We have collated a series of socio-economic statistics for Murston in Swale 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 Murston older than the national average or younger? What is the population of Murston and Swale? Is Murston an unemployment hotspot? This page should provide you with the answers.
Murston Age Distribution Statistics
We have taken the raw data from the 2021 Census and the calculated the proportion of age groups in Roman.
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 |
|
Murston Health Statistics
Roman 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 |
Roman (Swale) |
42.09% |
36.47% |
15.39% |
4.79% |
1.27% |
Swale |
45.47% |
34.77% |
14.07% |
4.41% |
1.28% |
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
How has the health of residents in Swale changed since 2011?
Swale residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 0.05% between the 2011 and 2021 census.
Year |
VG |
G |
F |
B |
VB |
2011 |
44.32% |
35.87% |
14.07% |
4.42% |
1.32% |
2021 |
45.47% |
34.77% |
14.07% |
4.41% |
1.28% |
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad
What are the occupations of the residents of Murston?
The largest employment sector in Murston is Elementary Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Managers, Directors & Senior Officials.
Sector |
Proportion |
Elementary Occupations |
17.75% |
Associate Professional & Technical |
11.61% |
Process Plant & Machine Operatives |
11.55% |
Skilled Trades |
11.52% |
Professional Occupations |
10.79% |
Caring, leisure & Other Services |
10.19% |
Administrative & Secretarial |
9.46% |
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials |
9.21% |
How many residents own or rent their home in Murston and Swale
We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Murston either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 56.82 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 43.18 of Murston residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.
Area |
Owned |
Rented |
Roman (Swale) |
56.82% |
43.18% |
Swale |
66.97% |
33.03% |
South East |
65.66% |
34.34% |
England |
61.31% |
38.69% |
Murston has a lower level of home ownership than than the national average.
Murston compared to other wards in Swale
# |
Ward |
Owned |
Rented |
1 |
Woodstock (Swale) |
81.99% |
18.01% |
2 |
West Downs |
80.62% |
19.38% |
3 |
Minster Cliffs |
80.36% |
19.64% |
4 |
Bobbing, Iwade and Lower Halstow |
79.91% |
20.09% |
5 |
Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch |
78.3% |
21.7% |
6 |
Boughton and Courtenay |
75.39% |
24.61% |
7 |
Borden and Grove Park |
74.3% |
25.7% |
8 |
East Downs |
70.83% |
29.17% |
9 |
Sheppey East |
70.69% |
29.31% |
10 |
Kemsley |
69.24% |
30.76% |
11 |
Queenborough and Halfway |
68.48% |
31.52% |
12 |
St Ann's (Swale) |
68.2% |
31.8% |
13 |
Sheppey Central |
68.18% |
31.82% |
14 |
The Meads |
67.77% |
32.23% |
15 |
Watling (Swale) |
67.17% |
32.83% |
16 |
Homewood |
66.17% |
33.83% |
17 |
Chalkwell (Swale) |
65.99% |
34.01% |
18 |
Teynham and Lynsted |
64.44% |
35.56% |
19 |
Abbey (Swale) |
63.49% |
36.51% |
20 |
Priory (Swale) |
62.25% |
37.75% |
21 |
Milton Regis |
60.7% |
39.3% |
22 |
Murston |
58.64% |
41.36% |
23 |
Roman (Swale) |
56.82% |
43.18% |
24 |
Sheerness |
40.66% |
59.34% |
Murston is ranked 23 out of 24 wards in Swale for the percentage of home owners.
Murston Education Statistics
We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Murston 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 Murston to the national average for England.
Level |
Roman |
England |
No Qualifications |
25.85% |
18.08% |
Level 1 |
14.81% |
9.69% |
Level 2 |
14.41% |
13.32% |
Apprenticeship |
6.09% |
5.32% |
Level 3 |
16.21% |
16.92% |
Level 4 |
19% |
33.92% |
Murston 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 Swale.
Area |
Unemployed |
Yearly Change |
Swale |
3.7% |
-0.6% |
South East |
2.9% |
-0.3% |
England |
3.8% |
-0.3% |
UK |
3.7% |
-0.3% |
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 Murston 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 Murston.
Economic Status |
Proportion |
In Employment |
55.88% |
In Part-Time Work |
25.7% |
Unemployed |
5.28% |
74.3% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Murston
Murston & Swale 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 Murston in the Swale local area district.
Area |
Born in UK |
Born outside UK |
Roman (Swale) |
87.12% |
12.88% |
Swale |
91.99% |
8.01% |
South East |
84.24% |
15.76% |
England |
82.65% |
17.35% |
Murston compared to other wards in Swale
# |
Ward |
Born in UK |
Born outside UK |
1 |
Chalkwell |
83.89% |
16.11% |
2 |
Murston |
85.01% |
14.99% |
3 |
Kemsley |
87.1% |
12.9% |
4 |
Roman |
87.12% |
12.88% |
5 |
The Meads |
89.79% |
10.21% |
6 |
Milton Regis |
90.37% |
9.63% |
7 |
Teynham and Lynsted |
91.1% |
8.9% |
8 |
Abbey |
91.37% |
8.63% |
9 |
Sheerness |
91.84% |
8.16% |
10 |
Homewood |
92.01% |
7.99% |
11 |
Sheppey East |
92.44% |
7.56% |
12 |
Boughton and Courtenay |
92.83% |
7.17% |
13 |
St Ann's |
93.31% |
6.69% |
14 |
Watling |
93.47% |
6.53% |
15 |
Borden and Grove Park |
93.51% |
6.49% |
16 |
Woodstock |
93.89% |
6.11% |
17 |
Bobbing, Iwade and Lower Halstow |
93.93% |
6.07% |
18 |
East Downs |
93.99% |
6.01% |
19 |
West Downs |
94.43% |
5.57% |
20 |
Queenborough and Halfway |
94.55% |
5.45% |
21 |
Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch |
94.68% |
5.32% |
22 |
Sheppey Central |
94.94% |
5.06% |
23 |
Priory |
95.08% |
4.92% |
24 |
Minster Cliffs |
95.51% |
4.49% |
';
Murston is ranked 4 out of 24 wards in Swale for the number of residents born outside of the UK.
What is the population of Murston and Swale?
The table below contains the populations figures for each ward in Swale including Murston. These population ONS figures are estimated are dated Mid 2020.
Ward |
Population |
Abbey |
5356 |
Bobbing, Iwade and Lower Halstow |
6216 |
Borden and Grove Park |
6454 |
Boughton and Courtenay |
6720 |
Chalkwell |
3445 |
East Downs |
2717 |
Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch |
6289 |
Homewood |
6389 |
Kemsley |
7135 |
Milton Regis |
6285 |
Minster Cliffs |
7765 |
Murston |
7040 |
Priory |
2903 |
Queenborough and Halfway |
8173 |
Roman |
6876 |
Sheerness |
13475 |
Sheppey Central |
9120 |
Sheppey East |
7254 |
St Ann's |
5628 |
Teynham and Lynsted |
6326 |
The Meads |
4118 |
Watling |
6317 |
West Downs |
2880 |
Woodstock |
6134 |
Swale Total |
151015 |
Last updated: 20/02/2024, Additional Sources: Office for National Statistics & Department for Work & Pensions.
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