Socio-economic statistics for Shepway, Kent

Socio-economic statistics for Shepway, Kent

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

Shepway Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Shepway 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 Shepway to the national average for England.
LevelSouthEngland
No Qualifications16.36%18.08%
Level 110.97%9.69%
Level 215.94%13.32%
Apprenticeship5.84%5.32%
Level 318.42%16.92%
Level 429.08%33.92%

Shepway Health Statistics

South 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
South (Maidstone)51.7%33.35%11.22%2.88%0.86%
Maidstone49.77%34.01%11.96%3.32%0.94%
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 Maidstone changed since 2011?

Maidstone residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 0.62% between the 2011 and 2021 census.
YearVGGFBVB
201148.11%35.05%12.43%3.43%0.97%
202149.77%34.01%11.96%3.32%0.94%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

Shepway & Maidstone 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 Shepway in the Maidstone local area district.

AreaBorn in UKBorn outside UK
South (Maidstone)85.78%14.22%
Maidstone86.04%13.96%
South East84.24%15.76%
England82.65%17.35%

Shepway compared to other wards in Maidstone

#WardBorn in UKBorn outside UK
1High Street70.94%29.06%
2North74.19%25.81%
3Fant77.13%22.87%
4Bridge77.72%22.28%
5East78.99%21.01%
6Heath79.74%20.26%
7Park Wood84.58%15.42%
8South85.78%14.22%
9Shepway North86.89%13.11%
10Downswood and Otham88.85%11.15%
11Shepway South89.4%10.6%
12Allington90.55%9.45%
13Boughton Monchelsea and Chart Sutton91.68%8.32%
14Boxley92.25%7.75%
15Sutton Valence and Langley92.26%7.74%
16Staplehurst92.32%7.68%
17Loose92.34%7.66%
18Marden and Yalding92.34%7.66%
19Coxheath and Hunton92.49%7.51%
20Barming and Teston92.63%7.37%
21Detling and Thurnham92.89%7.11%
22Bearsted93.01%6.99%
23Headcorn93.35%6.65%
24Leeds93.93%6.07%
25North Downs94.15%5.85%
26Harrietsham and Lenham94.61%5.39%
';Shepway is ranked 8 out of 26 wards in Maidstone for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

What are the occupations of the residents of Shepway?

The largest employment sector in Shepway is Professional Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Process Plant & Machine Operatives.
SectorProportion
Professional Occupations18.61%
Associate Professional & Technical14.54%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials13.17%
Administrative & Secretarial10.86%
Skilled Trades10.64%
Elementary Occupations9.48%
Caring, leisure & Other Services8.03%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives6.83%

Shepway Age Distribution Statistics

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

Shepway 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 Maidstone.
AreaUnemployedYearly Change
Maidstone2.9%-0.4%
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 Shepway 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 Shepway.
Economic StatusProportion
In Employment60.44%
In Part-Time Work25.83%
Unemployed3.29%
74.17% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Shepway

How many residents own or rent their home in Shepway and Maidstone

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Shepway either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 71.07 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 28.93 of Shepway residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.
AreaOwnedRented
South (Maidstone)71.07%28.93%
Maidstone67.4%32.6%
South East65.66%34.34%
England61.31%38.69%

Shepway has a higher level of home ownership than than the national average.

Shepway compared to other wards in Maidstone

#WardOwnedRented
1Barming and Teston90.14%9.86%
2Allington86.62%13.38%
3Bearsted86.02%13.98%
4Boxley85.12%14.88%
5Detling and Thurnham84.81%15.19%
6Loose83.35%16.65%
7Leeds80.16%19.84%
8Boughton Monchelsea and Chart Sutton78.1%21.9%
9North Downs76.49%23.51%
10Staplehurst76.31%23.69%
11Coxheath and Hunton76.09%23.91%
12Harrietsham and Lenham75.06%24.94%
13Headcorn74.37%25.63%
14Sutton Valence and Langley73.2%26.81%
15Downswood and Otham71.43%28.57%
16South (Maidstone)71.07%28.93%
17Marden and Yalding70.72%29.28%
18East (Maidstone)64.67%35.33%
19Shepway North64.54%35.46%
20Heath (Maidstone)62.83%37.17%
21North (Maidstone)57.82%42.18%
22Bridge (Maidstone)54.17%45.83%
23Shepway South52.05%47.95%
24Fant51.79%48.21%
25Park Wood48.04%51.96%
26High Street (Maidstone)40.8%59.2%
Shepway is ranked 16 out of 26 wards in Maidstone for the percentage of home owners.

What is the population of Shepway and Maidstone?

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

WardPopulation
Allington7496
Barming and Teston2299
Bearsted8362
Boughton Monchelsea and Chart Sutton2811
Boxley8641
Bridge6632
Coxheath and Hunton7980
Detling and Thurnham3099
Downswood and Otham3072
East8932
Fant10866
Harrietsham and Lenham6756
Headcorn6040
Heath7199
High Street11852
Leeds2416
Loose2581
Marden and Yalding8981
North10055
North Downs2431
Park Wood9516
Shepway North9225
Shepway South5963
South10110
Staplehurst6350
Sutton Valence and Langley3467
Maidstone Total173132



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