Socio-economic statistics for Portington, Devon

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

Portington & West Devon 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 Portington in the West Devon local area district.

Portington has a lower rate of immigrants than West Devon, the South West region and England as a whole.

Area	Born in UK	Born outside UK
Milton Ford	95.94%	4.06%
West Devon	94.55%	5.45%
South West	89.8%	10.2%
England	82.65%	17.35%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Portington compared to other wards in West Devon

#	Ward	Born in UK	Born outside UK
1	Chagford	91.04%	8.96%
2	Okehampton South	92.18%	7.83%
3	Drewsteignton	93.34%	6.66%
4	Tavistock North	93.66%	6.34%
5	Okehampton North	93.67%	6.33%
6	Buckland Monachorum	94.42%	5.58%
7	Dartmoor	94.44%	5.56%
8	Hatherleigh	94.86%	5.14%
9	Tavistock South East	94.94%	5.06%
10	Exbourne	95.1%	4.9%
11	Tavistock South West	95.3%	4.7%
12	Burrator	95.31%	4.69%
13	South Tawton	95.5%	4.5%
14	Mary Tavy	95.5%	4.5%
15	Bridestowe	95.84%	4.16%
16	Bere Ferrers	95.86%	4.14%
17	Milton Ford	95.94%	4.06%
18	Tamarside	96%	4%

';Portington is ranked 17 out of 18 wards in West Devon for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Portington 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 West Devon.

Area	Unemployed	Yearly Change
West Devon	1.9%	-0.4%
South West	2.5%	-0.4%
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 Portington 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 Portington.

Economic Status	Proportion
In Employment	53.83%
In Part-Time Work	36.48%
Unemployed	1.87%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

63.52% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Portington

How many residents own or rent their home in Portington and West Devon

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Portington either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 74.88 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 25.12 of Portington residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.

Area	Owned	Rented
Milton Ford	74.88%	25.12%
West Devon	70.96%	29.04%
South West	65.88%	34.12%
England	61.31%	38.69%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

Portington compared to other wards in West Devon

#	Ward	Owned	Rented
1	Mary Tavy	82.45%	17.55%
2	Tavistock South East	79%	21%
3	Bridestowe	78.4%	21.6%
4	Burrator	77.36%	22.65%
5	Buckland Monachorum	76.82%	23.18%
6	South Tawton	76.41%	23.59%
7	Drewsteignton	75.8%	24.2%
8	Milton Ford	74.88%	25.12%
9	Exbourne	74.66%	25.34%
10	Bere Ferrers	72.59%	27.41%
11	Tamarside	72.12%	27.88%
12	Dartmoor	69.91%	30.09%
13	Hatherleigh	69%	31%
14	Tavistock North	67.66%	32.34%
15	Okehampton North	65.51%	34.49%
16	Chagford	64.79%	35.21%
17	Tavistock South West	60.96%	39.04%
18	Okehampton South	55.12%	44.88%

Portington is ranked 8 out of 18 wards in West Devon for the percentage of home owners.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Portington Age Distribution Statistics

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

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)

Portington Health Statistics

Milton Ford has a lower proportion of residents (very_good_pc-$ward_health->very_good_pc, 2)%) describing their health as very good than the national average for England.

Area	VG	G	F	B	VB
Milton Ford	44.75%	36.47%	13.68%	3.64%	1.46%
West Devon	45.55%	34.68%	14.42%	4.17%	1.18%
South West	47.6%	34.21%	13.12%	3.95%	1.12%
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 West Devon changed since 2011?

West Devon residents who describe their health as either good or very good has decreased by 0.35% between the 2011 and 2021 census.

Year	VG	G	F	B	VB
2011	45.85%	34.73%	14.28%	3.96%	1.18%
2021	45.55%	34.68%	14.42%	4.17%	1.18%

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

Source: Census 2011/2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Portington Education Statistics

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

Level	Milton Ford	England
No Qualifications	13.76%	18.08%
Level 1	9.11%	9.69%
Level 2	14.42%	13.32%
Apprenticeship	5.85%	5.32%
Level 3	17.5%	16.92%
Level 4	36.39%	33.92%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

What are the occupations of the residents of Portington?

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

Sector	Proportion
Skilled Trades	19.76%
Professional Occupations	19.54%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials	16.11%
Associate Professional & Technical	11.48%
Elementary Occupations	8.61%
Caring, leisure & Other Services	8.06%
Administrative & Secretarial	7.28%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives	3.64%

Source: Office for National Statistics (30 June 2020)

What is the population of Portington and West Devon?

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

Ward	Population
Bere Ferrers	3504
Bridestowe	3207
Buckland Monachorum	3802
Burrator	3582
Chagford	1535
Dartmoor	2300
Drewsteignton	1667
Exbourne	4159
Hatherleigh	3245
Mary Tavy	1509
Milton Ford	1836
Okehampton North	5492
Okehampton South	3980
South Tawton	1907
Tamarside	1787
Tavistock North	5363
Tavistock South East	3937
Tavistock South West	3327
West Devon Total	56139

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

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