Socio-economic statistics for Highbridge, Walsall

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

Highbridge & Walsall 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 Highbridge in the Walsall local area district.

Highbridge has a lower rate of immigrants than Walsall, the West Midlands region and England as a whole.

Area	Born in UK	Born outside UK
Pelsall	97.17%	2.83%
Walsall	85.23%	14.77%
West Midlands	84.84%	15.17%
England	82.65%	17.35%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Highbridge compared to other wards in Walsall

#	Ward	Born in UK	Born outside UK
1	Pleck	64.92%	35.08%
2	Palfrey	65.55%	34.45%
3	St Matthew's	71.88%	28.12%
4	Paddock	76.07%	23.93%
5	Blakenall	80.94%	19.06%
6	Bentley and Darlaston North	82.65%	17.35%
7	Willenhall South	82.85%	17.15%
8	Darlaston South	83.37%	16.63%
9	Birchills Leamore	83.91%	16.09%
10	Short Heath	91.6%	8.4%
11	Streetly	91.88%	8.12%
12	Willenhall North	92.38%	7.62%
13	Rushall-Shelfield	92.86%	7.14%
14	Pheasey Park Farm	92.89%	7.11%
15	Bloxwich East	93.08%	6.92%
16	Bloxwich West	94.23%	5.77%
17	Aldridge Central and South	94.87%	5.13%
18	Aldridge North and Walsall Wood	95.6%	4.4%
19	Brownhills	95.62%	4.38%
20	Pelsall	97.17%	2.83%

';Highbridge is ranked 20 out of 20 wards in Walsall for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Highbridge Education Statistics

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

Level	Pelsall	England
No Qualifications	24.15%	18.08%
Level 1	10.56%	9.69%
Level 2	14.76%	13.32%
Apprenticeship	6.4%	5.32%
Level 3	17.93%	16.92%
Level 4	23.18%	33.92%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Highbridge Age Distribution Statistics

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

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)

What are the occupations of the residents of Highbridge?

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

Sector	Proportion
Skilled Trades	15.48%
Professional Occupations	15.35%
Associate Professional & Technical	13.14%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials	10.85%
Administrative & Secretarial	10.63%
Caring, leisure & Other Services	10.23%
Elementary Occupations	9.1%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives	7.26%

Source: Office for National Statistics (30 June 2020)

Highbridge 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 Walsall.

Area	Unemployed	Yearly Change
Walsall	5.7%	-0.5%
West Midlands	5%	-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 Highbridge 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 Highbridge.

Economic Status	Proportion
In Employment	53.24%
In Part-Time Work	25.75%
Unemployed	4.28%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

74.25% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Highbridge

How many residents own or rent their home in Highbridge and Walsall

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Highbridge either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 74.18 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 25.82 of Highbridge residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.

Area	Owned	Rented
Pelsall	74.18%	25.82%
Walsall	59.33%	40.67%
West Midlands	62.8%	37.2%
England	61.31%	38.69%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

Highbridge compared to other wards in Walsall

#	Ward	Owned	Rented
1	Streetly	89.19%	10.81%
2	Pheasey Park Farm	84.15%	15.85%
3	Paddock	80.52%	19.48%
4	Aldridge Central and South	75.61%	24.39%
5	Pelsall	74.18%	25.82%
6	Aldridge North and Walsall Wood	72.07%	27.93%
7	Short Heath	69.84%	30.16%
8	Willenhall North	67.95%	32.05%
9	Rushall-Shelfield	65.75%	34.25%
10	Brownhills	62%	38.01%
11	Bloxwich West	55.58%	44.42%
12	Palfrey	53.19%	46.81%
13	Bloxwich East	50.58%	49.42%
14	Willenhall South	49.46%	50.54%
15	Bentley and Darlaston North	48.72%	51.28%
16	Pleck	45.6%	54.4%
17	Darlaston South	44.44%	55.56%
18	Blakenall	43.2%	56.8%
19	St Matthew's (Walsall)	38.92%	61.08%
20	Birchills Leamore	38.79%	61.21%

Highbridge is ranked 5 out of 20 wards in Walsall for the percentage of home owners.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Highbridge Health Statistics

Pelsall 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
Pelsall	42.02%	36.13%	15.22%	5.12%	1.49%
Walsall	44.41%	34.38%	14.63%	5.01%	1.58%
West Midlands	46.4%	34.38%	13.54%	4.37%	1.31%
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 Walsall changed since 2011?

Walsall residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 1.5% between the 2011 and 2021 census.

Year	VG	G	F	B	VB
2011	42.15%	35.14%	15.47%	5.56%	1.68%
2021	44.41%	34.38%	14.63%	5.01%	1.58%

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

Source: Census 2011/2021 (Nomis/ONS)

What is the population of Highbridge and Walsall?

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

Ward	Population
Aldridge Central and South	13960
Aldridge North and Walsall Wood	13002
Bentley and Darlaston North	14350
Birchills Leamore	16095
Blakenall	16699
Bloxwich East	13101
Bloxwich West	13897
Brownhills	13461
Darlaston South	16940
Paddock	13493
Palfrey	17575
Pelsall	11336
Pheasey Park Farm	11432
Pleck	16663
Rushall-Shelfield	12182
Short Heath	11528
St Matthew's	17356
Streetly	13742
Willenhall North	12562
Willenhall South	17342
Walsall Total	286716

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

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