Socio-economic statistics for Hertford, Hertfordshire

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

Hertford 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 East Hertfordshire.

Area	Unemployed	Yearly Change
East Hertfordshire	1.9%	-0.3%
East of England	3%	-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 Hertford 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 Hertford.

Economic Status	Proportion
In Employment	65.51%
In Part-Time Work	22.47%
Unemployed	3.59%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

77.53% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Hertford

Hertford Age Distribution Statistics

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

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)

Hertford & East Hertfordshire 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 Hertford in the East Hertfordshire local area district.

Area	Born in UK	Born outside UK
Hertford Castle	87.22%	12.78%
East Hertfordshire	89.17%	10.83%
East	85.09%	14.91%
England	82.65%	17.35%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Hertford compared to other wards in East Hertfordshire

#	Ward	Born in UK	Born outside UK
1	Bishop's Stortford Meads	78.17%	21.83%
2	Bishop's Stortford Central	78.3%	21.7%
3	Bishop's Stortford All Saints	80.23%	19.77%
4	Bishop's Stortford Silverleys	85.65%	14.35%
5	Bishop's Stortford South	87.02%	12.98%
6	Hertford Castle	87.22%	12.78%
7	Ware Chadwell	88.22%	11.78%
8	Hertford Sele	89.63%	10.37%
9	Ware Christchurch	90.08%	9.92%
10	Hertford Kingsmead	90.29%	9.71%
11	Hertford Heath	91.16%	8.84%
12	Hertford Bengeo	91.68%	8.32%
13	Sawbridgeworth	91.86%	8.14%
14	Hertford Rural South	91.86%	8.14%
15	Stanstead Abbots	92.4%	7.6%
16	Ware Trinity	92.41%	7.59%
17	Ware St Mary's	92.69%	7.31%
18	Much Hadham	92.9%	7.1%
19	Hertford Rural North	93.05%	6.95%
20	Great Amwell	93.17%	6.83%
21	Hunsdon	93.36%	6.64%
22	Datchworth & Aston	93.8%	6.2%
23	Buntingford	94.34%	5.66%
24	Little Hadham	94.39%	5.61%
25	Walkern	94.4%	5.6%
26	Braughing	94.49%	5.51%
27	Watton-at-Stone	94.49%	5.51%
28	Mundens and Cottered	94.56%	5.44%
29	Thundridge & Standon	94.56%	5.44%
30	Puckeridge	94.68%	5.32%

';Hertford is ranked 6 out of 30 wards in East Hertfordshire for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

What are the occupations of the residents of Hertford?

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

Sector	Proportion
Professional Occupations	25.81%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials	19.11%
Associate Professional & Technical	18.5%
Administrative & Secretarial	9.17%
Skilled Trades	7.63%
Caring, leisure & Other Services	6.24%
Elementary Occupations	4.95%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives	4.05%

Source: Office for National Statistics (30 June 2020)

Hertford Education Statistics

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

Level	Hertford Castle	England
No Qualifications	11.71%	18.08%
Level 1	8.09%	9.69%
Level 2	11.96%	13.32%
Apprenticeship	3.78%	5.32%
Level 3	15.87%	16.92%
Level 4	46.53%	33.92%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

How many residents own or rent their home in Hertford and East Hertfordshire

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Hertford either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 59.96 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 40.04 of Hertford residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.

Area	Owned	Rented
Hertford Castle	59.96%	40.04%
East Hertfordshire	69.35%	30.65%
East	65.23%	34.77%
England	61.31%	38.69%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

Hertford compared to other wards in East Hertfordshire

#	Ward	Owned	Rented
1	Bishop's Stortford South	83%	17%
2	Thundridge & Standon	78.49%	21.51%
3	Datchworth & Aston	77.18%	22.82%
4	Bishop's Stortford Silverleys	76.91%	23.09%
5	Hertford Rural South	76.29%	23.71%
6	Sawbridgeworth	76.28%	23.72%
7	Little Hadham	76.03%	23.97%
8	Ware St Mary's	75.94%	24.06%
9	Buntingford	74.79%	25.21%
10	Mundens and Cottered	73.59%	26.41%
11	Hertford Bengeo	73.53%	26.47%
12	Hertford Rural North	73.42%	26.58%
13	Braughing	73.39%	26.61%
14	Puckeridge	72.87%	27.13%
15	Great Amwell	72.05%	27.95%
16	Hertford Kingsmead	70.53%	29.47%
17	Hunsdon	70.31%	29.69%
18	Ware Trinity	70.14%	29.86%
19	Walkern	69.63%	30.37%
20	Hertford Heath	69.03%	30.97%
21	Much Hadham	68.95%	31.05%
22	Stanstead Abbots	68.43%	31.57%
23	Bishop's Stortford All Saints	66.91%	33.09%
24	Watton-at-Stone	66.39%	33.61%
25	Bishop's Stortford Meads	64.97%	35.03%
26	Ware Christchurch	62.98%	37.02%
27	Hertford Castle	59.96%	40.04%
28	Ware Chadwell	59.91%	40.09%
29	Hertford Sele	55.16%	44.84%
30	Bishop's Stortford Central	54.28%	45.72%

Hertford is ranked 27 out of 30 wards in East Hertfordshire for the percentage of home owners.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Hertford Health Statistics

Hertford Castle has significantly more residents (>5%) describing their health as very good than the national average for England.

Area	VG	G	F	B	VB
Hertford Castle	53.9%	32.51%	10.53%	2.37%	0.7%
East Hertfordshire	53.98%	32.54%	10.17%	2.61%	0.7%
East	48.28%	34.64%	12.5%	3.58%	1%
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)

What is the population of Hertford and East Hertfordshire?

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

Ward	Population
East Hertfordshire Total	0

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