Socio-economic statistics for Downicary, Devon

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

Downicary 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 Torridge.

Area	Unemployed	Yearly Change
Torridge	2.3%	-0.4%
South West	2.5%	-0.4%
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 Downicary 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 Downicary.

Economic Status	Proportion
In Employment	51.99%
In Part-Time Work	35.63%
Unemployed	2.31%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

64.37% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Downicary

Downicary Age Distribution Statistics

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

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)

Downicary & Torridge 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 Downicary in the Torridge local area district.

Downicary has a lower rate of immigrants than Torridge, the South West region and England as a whole.

Area	Born in UK	Born outside UK
Broadheath (Torridge)	96.67%	3.33%
Torridge	95.99%	4.01%
South West	89.8%	10.2%
England	82.65%	17.35%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Downicary compared to other wards in Torridge

#	Ward	Born in UK	Born outside UK
1	Hartland	94.74%	5.26%
2	Bideford North	95%	5%
3	Westward Ho!	95.3%	4.7%
4	Two Rivers & Three Moors	95.78%	4.22%
5	Bideford South	95.84%	4.16%
6	Great Torrington	95.91%	4.09%
7	Winkleigh	95.94%	4.06%
8	Bideford West	96.09%	3.91%
9	Northam	96.23%	3.77%
10	Holsworthy	96.34%	3.66%
11	Shebbear & Langtree	96.42%	3.58%
12	Monkleigh & Putford	96.45%	3.55%
13	Bideford East	96.55%	3.45%
14	Broadheath	96.67%	3.33%
15	Appledore	96.74%	3.26%
16	Milton & Tamarside	96.83%	3.17%

';Downicary is ranked 14 out of 16 wards in Torridge for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Downicary Health Statistics

Broadheath 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
Broadheath (Torridge)	41.43%	35.25%	16.86%	5.09%	1.37%
Torridge	43.83%	34.81%	15.35%	4.72%	1.29%
South West	47.6%	34.21%	13.12%	3.95%	1.12%
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 Torridge changed since 2011?

Torridge residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 0.27% between the 2011 and 2021 census.

Year	VG	G	F	B	VB
2011	43.53%	34.84%	15.42%	4.9%	1.31%
2021	43.83%	34.81%	15.35%	4.72%	1.29%

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

Source: Census 2011/2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Downicary Education Statistics

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

Level	Broadheath	England
No Qualifications	20.33%	18.08%
Level 1	10.98%	9.69%
Level 2	15.85%	13.32%
Apprenticeship	7%	5.32%
Level 3	17.45%	16.92%
Level 4	25.4%	33.92%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

How many residents own or rent their home in Downicary and Torridge

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Downicary either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 76.81 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 23.19 of Downicary residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.

Area	Owned	Rented
Broadheath (Torridge)	76.81%	23.19%
Torridge	69.56%	30.44%
South West	65.88%	34.12%
England	61.31%	38.69%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Downicary has a significantly higher level of home ownership than the national average. This is indicative or an economically wealthy area.

Downicary compared to other wards in Torridge

#	Ward	Owned	Rented
1	Two Rivers & Three Moors	81.53%	18.47%
2	Monkleigh & Putford	80.05%	19.95%
3	Milton & Tamarside	79.93%	20.07%
4	Shebbear & Langtree	77.97%	22.03%
5	Northam	77.85%	22.15%
6	Broadheath (Torridge)	76.81%	23.19%
7	Winkleigh	70.62%	29.38%
8	Westward Ho!	70.25%	29.75%
9	Appledore	69.56%	30.44%
10	Hartland	68.84%	31.16%
11	Bideford South	65.94%	34.06%
12	Great Torrington	64.78%	35.22%
13	Bideford West	62.8%	37.2%
14	Bideford North	59.91%	40.09%
15	Bideford East	59.18%	40.82%
16	Holsworthy	54.33%	45.67%

Downicary is ranked 6 out of 16 wards in Torridge for the percentage of home owners.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

What are the occupations of the residents of Downicary?

The largest employment sector in Downicary is Skilled Trades. The smallest employment sector is Process Plant & Machine Operatives.

Sector	Proportion
Skilled Trades	23.43%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials	14.81%
Professional Occupations	11.9%
Caring, leisure & Other Services	10.52%
Elementary Occupations	9.52%
Associate Professional & Technical	8.57%
Administrative & Secretarial	8.25%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives	6.45%

Source: Office for National Statistics (30 June 2020)

What is the population of Downicary and Torridge?

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

Ward	Population
Appledore	3795
Bideford East	5865
Bideford North	5978
Bideford South	3885
Bideford West	2726
Broadheath	4013
Great Torrington	6053
Hartland	6125
Holsworthy	3312
Milton & Tamarside	4193
Monkleigh & Putford	3927
Northam	5049
Shebbear & Langtree	3917
Two Rivers & Three Moors	3956
Westward Ho!	3716
Winkleigh	2209
Torridge Total	68719

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

Top 20 most depressing towns in Britain 2024