If you are thinking of moving to Birch or just want to know a what the area is like, the statistics on this page should give you a good introduction. They cover a range of socio-economic factors so you can compare Birch to figures for Essex and nationally. These statistics can tell you if Birch is an economically deprived area and how hard it might be to get a job.
Birch Benefits & Unemployment Statistics
These figures on the claiming of benefits in Birch come from the Department for Work & Pensions and are dated . They are the last published indiciator of unemployment rates as a percentage of the population. After the introduction of Universal Credit, the government no longer publishes unemployment firgures as a percentage and has no further plans to do so. That being said, these census statistics can often be a good indicator of the prosperity of the town and how hard it could be to get employment in the area. The rate of unemployment in Birch is both lower than the average for Essex and lower than the national average, suggesting that finding a job in this area maybe easier than most places. The rate of claiming any benefit (which includes in work benefits) is more than 10% lower in Birch than the national average, suggesting higher salaries than the average in the area.
| Benefit | Colchester | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jobseekers Allowance (only) | 2.3% | 2.6% | 3.3% |
| Incapacity Benefits (IB or ESA) | 1.9% | 2.1% | 2.4% |
| Any Benefit (includes in work benefits) | 11.1% | 11.5% | 13.5% |
Birch Education Statistics
These statistics are for the highest level education obtained by the residents of Birch and are from the UK Census of 2011.
| Qualification | Colchester | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Qualifications | 19.4% | 23.9% | 22.5% |
| Level 1 | 14.3% | 16.1% | 13.3% |
| Level 2 | 16.7% | 17.2% | 15.2% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.4% | 3.8% | 3.6% |
| Level 3 | 13.8% | 11.6% | 12.4% |
| Level 4 | 27.2% | 23% | 27.4% |
| Other | 5.2% | 4.5% | 5.7% |
Birch Immigration Statistics
These figures for Country of Birth for the residents of Birch are from the UK Census of 2011.
| Country | Colchester | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 88.8% | 92.8% | 86.2% |
| Rebublic of Ireland | 0.5% | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| Other EU Countries | 3.9% | 2.2% | 3.7% |
| Outside the EU | 6.8% | 4.4% | 9.4% |
Birch General Health Statistics
The respondents of the 2011 Census were asked to rate their health. These are the results for Birch. The percentage of residents in Birch rating their health as 'very good' is more than the national average. Also the percentage of residents in Birch rating their health as 'very bad' is less than the national average, suggesting that the health of the residents of Birch is generally better than in the average person in England.
| Health | Colchester | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very Good | 48.83% | 47.13% | 47.17% |
| Good | 34.83% | 34.94% | 34.22% |
| Fair | 12.09% | 13.10% | 13.12% |
| Bad | 3.29% | 3.74% | 4.25% |
| Very Bad | 0.96% | 1.09% | 1.25% |
Birch Age Distribution Statistics
The population of Birch as a whole, is younger than the national average. However, population of Birch is older than the Essex average.
| Age | Colchester | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age 0 to 4 | 6.2% | 5.9% | 6.3% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 5.5% | 5.6% | 5.6% |
| Age 10 to14 | 5.6% | 6% | 5.8% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 3.6% | 3.9% | 3.7% |
| Age 18 to 24 | 11.2% | 8% | 9.4% |
| Age 25 to 29 | 6.9% | 5.6% | 6.9% |
| Age 30 to 44 | 20.6% | 19.8% | 20.6% |
| Age 45 to 59 | 18.5% | 20.3% | 19.4% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 6.3% | 6.8% | 6% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 8.3% | 9.6% | 8.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 5.3% | 6.2% | 5.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 2.2% | 2.5% | 2.3% |
| Mean Age | 38.9 | 40.9 | 39.3 |
| Median Age | 38 | 41 | 39 |
Birch Property Ownership & Rental Statistics
Birch has a higher rate of home ownership, either outright or via a mortgage than the national average, which suggests that Birch is a relatively affluent area.
| Tenure | Colchester | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owned | 31.9% | 34.7% | 30.6% |
| Mortgage | 34.4% | 36.7% | 32.8% |
| Shared | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| Social Rented (Council) | 8.2% | 7.9% | 9.4% |
| Social Rented (Housing Assoc) | 5.3% | 6.4% | 8.3% |
| Private Rented | 16.3% | 11.4% | 15.4% |
| Other | 2.4% | 1.2% | 1.4% |
| Rent Free | 1% | 1.1% | 1.3% |
Birch Social Grade & Occcupation Statistics
Social grade is a classification based on occupation and it enables a household and all its members to be classified according to the job of the main income earner.
| Grade | Colchester | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| AB | 23.37% | 22.55% | 22.96% |
| C1 | 34.78% | 33.54% | 30.92% |
| C2 | 20.48% | 22.53% | 20.64% |
| DE | 21.37% | 21.39% | 25.49% |
Sources: Office for National Statistics & Department for Work & Pensions.
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