Socio-economic statistics for South Shields, South Tyneside

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

South Shields 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 South Tyneside.

Area	Unemployed	Yearly Change
South Tyneside	5.9%	-0.6%
North East	4.3%	-0.5%
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 Shields 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 Shields.

Economic Status	Proportion
In Employment	45.86%
In Part-Time Work	26.85%
Unemployed	11.43%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

73.15% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in South Shields

South Shields Health Statistics

Simonside and Rekendyke 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
Simonside and Rekendyke	40.05%	32.45%	17.26%	7.83%	2.41%
South Tyneside	43.75%	33.07%	15.52%	5.89%	1.77%
North East	44.58%	33.46%	14.95%	5.41%	1.61%
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 South Tyneside changed since 2011?

South Tyneside residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 1.07% between the 2011 and 2021 census.

Year	VG	G	F	B	VB
2011	42.76%	32.99%	16%	6.34%	1.91%
2021	43.75%	33.07%	15.52%	5.89%	1.77%

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

Source: Census 2011/2021 (Nomis/ONS)

South Shields Education Statistics

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

Level	Simonside and Rekendyke	England
No Qualifications	25.06%	18.08%
Level 1	11.65%	9.69%
Level 2	14.85%	13.32%
Apprenticeship	7.41%	5.32%
Level 3	17.51%	16.92%
Level 4	21.27%	33.92%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

South Shields & South Tyneside 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 Shields in the South Tyneside local area district.

Area	Born in UK	Born outside UK
Simonside and Rekendyke	91.53%	8.47%
South Tyneside	95.56%	4.44%
North East	93.23%	6.77%
England	82.65%	17.35%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

South Shields compared to other wards in South Tyneside

#	Ward	Born in UK	Born outside UK
1	Beacon and Bents	85.27%	14.73%
2	Simonside and Rekendyke	91.53%	8.47%
3	West Park	94.41%	5.59%
4	Westoe	95.06%	4.94%
5	Hebburn North	95.45%	4.55%
6	Biddick and All Saints	95.56%	4.44%
7	Cleadon Park	95.77%	4.23%
8	Primrose	96.52%	3.48%
9	Boldon Colliery	96.66%	3.34%
10	Horsley Hill	96.79%	3.21%
11	Cleadon and East Boldon	96.93%	3.07%
12	Harton	96.98%	3.02%
13	Monkton	97.08%	2.92%
14	Hebburn South	97.11%	2.89%
15	Fellgate and Hedworth	97.17%	2.83%
16	Bede	97.3%	2.7%
17	Whitburn and Marsden	97.67%	2.33%
18	Whiteleas	97.98%	2.02%

';South Shields is ranked 2 out of 18 wards in South Tyneside for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

What are the occupations of the residents of South Shields?

The largest employment sector in South Shields is Elementary Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Managers, Directors & Senior Officials.

Sector	Proportion
Elementary Occupations	13.59%
Professional Occupations	12.37%
Caring, leisure & Other Services	11.98%
Skilled Trades	11.74%
Associate Professional & Technical	10.91%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives	10.82%
Administrative & Secretarial	9.98%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials	6.88%

Source: Office for National Statistics (30 June 2020)

How many residents own or rent their home in South Shields and South Tyneside

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in South Shields either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 39.62 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 60.38 of South Shields residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.

Area	Owned	Rented
Simonside and Rekendyke	39.62%	60.38%
South Tyneside	56.61%	43.39%
North East	60.27%	39.73%
England	61.31%	38.69%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

South Shields has a significantly lower level of home ownership than the national average. This is indicative or an economically deprived area.

South Shields compared to other wards in South Tyneside

#	Ward	Owned	Rented
1	Cleadon and East Boldon	91.08%	8.92%
2	Whitburn and Marsden	67.2%	32.8%
3	Westoe	66.35%	33.65%
4	Hebburn South	65.26%	34.74%
5	Boldon Colliery	62.33%	37.67%
6	Horsley Hill	61.63%	38.37%
7	Harton	60.52%	39.48%
8	West Park (South Tyneside)	58.5%	41.5%
9	Monkton	58.47%	41.53%
10	Fellgate and Hedworth	57%	43%
11	Whiteleas	53.98%	46.02%
12	Hebburn North	51.79%	48.21%
13	Cleadon Park	51.08%	48.92%
14	Beacon and Bents	49.64%	50.36%
15	Bede (South Tyneside)	46.69%	53.31%
16	Primrose (South Tyneside)	43.12%	56.88%
17	Simonside and Rekendyke	39.62%	60.38%
18	Biddick and All Saints	38.86%	61.14%

South Shields is ranked 17 out of 18 wards in South Tyneside for the percentage of home owners.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

South Shields Age Distribution Statistics

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

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)

What is the population of South Shields and South Tyneside?

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

Ward	Population
Beacon and Bents	9406
Bede	7553
Biddick and All Saints	9095
Boldon Colliery	9385
Cleadon and East Boldon	8381
Cleadon Park	7659
Fellgate and Hedworth	7366
Harton	8265
Hebburn North	9338
Hebburn South	8809
Horsley Hill	9174
Monkton	8162
Primrose	8096
Simonside and Rekendyke	9299
West Park	7576
Westoe	8105
Whitburn and Marsden	7355
Whiteleas	8109
South Tyneside Total	151133

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