Socio-economic statistics for Forest Hill, Oxfordshire

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

How many residents own or rent their home in Forest Hill and South Oxfordshire

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Forest Hill either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 75.42 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 24.58 of Forest Hill residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.

Area	Owned	Rented
Forest Hill & Holton	75.42%	24.58%
South Oxfordshire	70.24%	29.76%
South East	65.66%	34.34%
England	61.31%	38.69%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

Forest Hill compared to other wards in South Oxfordshire

#	Ward	Owned	Rented
1	Chalgrove	80.96%	19.04%
2	Kidmore End & Whitchurch	80.94%	19.06%
3	Garsington & Horspath	79.6%	20.4%
4	Chinnor	78.25%	21.75%
5	Sandford & the Wittenhams	77.45%	22.55%
6	Woodcote & Rotherfield	76.75%	23.25%
7	Sonning Common	76.17%	23.83%
8	Goring (South Oxfordshire)	76.12%	23.88%
9	Forest Hill & Holton	75.42%	24.58%
10	Wheatley (South Oxfordshire)	73.86%	26.14%
11	Cholsey	72.71%	27.29%
12	Haseley Brook	71.58%	28.42%
13	Thame	70.46%	29.54%
14	Watlington (South Oxfordshire)	70.42%	29.58%
15	Benson & Crowmarsh	65.95%	34.05%
16	Wallingford	65.06%	34.94%
17	Berinsfield	64.91%	35.09%
18	Henley-on-Thames	64.78%	35.22%
19	Didcot South	64.71%	35.29%
20	Didcot North East	63.76%	36.24%
21	Didcot West	60.28%	39.72%

Forest Hill is ranked 9 out of 21 wards in South Oxfordshire for the percentage of home owners.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Forest Hill Age Distribution Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 Census and the calculated the proportion of age groups in Forest Hill & Holton.

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)

Forest Hill 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 South Oxfordshire.

Area	Unemployed	Yearly Change
South Oxfordshire	1.9%	0%
South East	2.9%	-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 Forest Hill 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 Forest Hill.

Economic Status	Proportion
In Employment	59.43%
In Part-Time Work	27.74%
Unemployed	3.36%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

72.26% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Forest Hill

What are the occupations of the residents of Forest Hill?

The largest employment sector in Forest Hill is Professional Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Process Plant & Machine Operatives.

Sector	Proportion
Professional Occupations	27.8%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials	21.14%
Associate Professional & Technical	11.66%
Skilled Trades	9.96%
Administrative & Secretarial	8.41%
Elementary Occupations	6.76%
Caring, leisure & Other Services	6.55%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives	3.25%

Source: Office for National Statistics (30 June 2020)

Forest Hill Education Statistics

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

Level	Forest Hill & Holton	England
No Qualifications	11.86%	18.08%
Level 1	7.9%	9.69%
Level 2	10.22%	13.32%
Apprenticeship	4.26%	5.32%
Level 3	15.05%	16.92%
Level 4	48.61%	33.92%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Forest Hill & South Oxfordshire 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 Forest Hill in the South Oxfordshire local area district.

Area	Born in UK	Born outside UK
Forest Hill & Holton	84.9%	15.1%
South Oxfordshire	87.29%	12.71%
South East	84.24%	15.76%
England	82.65%	17.35%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Forest Hill compared to other wards in South Oxfordshire

#	Ward	Born in UK	Born outside UK
1	Didcot West	80.64%	19.36%
2	Didcot North East	81.37%	18.63%
3	Henley-on-Thames	82.2%	17.8%
4	Didcot South	83.99%	16.01%
5	Sandford & the Wittenhams	84.53%	15.47%
6	Woodcote & Rotherfield	84.64%	15.36%
7	Forest Hill & Holton	84.9%	15.1%
8	Berinsfield	87.39%	12.61%
9	Wheatley	88.09%	11.91%
10	Goring	88.74%	11.26%
11	Sonning Common	89.15%	10.85%
12	Garsington & Horspath	89.26%	10.74%
13	Wallingford	89.35%	10.65%
14	Watlington	89.36%	10.64%
15	Benson & Crowmarsh	90.16%	9.84%
16	Kidmore End & Whitchurch	90.32%	9.68%
17	Haseley Brook	90.39%	9.61%
18	Thame	91.01%	8.99%
19	Cholsey	91.35%	8.65%
20	Chinnor	92.94%	7.06%
21	Chalgrove	93.73%	6.27%

';Forest Hill is ranked 7 out of 21 wards in South Oxfordshire for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Forest Hill Health Statistics

Forest Hill & Holton has significantly more residents (>5%) describing their health as very good than the national average for England.

Area	VG	G	F	B	VB
Forest Hill & Holton	53.74%	33.3%	9.83%	2.35%	0.79%
South Oxfordshire	53.42%	33%	10.34%	2.57%	0.68%
South East	49.98%	34.01%	11.77%	3.31%	0.93%
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 South Oxfordshire changed since 2011?

South Oxfordshire residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 0.51% between the 2011 and 2021 census.

Year	VG	G	F	B	VB
2011	52.56%	33.35%	10.73%	2.62%	0.73%
2021	53.42%	33%	10.34%	2.57%	0.68%

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

Source: Census 2011/2021 (Nomis/ONS)

What is the population of Forest Hill and South Oxfordshire?

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

Ward	Population
Benson & Crowmarsh	8639
Berinsfield	4032
Chalgrove	3345
Chinnor	8575
Cholsey	10307
Didcot North East	10245
Didcot South	10256
Didcot West	7777
Forest Hill & Holton	3597
Garsington & Horspath	3534
Goring	3839
Haseley Brook	4182
Henley-on-Thames	11927
Kidmore End & Whitchurch	3870
Sandford & the Wittenhams	4033
Sonning Common	7512
Thame	12747
Wallingford	8336
Watlington	3983
Wheatley	4158
Woodcote & Rotherfield	8888
South Oxfordshire Total	143782

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

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