Socio-economic statistics for Herne Bay, Kent

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

Herne Bay 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.

Area	Unemployed	Yearly Change
Canterbury	3.3%	-0.3%
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 Herne Bay 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 Herne Bay.

Economic Status	Proportion
In Employment	49.45%
In Part-Time Work	30.19%
Unemployed	5.61%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

69.81% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Herne Bay

Herne Bay Education Statistics

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

Level	Heron	England
No Qualifications	22.02%	18.08%
Level 1	11.61%	9.69%
Level 2	15.28%	13.32%
Apprenticeship	5.84%	5.32%
Level 3	17.45%	16.92%
Level 4	25.05%	33.92%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Herne Bay Age Distribution Statistics

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

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)

How many residents own or rent their home in Herne Bay and Canterbury

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Herne Bay either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 60.74 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 39.26 of Herne Bay residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.

Area	Owned	Rented
Heron	60.74%	39.26%
Canterbury	64.76%	35.24%
South East	65.66%	34.34%
England	61.31%	38.69%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

Herne Bay compared to other wards in Canterbury

#	Ward	Owned	Rented
1	Seasalter	84.19%	15.81%
2	Chestfield	83.95%	16.05%
3	Herne & Broomfield	80.95%	19.05%
4	Nailbourne	80.69%	19.31%
5	Reculver	80.09%	19.91%
6	Beltinge	78.96%	21.04%
7	Tankerton	77.67%	22.33%
8	West Bay	76.69%	23.31%
9	Swalecliffe	76.06%	23.94%
10	Blean Forest	75.63%	24.37%
11	Sturry	73.73%	26.27%
12	Little Stour & Adisham	72.53%	27.47%
13	Greenhill (Canterbury)	72.11%	27.9%
14	Gorrell	66.01%	33.99%
15	Heron	60.74%	39.26%
16	Wincheap	51.33%	48.67%
17	St Stephen's (Canterbury)	38.77%	61.23%
18	Westgate (Canterbury)	38.54%	61.46%
19	Northgate (Canterbury)	28.25%	71.75%

Herne Bay is ranked 15 out of 19 wards in Canterbury for the percentage of home owners.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Herne Bay & 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 Herne Bay in the Canterbury local area district.

Herne Bay has a lower rate of immigrants than Canterbury, the South East region and England as a whole.

Area	Born in UK	Born outside UK
Heron	92.79%	7.21%
Canterbury	87.1%	12.9%
South East	84.24%	15.76%
England	82.65%	17.35%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Herne Bay compared to other wards in Canterbury

#	Ward	Born in UK	Born outside UK
1	Westgate	72.13%	27.87%
2	Northgate	75.44%	24.56%
3	Wincheap	78.55%	21.45%
4	Blean Forest	78.66%	21.34%
5	St Stephen's	78.73%	21.27%
6	Sturry	89.73%	10.27%
7	Little Stour & Adisham	91.23%	8.77%
8	Tankerton	91.64%	8.36%
9	Nailbourne	92.04%	7.96%
10	Gorrell	92.54%	7.46%
11	Heron	92.79%	7.21%
12	Chestfield	94.28%	5.72%
13	Seasalter	94.82%	5.18%
14	Swalecliffe	95.15%	4.85%
15	West Bay	95.23%	4.77%
16	Herne & Broomfield	95.35%	4.65%
17	Reculver	95.55%	4.45%
18	Beltinge	95.58%	4.42%
19	Greenhill	95.95%	4.05%

';Herne Bay is ranked 11 out of 19 wards in Canterbury for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

What are the occupations of the residents of Herne Bay?

The largest employment sector in Herne Bay is Professional Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Process Plant & Machine Operatives.

Sector	Proportion
Professional Occupations	15.28%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials	13.22%
Skilled Trades	12.85%
Caring, leisure & Other Services	12.66%
Associate Professional & Technical	11.95%
Elementary Occupations	10.42%
Administrative & Secretarial	8.86%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives	6.2%

Source: Office for National Statistics (30 June 2020)

Herne Bay Health Statistics

Heron 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
Heron	43.14%	34.11%	15.81%	5.32%	1.62%
Canterbury	47.03%	34.68%	13.19%	3.95%	1.15%
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 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.

Year	VG	G	F	B	VB
2011	46.82%	34.63%	13.37%	4.06%	1.12%
2021	47.03%	34.68%	13.19%	3.95%	1.15%

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

Source: Census 2011/2021 (Nomis/ONS)

What is the population of Herne Bay and Canterbury?

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

Ward	Population
Barton	14274
Beltinge	6564
Blean Forest	11131
Chartham & Stone Street	7785
Chestfield	7056
Gorrell	10994
Greenhill	4227
Herne & Broomfield	9854
Heron	13671
Little Stour & Adisham	4421
Nailbourne	4095
Northgate	8496
Reculver	4341
Seasalter	8108
St Stephen's	10670
Sturry	8234
Swalecliffe	4122
Tankerton	3717
West Bay	4243
Westgate	10712
Wincheap	10047
Canterbury Total	166762

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