Socio-economic statistics for Watermill, East Sussex

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

Watermill Education Statistics

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

Level	Bexhill Sidley	England
No Qualifications	23.74%	18.08%
Level 1	14.9%	9.69%
Level 2	16.1%	13.32%
Apprenticeship	5.96%	5.32%
Level 3	17.53%	16.92%
Level 4	19.28%	33.92%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Watermill 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 Rother.

Area	Unemployed	Yearly Change
Rother	3.4%	-0.4%
South East	2.9%	-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 Watermill 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 Watermill.

Economic Status	Proportion
In Employment	48.36%
In Part-Time Work	32.64%
Unemployed	6.68%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

67.36% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Watermill

How many residents own or rent their home in Watermill and Rother

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Watermill either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 50.59 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 49.41 of Watermill residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.

Area	Owned	Rented
Bexhill Sidley	50.59%	49.41%
Rother	72.69%	27.31%
South East	65.66%	34.34%
England	61.31%	38.69%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

Watermill compared to other wards in Rother

#	Ward	Owned	Rented
1	Bexhill St Marks	86.56%	13.44%
2	Bexhill Collington	86.1%	13.9%
3	Bexhill Kewhurst	83.12%	16.88%
4	Southern Rother	81.94%	18.06%
5	Brede & Udimore	80.44%	19.56%
6	Sedlescombe & Westfield	79.2%	20.8%
7	Burwash & the Weald	78.69%	21.31%
8	Bexhill St Stephens	78.13%	21.87%
9	Northern Rother	76.08%	23.92%
10	Catsfield & Crowhurst	75.96%	24.04%
11	Robertsbridge	75.93%	24.07%
12	Hurst Green & Ticehurst	75.51%	24.49%
13	Bexhill Pebsham & St Michaels	74.11%	25.89%
14	North Battle, Netherfield & Whatlington	73.45%	26.55%
15	Bexhill Old Town & Worsham	72.82%	27.18%
16	Eastern Rother	70.52%	29.48%
17	South Battle & Telham	69.87%	30.13%
18	Bexhill Sackville	67.57%	32.43%
19	Rye & Winchelsea	62.7%	37.3%
20	Bexhill Sidley	50.59%	49.41%
21	Bexhill Central	48.89%	51.11%

Watermill is ranked 20 out of 21 wards in Rother for the percentage of home owners.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

What are the occupations of the residents of Watermill?

The largest employment sector in Watermill is Caring, leisure & Other Services. The smallest employment sector is Process Plant & Machine Operatives.

Sector	Proportion
Caring, leisure & Other Services	17.36%
Skilled Trades	16.07%
Professional Occupations	12.38%
Elementary Occupations	12.18%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials	9.29%
Associate Professional & Technical	9.16%
Administrative & Secretarial	8.37%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives	7.07%

Source: Office for National Statistics (30 June 2020)

Watermill Health Statistics

Bexhill Sidley 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
Bexhill Sidley	40.02%	33.65%	17.52%	6.85%	1.96%
Rother	42.27%	36.09%	15.64%	4.69%	1.3%
South East	49.98%	34.01%	11.77%	3.31%	0.93%
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 Rother changed since 2011?

Rother residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 1.21% between the 2011 and 2021 census.

Year	VG	G	F	B	VB
2011	40.55%	36.6%	16.51%	4.93%	1.41%
2021	42.27%	36.09%	15.64%	4.69%	1.3%

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

Source: Census 2011/2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Watermill & Rother 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 Watermill in the Rother local area district.

Watermill has a lower rate of immigrants than Rother, the South East region and England as a whole.

Area	Born in UK	Born outside UK
Bexhill Sidley	94.64%	5.36%
Rother	92.45%	7.55%
South East	84.24%	15.76%
England	82.65%	17.35%

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Watermill compared to other wards in Rother

#	Ward	Born in UK	Born outside UK
1	Bexhill Central	87.12%	12.88%
2	Bexhill Sackville	88.03%	11.97%
3	Robertsbridge	88.76%	11.24%
4	Bexhill Pebsham & St Michaels	91.14%	8.86%
5	Southern Rother	91.88%	8.12%
6	Bexhill Old Town & Worsham	92.27%	7.73%
7	Rye & Winchelsea	92.55%	7.45%
8	Bexhill Collington	92.63%	7.37%
9	Hurst Green & Ticehurst	92.69%	7.31%
10	Catsfield & Crowhurst	92.91%	7.09%
11	Burwash & the Weald	92.94%	7.06%
12	Bexhill Kewhurst	93.22%	6.78%
13	North Battle, Netherfield & Whatlington	93.49%	6.51%
14	Bexhill St Stephens	93.68%	6.32%
15	Brede & Udimore	93.72%	6.28%
16	Bexhill St Marks	93.78%	6.22%
17	South Battle & Telham	93.78%	6.22%
18	Northern Rother	93.91%	6.09%
19	Sedlescombe & Westfield	94.03%	5.97%
20	Eastern Rother	94.51%	5.49%
21	Bexhill Sidley	94.64%	5.36%

';Watermill is ranked 21 out of 21 wards in Rother for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

Watermill Age Distribution Statistics

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

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 Watermill and Rother?

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

Ward	Population
Bexhill Central	6029
Bexhill Collington	4318
Bexhill Kewhurst	4906
Bexhill Old Town & Worsham	4392
Bexhill Pebsham & St Michaels	5302
Bexhill Sackville	5222
Bexhill Sidley	6144
Bexhill St Marks	4666
Bexhill St Stephens	5185
Brede & Udimore	2124
Burwash & the Weald	4746
Catsfield & Crowhurst	2670
Eastern Rother	5179
Hurst Green & Ticehurst	5455
North Battle, Netherfield & Whatlington	5445
Northern Rother	5036
Robertsbridge	2730
Rye & Winchelsea	5279
Sedlescombe & Westfield	5373
South Battle & Telham	2203
Southern Rother	4312
Rother Total	96716

Source: Census 2021 (Nomis/ONS)

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

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