Socio-economic statistics for Waterside, Lancashire

Socio-economic statistics for Waterside, Lancashire

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

Waterside Health Statistics

West Pennine 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
West Pennine53.43%32.21%10.67%2.88%0.81%
Blackburn with Darwen47.79%32.32%13.25%5.06%1.58%
North West47.73%32.71%13.36%4.77%1.43%
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 Blackburn with Darwen changed since 2011?

Blackburn with Darwen residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 1.46% between the 2011 and 2021 census.
YearVGGFBVB
201145.42%33.23%14.05%5.71%1.58%
202147.79%32.32%13.25%5.06%1.58%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

Waterside 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 Blackburn with Darwen.
AreaUnemployedYearly Change
Blackburn with Darwen5.5%-0.1%
North West4.3%-0.3%
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 Waterside 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 Waterside.
Economic StatusProportion
In Employment59.65%
In Part-Time Work24.19%
Unemployed3.14%
75.81% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Waterside

Waterside & Blackburn with Darwen 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 Waterside in the Blackburn with Darwen local area district.

Waterside has a lower rate of immigrants than Blackburn with Darwen, the North West region and England as a whole.
AreaBorn in UKBorn outside UK
West Pennine96.79%3.21%
Blackburn with Darwen81.91%18.09%
North West88.33%11.67%
England82.65%17.35%

Waterside compared to other wards in Blackburn with Darwen

#WardBorn in UKBorn outside UK
1Bastwell & Daisyfield63.61%36.39%
2Audley & Queen's Park66.62%33.38%
3Wensley Fold67.46%32.54%
4Shear Brow & Corporation Park67.61%32.39%
5Blackburn Central69.32%30.68%
6Little Harwood & Whitebirk70.64%29.36%
7Billinge & Beardwood78.5%21.5%
8Roe Lee84.21%15.79%
9Blackburn South East84.42%15.58%
10Ewood88.93%11.07%
11Darwen East90.22%9.78%
12Mill Hill & Moorgate92.39%7.61%
13Blackburn South & Lower Darwen95.15%4.85%
14Darwen West95.42%4.58%
15Darwen South96.17%3.83%
16West Pennine96.79%3.21%
17Livesey with Pleasington96.9%3.1%
';Waterside is ranked 16 out of 17 wards in Blackburn with Darwen for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Waterside Age Distribution Statistics

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

Waterside Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Waterside 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 Waterside to the national average for England.
LevelWest PennineEngland
No Qualifications11.88%18.08%
Level 17.91%9.69%
Level 212.51%13.32%
Apprenticeship6.58%5.32%
Level 317.54%16.92%
Level 441.19%33.92%

What are the occupations of the residents of Waterside?

The largest employment sector in Waterside is Professional Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Process Plant & Machine Operatives.
SectorProportion
Professional Occupations24%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials18.81%
Associate Professional & Technical13.91%
Skilled Trades10.33%
Administrative & Secretarial9.35%
Caring, leisure & Other Services7.13%
Elementary Occupations6.32%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives4.77%

How many residents own or rent their home in Waterside and Blackburn with Darwen

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Waterside either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 83.93 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 16.07 of Waterside residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.
AreaOwnedRented
West Pennine83.93%16.07%
Blackburn with Darwen60.46%39.54%
North West62.33%37.67%
England61.31%38.69%

Waterside has a significantly higher level of home ownership than the national average. This is indicative or an economically wealthy area.

Waterside compared to other wards in Blackburn with Darwen

#WardOwnedRented
1Livesey with Pleasington87.04%12.96%
2West Pennine83.93%16.07%
3Billinge & Beardwood83.51%16.49%
4Blackburn South & Lower Darwen80.8%19.2%
5Roe Lee73.58%26.42%
6Shear Brow & Corporation Park71.49%28.51%
7Darwen South71.1%28.9%
8Darwen West67.89%32.11%
9Little Harwood & Whitebirk54.91%45.09%
10Bastwell & Daisyfield53.46%46.54%
11Ewood52.58%47.42%
12Mill Hill & Moorgate51.37%48.63%
13Audley & Queen's Park50.75%49.25%
14Wensley Fold49.47%50.53%
15Darwen East45.08%54.92%
16Blackburn South East40.29%59.71%
17Blackburn Central27.38%72.62%
Waterside is ranked 2 out of 17 wards in Blackburn with Darwen for the percentage of home owners.

What is the population of Waterside and Blackburn with Darwen?

The table below contains the populations figures for each ward in Blackburn with Darwen including Waterside. These population ONS figures are estimated are dated Mid 2020.

WardPopulation
Audley & Queen's Park10806
Bastwell & Daisyfield8607
Billinge & Beardwood8964
Blackburn Central9248
Blackburn South & Lower Darwen7814
Blackburn South East9970
Darwen East9483
Darwen South7720
Darwen West8374
Ewood9856
Little Harwood & Whitebirk8848
Livesey with Pleasington7551
Mill Hill & Moorgate8153
Roe Lee8918
Shear Brow & Corporation Park8942
Wensley Fold9209
West Pennine7567
Blackburn with Darwen Total150030



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