Socio-economic statistics for Portway, Sandwell

Socio-economic statistics for Portway, Sandwell

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

How many residents own or rent their home in Portway and Sandwell

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Portway either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 60.37 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 39.63 of Portway residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.
AreaOwnedRented
Rowley (Sandwell)60.37%39.63%
Sandwell53.75%46.25%
West Midlands62.8%37.2%
England61.31%38.69%

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

Portway compared to other wards in Sandwell

#WardOwnedRented
1Newton (Sandwell)71.12%28.88%
2Old Warley68.33%31.67%
3Great Barr with Yew Tree66.37%33.63%
4Charlemont with Grove Vale64.51%35.49%
5Bristnall62.79%37.21%
6Tividale61.92%38.08%
7Rowley (Sandwell)60.37%39.63%
8Blackheath (Sandwell)59.86%40.14%
9Abbey (Sandwell)58.36%41.64%
10Oldbury54.18%45.82%
11Wednesbury South54.12%45.88%
12Wednesbury North53.49%46.51%
13Cradley Heath and Old Hill52.34%47.66%
14Friar Park52.25%47.75%
15St Pauls (Sandwell)52.16%47.84%
16Langley52.02%47.98%
17Great Bridge49.75%50.25%
18Tipton Green48.85%51.15%
19Hateley Heath48.22%51.78%
20Smethwick46.03%53.97%
21Greets Green and Lyng43.85%56.15%
22Princes End43.48%56.52%
23West Bromwich Central41.2%58.8%
24Soho and Victoria35.46%64.54%
Portway is ranked 7 out of 24 wards in Sandwell for the percentage of home owners.

Portway Age Distribution Statistics

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

Portway 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 Sandwell.
AreaUnemployedYearly Change
Sandwell6.4%-0.3%
West Midlands5%-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 Portway 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 Portway.
Economic StatusProportion
In Employment55.06%
In Part-Time Work25.08%
Unemployed5.85%
74.92% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Portway

Portway Health Statistics

Rowley 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.
AreaVGGFBVB
Rowley (Sandwell)43.88%34.81%14.63%5.12%1.56%
Sandwell44.86%34.16%14.35%5.11%1.53%
West Midlands46.4%34.38%13.54%4.37%1.31%
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 Sandwell changed since 2011?

Sandwell residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 2.33% between the 2011 and 2021 census.
YearVGGFBVB
201141.93%34.76%15.61%5.9%1.8%
202144.86%34.16%14.35%5.11%1.53%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

What are the occupations of the residents of Portway?

The largest employment sector in Portway is Professional Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Managers, Directors & Senior Officials.
SectorProportion
Professional Occupations13.32%
Skilled Trades13.14%
Elementary Occupations12.25%
Associate Professional & Technical11.16%
Caring, leisure & Other Services11.06%
Administrative & Secretarial10.75%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives10.65%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials8.86%

Portway Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Portway 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 Portway to the national average for England.
LevelRowleyEngland
No Qualifications26.36%18.08%
Level 111.94%9.69%
Level 215.84%13.32%
Apprenticeship5.73%5.32%
Level 316.64%16.92%
Level 420.38%33.92%

Portway & Sandwell 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 Portway in the Sandwell local area district.

Portway has a lower rate of immigrants than Sandwell, the West Midlands region and England as a whole.
AreaBorn in UKBorn outside UK
Rowley (Sandwell)90.77%9.23%
Sandwell76.41%23.59%
West Midlands84.84%15.17%
England82.65%17.35%

Portway compared to other wards in Sandwell

#WardBorn in UKBorn outside UK
1Soho and Victoria50.11%49.89%
2St Pauls56.33%43.67%
3West Bromwich Central59.43%40.57%
4Smethwick63.49%36.51%
5Greets Green and Lyng64.01%35.99%
6Oldbury70.78%29.22%
7Wednesbury South75.62%24.38%
8Hateley Heath75.69%24.31%
9Abbey75.94%24.06%
10Newton78.25%21.75%
11Great Bridge79.49%20.51%
12Tipton Green79.63%20.37%
13Langley80%20%
14Charlemont with Grove Vale80.53%19.47%
15Bristnall82.03%17.97%
16Great Barr with Yew Tree82.08%17.92%
17Old Warley84.11%15.9%
18Tividale85.78%14.22%
19Wednesbury North86.12%13.88%
20Princes End88.34%11.66%
21Cradley Heath and Old Hill89.67%10.33%
22Blackheath89.67%10.33%
23Friar Park89.98%10.02%
24Rowley90.77%9.23%
';Portway is ranked 24 out of 24 wards in Sandwell for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

What is the population of Portway and Sandwell?

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

WardPopulation
Abbey12640
Blackheath12192
Bristnall12266
Charlemont with Grove Vale12281
Cradley Heath and Old Hill13934
Friar Park12735
Great Barr with Yew Tree12890
Great Bridge13533
Greets Green and Lyng13939
Hateley Heath15250
Langley13957
Newton12455
Old Warley12256
Oldbury15228
Princes End13548
Rowley12149
Smethwick15302
Soho and Victoria17764
St Pauls15880
Tipton Green14581
Tividale12968
Wednesbury North13175
Wednesbury South13581
West Bromwich Central14538
Sandwell Total329042



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