Socio-economic statistics for Sowton, Devon

Socio-economic statistics for Sowton, Devon

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

Sowton Health Statistics

St Loyes 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
St Loyes52.39%33.45%10.22%3.11%0.83%
Exeter50.87%32.94%11.59%3.57%1.03%
South West47.6%34.21%13.12%3.95%1.12%
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 Exeter changed since 2011?

Exeter residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 0.53% between the 2011 and 2021 census.
YearVGGFBVB
201149.91%33.37%11.95%3.68%1.1%
202150.87%32.94%11.59%3.57%1.03%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

Sowton & Exeter 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 Sowton in the Exeter local area district.

AreaBorn in UKBorn outside UK
St Loyes88.57%11.43%
Exeter85%15%
South West89.8%10.2%
England82.65%17.35%

Sowton compared to other wards in Exeter

#WardBorn in UKBorn outside UK
1St David's75.55%24.45%
2Newtown and St Leonard's76.43%23.57%
3Duryard and St James79.74%20.26%
4Pennsylvania83.16%16.84%
5Priory85.58%14.42%
6Heavitree85.9%14.1%
7Mincinglake and Whipton87.01%12.99%
8St Thomas88.11%11.89%
9St Loyes88.57%11.43%
10Exwick88.96%11.04%
11Topsham90.3%9.7%
12Pinhoe90.4%9.6%
13Alphington91.3%8.7%
';Sowton is ranked 9 out of 13 wards in Exeter for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Sowton 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 Exeter.
AreaUnemployedYearly Change
Exeter2.1%-0.2%
South West2.5%-0.4%
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 Sowton 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 Sowton.
Economic StatusProportion
In Employment64.47%
In Part-Time Work28.12%
Unemployed2.97%
71.88% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Sowton

How many residents own or rent their home in Sowton and Exeter

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Sowton either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 67.29 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 32.71 of Sowton residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.
AreaOwnedRented
St Loyes67.29%32.71%
Exeter57.22%42.78%
South West65.88%34.12%
England61.31%38.69%

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

Sowton compared to other wards in Exeter

#WardOwnedRented
1Alphington73.03%26.97%
2Pinhoe70.28%29.72%
3Topsham67.51%32.49%
4St Loyes67.29%32.71%
5Heavitree65.85%34.15%
6St Thomas (Exeter)65.11%34.89%
7Exwick58.11%41.89%
8Pennsylvania54.62%45.38%
9Priory (Exeter)54.6%45.4%
10Mincinglake and Whipton53.94%46.06%
11Newtown and St Leonard's43.96%56.04%
12Duryard and St James42.58%57.42%
13St David's (Exeter)31.89%68.11%
Sowton is ranked 4 out of 13 wards in Exeter for the percentage of home owners.

What are the occupations of the residents of Sowton?

The largest employment sector in Sowton is Professional Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Process Plant & Machine Operatives.
SectorProportion
Professional Occupations22.39%
Associate Professional & Technical13.16%
Administrative & Secretarial10.53%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials10.28%
Elementary Occupations9.9%
Skilled Trades9.65%
Caring, leisure & Other Services9.41%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives6.75%

Sowton Age Distribution Statistics

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

Sowton Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Sowton 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 Sowton to the national average for England.
LevelSt LoyesEngland
No Qualifications14.89%18.08%
Level 110.89%9.69%
Level 214.87%13.32%
Apprenticeship6.11%5.32%
Level 317.69%16.92%
Level 433.13%33.92%

What is the population of Sowton and Exeter?

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

WardPopulation
Alphington8439
Duryard and St James16663
Exwick9800
Heavitree9560
Mincinglake and Whipton9379
Newtown and St Leonard's11075
Pennsylvania10547
Pinhoe8057
Priory9435
St David's11815
St Loyes9747
St Thomas9936
Topsham8880
Exeter Total133333



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