Socio-economic statistics for South Molton, Devon

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

South Molton Age Distribution Statistics

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

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)

South Molton 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 North Devon.

Area	Unemployed	Yearly Change
North Devon	2.7%	-0.3%
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 South Molton 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 South Molton.

Economic Status	Proportion
In Employment	50.55%
In Part-Time Work	30.63%
Unemployed	4.23%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

69.37% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in South Molton

South Molton Education Statistics

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

Level	South Molton	England
No Qualifications	19.04%	18.08%
Level 1	12.44%	9.69%
Level 2	16.5%	13.32%
Apprenticeship	6.97%	5.32%
Level 3	18.7%	16.92%
Level 4	23.92%	33.92%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

What are the occupations of the residents of South Molton?

The largest employment sector in South Molton is Skilled Trades. The smallest employment sector is Managers, Directors & Senior Officials.

Sector	Proportion
Skilled Trades	15.96%
Elementary Occupations	14.11%
Caring, leisure & Other Services	13.1%
Professional Occupations	13.07%
Associate Professional & Technical	9.8%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives	9.43%
Administrative & Secretarial	8.91%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials	8.24%

Source: Office for National Statistics (30 June 2020)

How many residents own or rent their home in South Molton and North Devon

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in South Molton either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 63.6 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 36.4 of South Molton residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.

Area	Owned	Rented
South Molton	63.6%	36.4%
North Devon	67.32%	32.68%
South West	65.88%	34.12%
England	61.31%	38.69%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

South Molton compared to other wards in North Devon

#	Ward	Owned	Rented
1	Fremington	81.3%	18.7%
2	Marwood	81.09%	18.91%
3	Roundswell	80.05%	19.95%
4	Braunton East	78.41%	21.59%
5	Landkey	76.74%	23.26%
6	Mortehoe	76.5%	23.5%
7	Braunton West & Georgeham	75.92%	24.08%
8	Bishop's Nympton	75.68%	24.32%
9	Witheridge	75.02%	24.98%
10	Chittlehampton	74.44%	25.56%
11	Bratton Fleming	73.61%	26.39%
12	Instow	73.24%	26.76%
13	Combe Martin	72.7%	27.3%
14	Chulmleigh	70.62%	29.38%
15	Lynton & Lynmouth	70.24%	29.76%
16	Ilfracombe West	69.67%	30.33%
17	Bickington	69.43%	30.57%
18	North Molton	65.49%	34.51%
19	Newport (North Devon)	65.22%	34.78%
20	South Molton	63.6%	36.4%
21	Barnstaple with Pilton	62.96%	37.04%
22	Barnstaple with Westacott	54.22%	45.78%
23	Ilfracombe East	52.14%	47.86%
24	Heanton Punchardon	49.95%	50.05%
25	Barnstaple Central	33.27%	66.73%

South Molton is ranked 20 out of 25 wards in North Devon for the percentage of home owners.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

South Molton & North 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 South Molton in the North Devon local area district.

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

Area	Born in UK	Born outside UK
South Molton	95.07%	4.93%
North Devon	94.51%	5.49%
South West	89.8%	10.2%
England	82.65%	17.35%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

South Molton compared to other wards in North Devon

#	Ward	Born in UK	Born outside UK
1	Barnstaple Central	84.5%	15.5%
2	Heanton Punchardon	89.35%	10.65%
3	Barnstaple with Pilton	91.96%	8.04%
4	Lynton & Lynmouth	93.48%	6.52%
5	Mortehoe	93.86%	6.14%
6	Newport	93.9%	6.1%
7	Barnstaple with Westacott	94.07%	5.93%
8	Roundswell	94.32%	5.68%
9	North Molton	94.45%	5.55%
10	Braunton West & Georgeham	94.8%	5.2%
11	Braunton East	95%	5%
12	South Molton	95.07%	4.93%
13	Chulmleigh	95.2%	4.8%
14	Ilfracombe East	95.21%	4.79%
15	Bickington	95.21%	4.79%
16	Marwood	95.27%	4.73%
17	Bratton Fleming	95.55%	4.45%
18	Chittlehampton	95.89%	4.11%
19	Instow	96.21%	3.79%
20	Combe Martin	96.33%	3.67%
21	Ilfracombe West	96.39%	3.61%
22	Bishop's Nympton	96.52%	3.48%
23	Fremington	96.52%	3.48%
24	Landkey	96.55%	3.45%
25	Witheridge	96.91%	3.09%

';South Molton is ranked 12 out of 25 wards in North Devon for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

South Molton Health Statistics

South Molton has a significantly lower proportion of residents (>5%) describing their health as very good than the national average for England.

Area	VG	G	F	B	VB
South Molton	42.93%	34.45%	15.49%	4.94%	2.19%
North Devon	46.78%	33.62%	13.9%	4.41%	1.28%
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 North Devon changed since 2011?

North Devon residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 0.17% between the 2011 and 2021 census.

Year	VG	G	F	B	VB
2011	46.38%	33.85%	14.16%	4.34%	1.27%
2021	46.78%	33.62%	13.9%	4.41%	1.28%

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

Source: Census 2011/2021 (Nomis/ONS)

What is the population of South Molton and North Devon?

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

Ward	Population
Barnstaple Central	2772
Barnstaple with Pilton	8069
Barnstaple with Westacott	7590
Bickington	6952
Bishop's Nympton	2249
Bratton Fleming	2391
Braunton East	4893
Braunton West & Georgeham	4729
Chittlehampton	2294
Chulmleigh	2105
Combe Martin	2619
Fremington	5094
Heanton Punchardon	3045
Ilfracombe East	6912
Ilfracombe West	4406
Instow	2635
Landkey	4469
Lynton & Lynmouth	2039
Marwood	2388
Mortehoe	2194
Newport	5054
North Molton	2302
Roundswell	2748
South Molton	5892
Witheridge	2329
North Devon Total	98170

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

Top 20 most depressing towns in Britain 2024