Socio-economic statistics for Sparkhill, Birmingham

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

Sparkhill & Birmingham 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 Sparkhill in the Birmingham local area district.

Area	Born in UK	Born outside UK
Sparkhill	58.34%	41.66%
Birmingham	73.28%	26.72%
West Midlands	84.84%	15.17%
England	82.65%	17.35%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Sparkhill compared to other wards in Birmingham

#	Ward	Born in UK	Born outside UK
1	Holyhead	49.89%	50.11%
2	Ladywood	50.74%	49.26%
3	Bordesley & Highgate	53.66%	46.34%
4	Bordesley Green	54.57%	45.43%
5	Handsworth	55.02%	44.98%
6	Aston	55.69%	44.31%
7	Small Heath	56.18%	43.82%
8	North Edgbaston	56.36%	43.64%
9	Lozells	57.03%	42.97%
10	Newtown	57.3%	42.7%
11	Birchfield	57.82%	42.18%
12	Soho & Jewellery Quarter	58.01%	41.99%
13	Sparkhill	58.34%	41.66%
14	Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East	58.79%	41.21%
15	Nechells	59.11%	40.89%
16	Alum Rock	59.32%	40.68%
17	Balsall Heath West	59.91%	40.09%
18	Heartlands	60.65%	39.36%
19	Handsworth Wood	61.83%	38.17%
20	Edgbaston	63.05%	36.95%
21	Ward End	64.26%	35.74%
22	Tyseley & Hay Mills	67.23%	32.77%
23	Hall Green North	69.33%	30.67%
24	Stockland Green	69.57%	30.43%
25	Gravelly Hill	69.58%	30.42%
26	Yardley West & Stechford	70.95%	29.05%
27	Harborne	73.06%	26.94%
28	Bromford & Hodge Hill	73.47%	26.53%
29	Moseley	74.14%	25.86%
30	Acocks Green	74.41%	25.59%
31	Perry Barr	74.88%	25.12%
32	Weoley & Selly Oak	76.44%	23.56%
33	Quinton	77.37%	22.63%
34	Erdington	77.76%	22.24%
35	Perry Common	78.16%	21.84%
36	Bournbrook & Selly Park	78.23%	21.77%
37	Garretts Green	79.29%	20.71%
38	Glebe Farm & Tile Cross	79.31%	20.69%
39	South Yardley	80.49%	19.51%
40	Billesley	80.69%	19.31%
41	Hall Green South	80.92%	19.08%
42	Brandwood & King's Heath	81.96%	18.04%
43	Pype Hayes	82.05%	17.95%
44	Kingstanding	82.28%	17.72%
45	Yardley East	82.42%	17.58%
46	Allens Cross	83.56%	16.44%
47	Stirchley	83.56%	16.44%
48	Bartley Green	84.61%	15.39%
49	Druids Heath & Monyhull	85.48%	14.52%
50	Bournville & Cotteridge	85.53%	14.47%
51	Sheldon	86.37%	13.63%
52	King's Norton South	86.7%	13.3%
53	Oscott	86.84%	13.16%
54	King's Norton North	88.25%	11.75%
55	Sutton Trinity	88.52%	11.48%
56	Northfield	88.72%	11.28%
57	Sutton Reddicap	88.9%	11.1%
58	Sutton Wylde Green	89.16%	10.84%
59	Sutton Four Oaks	89.21%	10.79%
60	Longbridge & West Heath	89.25%	10.75%
61	Sutton Vesey	89.27%	10.73%
62	Highter's Heath	89.34%	10.66%
63	Shard End	89.7%	10.3%
64	Frankley Great Park	89.89%	10.11%
65	Sutton Walmley & Minworth	90.51%	9.49%
66	Sutton Roughley	90.84%	9.16%
67	Sutton Mere Green	91.02%	8.98%
68	Rubery & Rednal	91.36%	8.64%
69	Castle Vale	91.4%	8.6%

';Sparkhill is ranked 13 out of 69 wards in Birmingham for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Sparkhill Education Statistics

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

Level	Sparkhill	England
No Qualifications	33.13%	18.08%
Level 1	11.99%	9.69%
Level 2	12.53%	13.32%
Apprenticeship	2.33%	5.32%
Level 3	14.25%	16.92%
Level 4	22.04%	33.92%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Sparkhill 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 Birmingham.

Area	Unemployed	Yearly Change
Birmingham	8.5%	-0.4%
West Midlands	5%	-0.3%
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 Sparkhill 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 Sparkhill.

Economic Status	Proportion
In Employment	39.11%
In Part-Time Work	37.32%
Unemployed	12.02%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

62.68% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Sparkhill

Sparkhill Age Distribution Statistics

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

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 are the occupations of the residents of Sparkhill?

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

Sector	Proportion
Elementary Occupations	16.28%
Professional Occupations	14.24%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives	13.4%
Caring, leisure & Other Services	10.26%
Skilled Trades	9.09%
Associate Professional & Technical	8.59%
Administrative & Secretarial	8.44%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials	7.35%

Source: Office for National Statistics (30 June 2020)

How many residents own or rent their home in Sparkhill and Birmingham

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Sparkhill either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 58.19 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 41.81 of Sparkhill residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.

Area	Owned	Rented
Sparkhill	58.19%	41.81%
Birmingham	52.67%	47.33%
West Midlands	62.8%	37.2%
England	61.31%	38.69%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Sparkhill has a lower level of home ownership than than the national average.

Sparkhill compared to other wards in Birmingham

#	Ward	Owned	Rented
1	Sutton Wylde Green	84.88%	15.12%
2	Sutton Roughley	81.2%	18.8%
3	Sutton Four Oaks	80.92%	19.08%
4	Hall Green South	79.23%	20.77%
5	Sutton Walmley & Minworth	79.1%	20.9%
6	Sutton Vesey	79.1%	20.9%
7	Sutton Mere Green	78.86%	21.14%
8	Sutton Trinity	72.97%	27.03%
9	Northfield (Birmingham)	70.64%	29.36%
10	Perry Barr	69.82%	30.18%
11	Hall Green North	69.08%	30.92%
12	Sheldon	68.09%	31.91%
13	Yardley East	67.93%	32.07%
14	Oscott	67.82%	32.18%
15	Highter's Heath	67.18%	32.82%
16	Sutton Reddicap	64.29%	35.71%
17	Brandwood & King's Heath	64.27%	35.73%
18	Quinton (Birmingham)	63.47%	36.53%
19	South Yardley	63.25%	36.75%
20	Stirchley	61.07%	38.93%
21	King's Norton North	60.77%	39.23%
22	Bromford & Hodge Hill	59.64%	40.36%
23	Handsworth Wood	59.55%	40.45%
24	Billesley	58.92%	41.08%
25	Sparkhill	58.19%	41.81%
26	Rubery & Rednal	57.42%	42.58%
27	Longbridge & West Heath	57.31%	42.7%
28	Small Heath	57.21%	42.79%
29	Allens Cross	55.78%	44.22%
30	Kingstanding	54.96%	45.04%
31	Ward End	54.56%	45.44%
32	Pype Hayes	52.93%	47.07%
33	Bournville & Cotteridge	52.78%	47.22%
34	Yardley West & Stechford	52.63%	47.37%
35	Acocks Green	52.5%	47.5%
36	Erdington	52.11%	47.89%
37	Perry Common	51.72%	48.28%
38	Moseley	51.29%	48.71%
39	Druids Heath & Monyhull	51.24%	48.76%
40	Harborne	49.86%	50.14%
41	Alum Rock	49.35%	50.65%
42	Heartlands	49.13%	50.87%
43	Glebe Farm & Tile Cross	48.63%	51.37%
44	Bartley Green	47.93%	52.07%
45	Frankley Great Park	47.87%	52.13%
46	Stockland Green	47.57%	52.43%
47	Edgbaston	47.35%	52.65%
48	Garretts Green	47.1%	52.9%
49	Weoley & Selly Oak	47.07%	52.93%
50	Aston (Birmingham)	46.74%	53.26%
51	King's Norton South	45.76%	54.24%
52	Handsworth	45.29%	54.71%
53	Shard End	44.8%	55.2%
54	Tyseley & Hay Mills	44.22%	55.78%
55	Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East	42.91%	57.09%
56	Holyhead	42.46%	57.54%
57	Gravelly Hill	42.12%	57.88%
58	North Edgbaston	38.6%	61.4%
59	Lozells	37.81%	62.19%
60	Bordesley Green	37.53%	62.47%
61	Balsall Heath West	35.87%	64.13%
62	Birchfield (Birmingham)	35.15%	64.85%
63	Castle Vale	34.95%	65.05%
64	Bournbrook & Selly Park	34.43%	65.57%
65	Soho & Jewellery Quarter	26.97%	73.03%
66	Bordesley & Highgate	24.06%	75.94%
67	Ladywood	17.55%	82.45%
68	Newtown (Birmingham)	16.53%	83.47%
69	Nechells	16.43%	83.57%

Sparkhill is ranked 25 out of 69 wards in Birmingham for the percentage of home owners.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Sparkhill Health Statistics

Sparkhill has a lower proportion of residents (very_good_pc-$ward_health->very_good_pc, 2)%) describing their health as very good than the national average for England.

Area	VG	G	F	B	VB
Sparkhill	46.16%	34.33%	13.63%	4.38%	1.5%
Birmingham	47.56%	33.28%	13.17%	4.52%	1.47%
West Midlands	46.4%	34.38%	13.54%	4.37%	1.31%
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 Birmingham changed since 2011?

Birmingham residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 1.4% between the 2011 and 2021 census.

Year	VG	G	F	B	VB
2011	45.53%	33.91%	13.87%	5.04%	1.65%
2021	47.56%	33.28%	13.17%	4.52%	1.47%

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

Source: Census 2011/2021 (Nomis/ONS)

What is the population of Sparkhill and Birmingham?

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

Ward	Population
Acocks Green	23951
Allens Cross	10466
Alum Rock	26763
Aston	23904
Balsall Heath West	11790
Bartley Green	22676
Billesley	19892
Birchfield	12531
Bordesley & Highgate	16295
Bordesley Green	12816
Bournbrook & Selly Park	25295
Bournville & Cotteridge	17925
Brandwood & King's Heath	18500
Bromford & Hodge Hill	21926
Castle Vale	9648
Druids Heath & Monyhull	11660
Edgbaston	22112
Erdington	20764
Frankley Great Park	11717
Garretts Green	10772
Glebe Farm & Tile Cross	24227
Gravelly Hill	10604
Hall Green North	23136
Hall Green South	10253
Handsworth	12537
Handsworth Wood	20414
Harborne	24816
Heartlands	13454
Highter's Heath	10946
Holyhead	12476
King's Norton North	11644
King's Norton South	11168
Kingstanding	20848
Ladywood	30344
Longbridge & West Heath	20019
Lozells	9713
Moseley	21699
Nechells	16678
Newtown	15498
North Edgbaston	24555
Northfield	10124
Oscott	20113
Perry Barr	20279
Perry Common	11854
Pype Hayes	10645
Quinton	20441
Rubery & Rednal	11016
Shard End	12061
Sheldon	19653
Small Heath	20541
Soho & Jewellery Quarter	28124
South Yardley	10551
Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East	25643
Sparkhill	21561
Stirchley	10004
Stockland Green	24233
Sutton Four Oaks	9111
Sutton Mere Green	9806
Sutton Reddicap	9896
Sutton Roughley	11531
Sutton Trinity	9273
Sutton Vesey	19513
Sutton Walmley & Minworth	15804
Sutton Wylde Green	8552
Tyseley & Hay Mills	12547
Ward End	13688
Weoley & Selly Oak	24303
Yardley East	10247
Yardley West & Stechford	12979
Birmingham Total	1140525

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

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