Socio-economic statistics for Forestdale, Croydon

Socio-economic statistics for Forestdale, Croydon

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

Forestdale Health Statistics

Selsdon Vale & Forestdale 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
Selsdon Vale & Forestdale49.11%35.44%11.44%3.13%0.89%
Croydon51.2%33.45%11.09%3.26%1%
London53.55%31.85%10.33%3.23%1.05%
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 Croydon changed since 2011?

Croydon residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 1.21% between the 2011 and 2021 census.
YearVGGFBVB
201148.04%35.4%11.96%3.5%1.09%
202151.2%33.45%11.09%3.26%1%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

Forestdale & Croydon 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 Forestdale in the Croydon local area district.

AreaBorn in UKBorn outside UK
Selsdon Vale & Forestdale81.07%18.93%
Croydon65.15%34.85%
London59.37%40.63%
England82.65%17.35%

Forestdale compared to other wards in Croydon

#WardBorn in UKBorn outside UK
1Fairfield49.35%50.65%
2West Thornton50%50%
3Broad Green50.05%49.95%
4Bensham Manor51.29%48.71%
5Park Hill & Whitgift51.3%48.7%
6Norbury & Pollards Hill53.43%46.57%
7Selhurst56.26%43.74%
8Thornton Heath57.19%42.81%
9Addiscombe West57.56%42.44%
10Norbury Park58.17%41.83%
11South Norwood61.51%38.49%
12Waddon62.18%37.82%
13South Croydon65.46%34.54%
14Woodside66.09%33.91%
15Addiscombe East67.45%32.55%
16Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood68.43%31.57%
17Purley & Woodcote71.41%28.59%
18Purley Oaks & Riddlesdown72.62%27.38%
19New Addington North73.74%26.26%
20Shirley South75.15%24.85%
21Selsdon & Addington Village75.36%24.64%
22Shirley North75.38%24.62%
23New Addington South78.49%21.51%
24Coulsdon Town78.53%21.47%
25Kenley79.63%20.37%
26Selsdon Vale & Forestdale81.07%18.93%
27Sanderstead81.47%18.53%
28Old Coulsdon84.92%15.08%
';Forestdale is ranked 26 out of 28 wards in Croydon for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Forestdale 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 Croydon.
AreaUnemployedYearly Change
Croydon5.6%-0.4%
London4.8%-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 Forestdale 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 Forestdale.
Economic StatusProportion
In Employment60.26%
In Part-Time Work27.04%
Unemployed4.5%
72.96% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Forestdale

What are the occupations of the residents of Forestdale?

The largest employment sector in Forestdale is Professional Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Process Plant & Machine Operatives.
SectorProportion
Professional Occupations20.9%
Associate Professional & Technical15.65%
Administrative & Secretarial12.54%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials12.04%
Skilled Trades9.63%
Caring, leisure & Other Services9.63%
Elementary Occupations6.99%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives5.74%

How many residents own or rent their home in Forestdale and Croydon

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Forestdale either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 76.73 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 23.27 of Forestdale residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.
AreaOwnedRented
Selsdon Vale & Forestdale76.73%23.27%
Croydon54.7%45.3%
London45.23%54.77%
England61.31%38.69%

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

Forestdale compared to other wards in Croydon

#WardOwnedRented
1Sanderstead83.35%16.65%
2Old Coulsdon78.09%21.91%
3Coulsdon Town77.3%22.7%
4Kenley77.01%22.99%
5Selsdon & Addington Village76.9%23.1%
6Selsdon Vale & Forestdale76.73%23.27%
7Purley Oaks & Riddlesdown71.43%28.57%
8Shirley North71.33%28.67%
9Shirley South (Croydon)70.84%29.16%
10Purley & Woodcote65.8%34.2%
11Norbury Park64.94%35.06%
12Addiscombe East62.2%37.8%
13Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood54.92%45.08%
14Norbury & Pollards Hill52.9%47.1%
15Park Hill & Whitgift52.58%47.42%
16Bensham Manor51.26%48.74%
17South Croydon51.09%48.91%
18Thornton Heath50.7%49.3%
19Woodside (Croydon)50.52%49.48%
20New Addington South49.06%50.94%
21West Thornton45.43%54.57%
22Waddon44.61%55.39%
23Addiscombe West42.15%57.85%
24South Norwood41.84%58.16%
25Broad Green36.7%63.3%
26Selhurst33.91%66.09%
27New Addington North28.85%71.15%
28Fairfield (Croydon)22.41%77.59%
Forestdale is ranked 6 out of 28 wards in Croydon for the percentage of home owners.

Forestdale Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Forestdale 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 Forestdale to the national average for England.
LevelSelsdon Vale & ForestdaleEngland
No Qualifications14.23%18.08%
Level 111.05%9.69%
Level 214.81%13.32%
Apprenticeship4.96%5.32%
Level 317.45%16.92%
Level 434.54%33.92%

Forestdale Age Distribution Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 Census and the calculated the proportion of age groups in Selsdon Vale & Forestdale.
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

What is the population of Forestdale and Croydon?

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

WardPopulation
Addiscombe East11463
Addiscombe West15961
Bensham Manor16911
Broad Green20461
Coulsdon Town13890
Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood16950
Fairfield13833
Kenley10743
New Addington North10865
New Addington South11788
Norbury & Pollards Hill13330
Norbury Park10636
Old Coulsdon10033
Park Hill & Whitgift5671
Purley & Woodcote16013
Purley Oaks & Riddlesdown9785
Sanderstead15489
Selhurst12521
Selsdon & Addington Village10143
Selsdon Vale & Forestdale9425
Shirley North15163
Shirley South10368
South Croydon18372
South Norwood16732
Thornton Heath17634
Waddon18804
West Thornton18695
Woodside16884
Croydon Total388563



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