Socio-economic statistics for Hitchin, Hertfordshire

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

Hitchin & North 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 Hitchin in the North Hertfordshire local area district.

Area	Born in UK	Born outside UK
Hitchin Bearton	82.27%	17.73%
North Hertfordshire	88.43%	11.57%
East	85.09%	14.91%
England	82.65%	17.35%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Hitchin compared to other wards in North Hertfordshire

#	Ward	Born in UK	Born outside UK
1	Hitchin Bearton	82.27%	17.73%
2	Hitchin Walsworth	84.31%	15.69%
3	Letchworth Wilbury	85.46%	14.54%
4	Letchworth South West	85.77%	14.23%
5	Hitchin Highbury	86.18%	13.82%
6	Letchworth South East	86.65%	13.35%
7	Chesfield	87.07%	12.93%
8	Letchworth East	87.2%	12.8%
9	Hitchin Oughton	87.36%	12.64%
10	Royston Palace	87.95%	12.05%
11	Letchworth Grange	89.19%	10.81%
12	Royston Heath	89.2%	10.8%
13	Knebworth	89.78%	10.22%
14	Hitchin Priory	90.12%	9.88%
15	Baldock East	90.89%	9.11%
16	Baldock Town	91.65%	8.35%
17	Royston Meridian	91.97%	8.03%
18	Codicote	92.49%	7.51%
19	Kimpton	92.7%	7.3%
20	Ermine	92.86%	7.14%
21	Cadwell	92.92%	7.08%
22	Arbury	93.13%	6.87%
23	Hitchwood, Offa and Hoo	93.15%	6.85%
24	Weston and Sandon	94.48%	5.52%

';Hitchin is ranked 1 out of 24 wards in North Hertfordshire for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

What are the occupations of the residents of Hitchin?

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

Sector	Proportion
Professional Occupations	31.12%
Associate Professional & Technical	17.77%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials	15.21%
Skilled Trades	7.29%
Administrative & Secretarial	7.17%
Elementary Occupations	6.05%
Caring, leisure & Other Services	5.99%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives	4.19%

Source: Office for National Statistics (30 June 2020)

Hitchin Education Statistics

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

Level	Hitchin Bearton	England
No Qualifications	10.95%	18.08%
Level 1	6.26%	9.69%
Level 2	10.62%	13.32%
Apprenticeship	3.28%	5.32%
Level 3	13.74%	16.92%
Level 4	53.31%	33.92%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Hitchin 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 North Hertfordshire.

Area	Unemployed	Yearly Change
North Hertfordshire	2.1%	-0.4%
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 Hitchin 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 Hitchin.

Economic Status	Proportion
In Employment	69.95%
In Part-Time Work	22.17%
Unemployed	3.65%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

77.83% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Hitchin

How many residents own or rent their home in Hitchin and North Hertfordshire

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Hitchin either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 57.75 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 42.25 of Hitchin residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.

Area	Owned	Rented
Hitchin Bearton	57.75%	42.25%
North Hertfordshire	64.8%	35.2%
East	65.23%	34.77%
England	61.31%	38.69%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

Hitchin compared to other wards in North Hertfordshire

#	Ward	Owned	Rented
1	Hitchin Priory	85.26%	14.74%
2	Royston Meridian	80.47%	19.53%
3	Baldock East	79.48%	20.52%
4	Kimpton	76.72%	23.28%
5	Arbury (North Hertfordshire)	72.78%	27.22%
6	Royston Heath	72.53%	27.47%
7	Codicote	71.4%	28.6%
8	Ermine	71.38%	28.62%
9	Hitchin Highbury	70.64%	29.36%
10	Chesfield	70.15%	29.85%
11	Knebworth	69.23%	30.77%
12	Weston and Sandon	68.38%	31.62%
13	Letchworth South West	67.13%	32.87%
14	Hitchwood, Offa and Hoo	64.99%	35.01%
15	Cadwell	63.65%	36.35%
16	Hitchin Walsworth	63.46%	36.54%
17	Royston Palace	60.86%	39.14%
18	Baldock Town	60.5%	39.5%
19	Letchworth South East	60%	40%
20	Hitchin Bearton	57.75%	42.25%
21	Letchworth Grange	54.51%	45.49%
22	Letchworth Wilbury	51.87%	48.13%
23	Letchworth East	51.84%	48.16%
24	Hitchin Oughton	49.32%	50.68%

Hitchin is ranked 20 out of 24 wards in North Hertfordshire for the percentage of home owners.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Hitchin Health Statistics

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

Area	VG	G	F	B	VB
Hitchin Bearton	55.1%	31.65%	9.99%	2.55%	0.71%
North Hertfordshire	50.59%	34.02%	11.53%	3.07%	0.79%
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)

How has the health of residents in North Hertfordshire changed since 2011?

North Hertfordshire residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 0.31% between the 2011 and 2021 census.

Year	VG	G	F	B	VB
2011	50.19%	34.11%	11.77%	3.11%	0.81%
2021	50.59%	34.02%	11.53%	3.07%	0.79%

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

Source: Census 2011/2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Hitchin Age Distribution Statistics

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

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 is the population of Hitchin and North Hertfordshire?

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

Ward	Population
Arbury	2753
Baldock East	2970
Baldock Town	7573
Cadwell	2314
Chesfield	7855
Codicote	2709
Ermine	2712
Hitchin Bearton	9024
Hitchin Highbury	8528
Hitchin Oughton	5167
Hitchin Priory	4827
Hitchin Walsworth	8448
Hitchwood, Offa and Hoo	7572
Kimpton	2139
Knebworth	5365
Letchworth East	6379
Letchworth Grange	7258
Letchworth South East	7655
Letchworth South West	7599
Letchworth Wilbury	5417
Royston Heath	5428
Royston Meridian	5533
Royston Palace	6152
Weston and Sandon	2086
North Hertfordshire Total	133463

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

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