterbury for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Canterbury Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Canterbury 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 Canterbury to the national average for England.
LevelWincheapEngland
No Qualifications15%18.08%
Level 17.42%9.69%
Level 210.44%13.32%
Apprenticeship3.93%5.32%
Level 318.68%16.92%
Level 442.12%33.92%

Canterbury Health Statistics

Wincheap has more residents (very_good_pc-$country_health->very_good_pc, 2)%) describing their health as very good than the national average for England.
AreaVGGFBVB
Wincheap49.48%33.5%12.44%3.51%1.06%
Canterbury47.03%34.68%13.19%3.95%1.15%
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 Canterbury changed since 2011?

Canterbury residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 0.26% between the 2011 and 2021 census.
YearVGGFBVB
201146.82%34.63%13.37%4.06%1.12%
202147.03%34.68%13.19%3.95%1.15%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

Canterbury Age Distribution Statistics

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

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Canterbury either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 51.33 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 48.67 of Canterbury residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.
AreaOwnedRented
Wincheap51.33%48.67%
Canterbury64.76%35.24%
South East65.66%34.34%
England61.31%38.69%

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

Canterbury compared to other wards in Canterbury

#WardOwnedRented
1Seasalter84.19%15.81%
2Chestfield83.95%16.05%
3Herne & Broomfield80.95%19.05%
4Nailbourne80.69%19.31%
5Reculver80.09%19.91%
6Beltinge78.96%21.04%
7Tankerton77.67%22.33%
8West Bay76.69%23.31%
9Swalecliffe76.06%23.94%
10Blean Forest75.63%24.37%
11Sturry73.73%26.27%
12Little Stour & Adisham72.53%27.47%
13Greenhill (Canterbury)72.11%27.9%
14Gorrell66.01%33.99%
15Heron60.74%39.26%
16Wincheap51.33%48.67%
17St Stephen's (Canterbury)38.77%61.23%
18Westgate (Canterbury)38.54%61.46%
19Northgate (Canterbury)28.25%71.75%
Canterbury is ranked 16 out of 19 wards in Canterbury for the percentage of home owners.

What is the population of Canterbury and Canterbury?

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

WardPopulation
Barton14274
Beltinge6564
Blean Forest11131
Chartham & Stone Street7785
Chestfield7056
Gorrell10994
Greenhill4227
Herne & Broomfield9854
Heron13671
Little Stour & Adisham4421
Nailbourne4095
Northgate8496
Reculver4341
Seasalter8108
St Stephen's10670
Sturry8234
Swalecliffe4122
Tankerton3717
West Bay4243
Westgate10712
Wincheap10047
Canterbury Total166762



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