Socio-economic statistics for Shirley, Solihull

Socio-economic statistics for Shirley, Solihull

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

Shirley & Solihull 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 Shirley in the Solihull local area district.

AreaBorn in UKBorn outside UK
Shirley West88.94%11.06%
Solihull89.71%10.29%
West Midlands84.84%15.17%
England82.65%17.35%

Shirley compared to other wards in Solihull

#WardBorn in UKBorn outside UK
1Silhill81.23%18.77%
2St Alphege84.98%15.02%
3Shirley East85.64%14.36%
4Olton86.08%13.92%
5Lyndon87.63%12.37%
6Shirley South87.99%12.01%
7Elmdon88.27%11.73%
8Blythe88.82%11.18%
9Shirley West88.94%11.06%
10Kingshurst and Fordbridge92.28%7.72%
11Bickenhill92.72%7.28%
12Smith's Wood92.96%7.04%
13Knowle93.14%6.86%
14Dorridge and Hockley Heath93.43%6.57%
15Chelmsley Wood93.52%6.48%
16Castle Bromwich94.08%5.92%
17Meriden94.35%5.65%
';Shirley is ranked 9 out of 17 wards in Solihull for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

How many residents own or rent their home in Shirley and Solihull

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Shirley either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 76.19 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 23.81 of Shirley residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.
AreaOwnedRented
Shirley West76.19%23.81%
Solihull72.24%27.76%
West Midlands62.8%37.2%
England61.31%38.69%

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

Shirley compared to other wards in Solihull

#WardOwnedRented
1St Alphege86.65%13.35%
2Dorridge and Hockley Heath85.74%14.26%
3Knowle (Solihull)83.05%16.95%
4Castle Bromwich81.93%18.07%
5Meriden (Solihull)80.46%19.54%
6Shirley South (Solihull)78.86%21.14%
7Shirley East78.84%21.16%
8Blythe76.28%23.72%
9Shirley West76.19%23.81%
10Elmdon76.03%23.97%
11Olton75.83%24.17%
12Lyndon74.8%25.2%
13Silhill71.27%28.73%
14Bickenhill70.69%29.31%
15Kingshurst and Fordbridge49.08%50.92%
16Smith's Wood49.05%50.95%
17Chelmsley Wood41.16%58.84%
Shirley is ranked 9 out of 17 wards in Solihull for the percentage of home owners.

Shirley Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Shirley 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 Shirley to the national average for England.
LevelShirley WestEngland
No Qualifications18.01%18.08%
Level 19.64%9.69%
Level 214.4%13.32%
Apprenticeship5.01%5.32%
Level 317.68%16.92%
Level 432.89%33.92%

Shirley Age Distribution Statistics

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

Shirley Health Statistics

Shirley West 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
Shirley West48.71%34.68%12.25%3.32%1.04%
Solihull49.25%33.38%12.4%3.84%1.12%
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 Solihull changed since 2011?

Solihull residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 0.92% between the 2011 and 2021 census.
YearVGGFBVB
201147.51%34.2%13.09%3.99%1.21%
202149.25%33.38%12.4%3.84%1.12%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

What are the occupations of the residents of Shirley?

The largest employment sector in Shirley is Professional Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Process Plant & Machine Operatives.
SectorProportion
Professional Occupations24.71%
Associate Professional & Technical13.82%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials12.15%
Administrative & Secretarial11.29%
Skilled Trades10.53%
Elementary Occupations8.19%
Caring, leisure & Other Services7.49%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives5.07%

Shirley 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 Solihull.
AreaUnemployedYearly Change
Solihull3.3%-0.5%
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 Shirley 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 Shirley.
Economic StatusProportion
In Employment58.63%
In Part-Time Work25.51%
Unemployed4.13%
74.49% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Shirley

What is the population of Shirley and Solihull?

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

WardPopulation
Bickenhill12847
Blythe14738
Castle Bromwich11280
Chelmsley Wood13308
Dorridge and Hockley Heath11465
Elmdon12747
Kingshurst and Fordbridge13575
Knowle11276
Lyndon13886
Meriden12752
Olton12837
Shirley East12123
Shirley South12537
Shirley West12895
Silhill12446
Smith's Wood12929
St Alphege13846
Solihull Total217487



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