Socio-economic statistics for Castleford, Wakefield

Socio-economic statistics for Castleford, Wakefield

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

Castleford & Wakefield 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 Castleford in the Wakefield local area district.

Castleford has a lower rate of immigrants than Wakefield, the Yorkshire and The Humber region and England as a whole.
AreaBorn in UKBorn outside UK
Altofts and Whitwood94.16%5.84%
Wakefield91.49%8.51%
Yorkshire and The Humber88.65%11.35%
England82.65%17.35%

Castleford compared to other wards in Wakefield

#WardBorn in UKBorn outside UK
1Wakefield East69.94%30.06%
2Wakefield North80.05%19.95%
3Wakefield South83.79%16.21%
4Wakefield West86.73%13.27%
5Normanton88.97%11.03%
6South Elmsall and South Kirkby91.79%8.21%
7Stanley and Outwood East92.6%7.4%
8Castleford Central and Glasshoughton93.25%6.75%
9Pontefract North93.48%6.52%
10Airedale and Ferry Fryston93.76%6.24%
11Wrenthorpe and Outwood West93.89%6.11%
12Altofts and Whitwood94.16%5.84%
13Featherstone94.63%5.37%
14Knottingley94.68%5.32%
15Hemsworth95.06%4.94%
16Crofton, Ryhill and Walton95.31%4.69%
17Ackworth, North Elmsall and Upton95.42%4.58%
18Wakefield Rural95.86%4.14%
19Pontefract South95.94%4.06%
20Ossett96.21%3.79%
21Horbury and South Ossett96.53%3.47%
';Castleford is ranked 12 out of 21 wards in Wakefield for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Castleford Health Statistics

Altofts and Whitwood has a lower proportion of residents (very_good_pc-$ward_health->very_good_pc, 2)%) describing their health as very good than the national average for England.
AreaVGGFBVB
Altofts and Whitwood45.68%34.11%14.09%4.75%1.36%
Wakefield44.71%34.29%14.46%5.07%1.48%
Yorkshire and The Humber46.18%34.31%13.7%4.49%1.32%
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 Wakefield changed since 2011?

Wakefield residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 2.21% between the 2011 and 2021 census.
YearVGGFBVB
201142.75%34.04%15.53%5.99%1.7%
202144.71%34.29%14.46%5.07%1.48%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

Castleford Age Distribution Statistics

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

Castleford Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Castleford 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 Castleford to the national average for England.
LevelAltofts and WhitwoodEngland
No Qualifications22.81%18.08%
Level 110.04%9.69%
Level 215.69%13.32%
Apprenticeship6.64%5.32%
Level 318.5%16.92%
Level 423.84%33.92%

What are the occupations of the residents of Castleford?

The largest employment sector in Castleford is Professional Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Caring, leisure & Other Services.
SectorProportion
Professional Occupations15.96%
Associate Professional & Technical13.55%
Elementary Occupations12.37%
Administrative & Secretarial10.62%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials10.47%
Skilled Trades10.42%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives9.33%
Caring, leisure & Other Services9.1%

How many residents own or rent their home in Castleford and Wakefield

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Castleford either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 66.55 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 33.45 of Castleford residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.
AreaOwnedRented
Altofts and Whitwood66.55%33.45%
Wakefield62.6%37.4%
Yorkshire and The Humber62.58%37.42%
England61.31%38.69%

Castleford has a higher level of home ownership than than the national average.

Castleford compared to other wards in Wakefield

#WardOwnedRented
1Wakefield Rural77.04%22.96%
2Stanley and Outwood East74.61%25.39%
3Wrenthorpe and Outwood West74.49%25.51%
4Ackworth, North Elmsall and Upton71.97%28.03%
5Crofton, Ryhill and Walton71.84%28.16%
6Horbury and South Ossett68.67%31.33%
7Pontefract South67.08%32.92%
8Altofts and Whitwood66.55%33.45%
9Ossett66.45%33.55%
10Castleford Central and Glasshoughton66.16%33.84%
11Wakefield South64.42%35.58%
12Pontefract North62.96%37.04%
13Featherstone60.14%39.86%
14Normanton (Wakefield)59.14%40.86%
15Hemsworth57.9%42.1%
16Knottingley57.3%42.7%
17South Elmsall and South Kirkby56.61%43.39%
18Airedale and Ferry Fryston54.53%45.47%
19Wakefield West48.77%51.23%
20Wakefield North47.57%52.43%
21Wakefield East38.57%61.43%
Castleford is ranked 8 out of 21 wards in Wakefield for the percentage of home owners.

Castleford 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 Wakefield.
AreaUnemployedYearly Change
Wakefield3.7%-0.3%
Yorkshire and The Humber4.2%-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 Castleford 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 Castleford.
Economic StatusProportion
In Employment60.46%
In Part-Time Work22.62%
Unemployed3.56%
77.38% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Castleford

What is the population of Castleford and Wakefield?

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

WardPopulation
Ackworth, North Elmsall and Upton17746
Airedale and Ferry Fryston15892
Altofts and Whitwood18398
Castleford Central and Glasshoughton16843
Crofton, Ryhill and Walton15875
Featherstone17299
Hemsworth15979
Horbury and South Ossett15513
Knottingley14363
Normanton17334
Ossett16678
Pontefract North18035
Pontefract South15238
South Elmsall and South Kirkby19279
Stanley and Outwood East16568
Wakefield East17232
Wakefield North17647
Wakefield Rural17736
Wakefield South14906
Wakefield West16555
Wrenthorpe and Outwood West16476
Wakefield Total351592



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