Socio-economic statistics for Lower Higham, Kent

Socio-economic statistics for Lower Higham, Kent

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

Lower Higham Health Statistics

Higham 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
Higham (Gravesham)49.8%34.32%11.29%3.46%1.14%
Gravesham48.66%34.07%12.43%3.82%1.02%
South East49.98%34.01%11.77%3.31%0.93%
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 Gravesham changed since 2011?

Gravesham residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 1.26% between the 2011 and 2021 census.
YearVGGFBVB
201146.5%34.97%13.4%4.03%1.1%
202148.66%34.07%12.43%3.82%1.02%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

What are the occupations of the residents of Lower Higham?

The largest employment sector in Lower Higham is Managers, Directors & Senior Officials. The smallest employment sector is Process Plant & Machine Operatives.
SectorProportion
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials17.86%
Professional Occupations17.52%
Associate Professional & Technical12.89%
Administrative & Secretarial12.39%
Skilled Trades11.22%
Elementary Occupations7.42%
Caring, leisure & Other Services7.37%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives5.8%

Lower Higham 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 Gravesham.
AreaUnemployedYearly Change
Gravesham4.3%-0.2%
South East2.9%-0.3%
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 Lower Higham 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 Lower Higham.
Economic StatusProportion
In Employment52.98%
In Part-Time Work27.76%
Unemployed4.43%
72.24% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Lower Higham

How many residents own or rent their home in Lower Higham and Gravesham

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Lower Higham either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 80.86 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 19.14 of Lower Higham residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.
AreaOwnedRented
Higham (Gravesham)80.86%19.14%
Gravesham62.22%37.78%
South East65.66%34.34%
England61.31%38.69%

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

Lower Higham compared to other wards in Gravesham

#WardOwnedRented
1Istead Rise91.76%8.24%
2Meopham South and Vigo90.63%9.37%
3Riverview89.33%10.67%
4Shorne, Cobham and Luddesdown82.56%17.44%
5Meopham North82.42%17.58%
6Higham (Gravesham)80.86%19.14%
7Chalk80.4%19.6%
8Painters Ash75.87%24.13%
9Woodlands (Gravesham)73.22%26.78%
10Whitehill68.82%31.18%
11Central (Gravesham)56.25%43.75%
12Northfleet South55.28%44.72%
13Westcourt53.64%46.36%
14Singlewell52.77%47.23%
15Coldharbour47.83%52.17%
16Riverside (Gravesham)43.22%56.78%
17Pelham43.06%56.94%
18Northfleet North40.98%59.02%
Lower Higham is ranked 6 out of 18 wards in Gravesham for the percentage of home owners.

Lower Higham & Gravesham 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 Lower Higham in the Gravesham local area district.

Lower Higham has a lower rate of immigrants than Gravesham, the South East region and England as a whole.
AreaBorn in UKBorn outside UK
Higham (Gravesham)93.26%6.74%
Gravesham80.76%19.24%
South East84.24%15.76%
England82.65%17.35%

Lower Higham compared to other wards in Gravesham

#WardBorn in UKBorn outside UK
1Pelham65.3%34.7%
2Riverside66.67%33.33%
3Central71.33%28.67%
4Northfleet North72.7%27.3%
5Northfleet South75.04%24.96%
6Woodlands82.78%17.22%
7Westcourt82.88%17.12%
8Whitehill83.73%16.27%
9Coldharbour84.34%15.66%
10Singlewell84.51%15.49%
11Painters Ash87.19%12.81%
12Riverview88.34%11.66%
13Chalk89.84%10.16%
14Shorne, Cobham and Luddesdown92.29%7.71%
15Higham93.26%6.74%
16Istead Rise93.73%6.27%
17Meopham North93.95%6.05%
18Meopham South and Vigo94.65%5.35%
';Lower Higham is ranked 15 out of 18 wards in Gravesham for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Lower Higham Age Distribution Statistics

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

Lower Higham Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Lower Higham 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 Lower Higham to the national average for England.
LevelHighamEngland
No Qualifications17.48%18.08%
Level 110.76%9.69%
Level 215.97%13.32%
Apprenticeship7.24%5.32%
Level 317.67%16.92%
Level 427.97%33.92%

What is the population of Lower Higham and Gravesham?

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

WardPopulation
Central7139
Chalk2181
Coldharbour4979
Higham3850
Istead Rise3363
Meopham North4373
Meopham South and Vigo4325
Northfleet North8810
Northfleet South8945
Painters Ash5454
Pelham8171
Riverside10124
Riverview4268
Shorne, Cobham and Luddesdown4239
Singlewell8203
Westcourt7033
Whitehill4477
Woodlands6956
Gravesham Total106890



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