2011 Census Results – Second Release

The next round of results from the 2011 Census have been released for Shropshire, showing data on population and households below county level including Electoral Wards and Census Output Areas.

The Census shows that the population of England and Wales has now reached 56,075,912.  This is an increase of 7.8% since the 2001 Census when the population was 49,138,831.

Locally, the 2011 Census shows Shropshire has a population of 306,129, this is an increase of 8.1% from the 2001 Census count of 283,173. 

The former district with the largest increase in population is North Shropshire which has grown by 6,406 people to 63,503 in 2011.  This is an increase of 11.2% since the 2001 Census count of 57,097 and is above the national increase of 7.8%.

The former district of Bridgnorth has seen the lowest increase in population, rising by 2,316 people to 54,805 in 2011.  This is an increase of 4.4% since the 2001 Census count of 52,489 and is below the national increase of 7.8%.

Shrewsbury and Atcham has grown by 6,542 to 102,382 in 2011.  This is an increase of 6.8% since the 2001 count of 95,840 and is below the national average of 7.8%.

The 2011 Census results provide valuable data for the first time on the current Electoral Wards in Shropshire, adopted in 2009. This means it is not possible to make historical comparisons with the Electoral Wards used in the 2001 Census.

The Electoral Ward with the largest population is Bayston Hill, Column and Sutton with 11,982.  This equates to 3.9% of the total population for Shropshire.  The Electoral Ward with the lowest population is Chirbury and Worthen with 3,049.  This equates to 1.0% of the total population for Shropshire.

The 2011 Census shows we now have 129,700 households in Shropshire, compared to 117,301 households in the 2001. This is an increase of 10.6% between 2001 and 2011.  Nationally there was an increase of 7.9% between 2001 and 2011.

The former district with the largest increase in households is Shrewsbury and Atcham with 43,646, representing a rise of 3,338 households since 2001.  This is an increase of 8.3% since the 2001 Census count of 40,308 and is above the national increase of 7.9%. 

The former district of Oswestry has seen the lowest increase in households. Since 2001 the number of households has risen by 1,449 or 9.3% from 15,645 in 2001 to 17,105 in 2011. This is above the national increase of 7.9%.

The Electoral Ward with the largest number of households is Bayston Hill, Column and Sutton with 5,240.  This equates to 4.0% of the total households in Shropshire.  The Electoral Ward with the lowest number of households is Chirbury and Worthen with 1,262.  This equates to 1.0% of the total households for Shropshire.

Councillor Malcolm Price, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Shropshire Council, said:

“Councils are allocated funding by the Government according to the population of their area, so the Census figures are really important.  Population figures are of course an integral part of the future planning of the county, so we will be considering these results with great interest.”

The census is a form filled out by every household in the UK every ten years to give a head count of the city and build up a one-off document of the characteristics of the nation.

For more information of Facts and Figures for Shropshire and information on further data to be released for the 2011 Census visit our website or click here.

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Further notes

The 2001 Census stated Shropshire had a population of 283,173, this means we have had an overall (rounded) increase of 22,927 in 10 years.

The 2001 Census stated Shropshire had 117,301 households, this means we have had an overall (rounded) increase of 12,399 in 10 years.

The Ward with the highest population is Bayston Hill, Column and Sutton with 11,982.  The Ward with the lowest Population is Chirbury and Worthen with 3,049.

The Ward with the highest number of households is Bayston Hill, Column and Sutton with 5,240.  The Ward with the lowest number of households is Chirbury and Worthen with 1,262.

NB – This article was updated on 13 December 2012 following further investigation of the 2011 Census results which led to a revision of the population change figures for the former Shropshire districts.