Ford End, Essex

We have collated a series of socio-economic statistics for Ford End in Chelmsford 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 Ford End older than the national average or younger? What is the population of Ford End and Chelmsford? Is Ford End an unemployment hotspot? This page should provide you with the answers.

How many residents own or rent their home in Ford End and Chelmsford

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Ford End either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 76.86 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 23.14 of Ford End residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.
Area Owned Rented
Chelmsford Rural West 76.86% 23.14%
Chelmsford 69.96% 30.04%
East 65.23% 34.77%
England 61.31% 38.69%

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

Ford End compared to other wards in Chelmsford

# Ward Owned Rented
1 Moulsham Lodge 85.58% 14.42%
2 The Lawns 84.73% 15.27%
3 Goat Hall 83.74% 16.26%
4 Rettendon and Runwell 83.48% 16.52%
5 Little Baddow, Danbury and Sandon 82.8% 17.2%
6 Bicknacre and East and West Hanningfield 82.71% 17.29%
7 South Woodham-Elmwood and Woodville 80.7% 19.3%
8 South Hanningfield, Stock and Margaretting 80.54% 19.46%
9 Chelmsford Rural West 76.86% 23.14%
10 South Woodham-Chetwood and Collingwood 76.19% 23.81%
11 Writtle 72.6% 27.4%
12 Springfield North 72.59% 27.41%
13 Galleywood 71.83% 28.17%
14 Chelmer Village and Beaulieu Park 71.62% 28.38%
15 Boreham and The Leighs 71.61% 28.39%
16 Great Baddow East 71.31% 28.69%
17 Broomfield and The Walthams 69.16% 30.84%
18 Trinity (Chelmsford) 65.55% 34.45%
19 Patching Hall 64.89% 35.11%
20 Great Baddow West 63.5% 36.5%
21 St Andrews (Chelmsford) 59.81% 40.19%
22 Waterhouse Farm 59.17% 40.83%
23 Moulsham and Central 50.99% 49.02%
24 Marconi 43.66% 56.34%
Ford End is ranked 9 out of 24 wards in Chelmsford for the percentage of home owners.

What are the occupations of the residents of Ford End?

The largest employment sector in Ford End is Managers, Directors & Senior Officials. The smallest employment sector is Process Plant & Machine Operatives.
Sector Proportion
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials 22.12%
Professional Occupations 19.11%
Associate Professional & Technical 14.2%
Skilled Trades 12.19%
Administrative & Secretarial 10.18%
Caring, leisure & Other Services 6.29%
Elementary Occupations 5.97%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives 5.41%

Ford End Age Distribution Statistics

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

Ford End Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Ford End 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 Ford End to the national average for England.
Level Chelmsford Rural West England
No Qualifications 16.38% 18.08%
Level 1 10.45% 9.69%
Level 2 15.58% 13.32%
Apprenticeship 5.09% 5.32%
Level 3 17.4% 16.92%
Level 4 33.09% 33.92%

Ford End 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 Chelmsford.
Area Unemployed Yearly Change
Chelmsford 2.3% -0.3%
East of England 3% -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 Ford End 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 Ford End.
Economic Status Proportion
In Employment 59.41%
In Part-Time Work 29.92%
Unemployed 2.79%
70.08% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Ford End

Ford End Health Statistics

Chelmsford Rural West has significantly more residents (>5%) describing their health as very good than the national average for England.
Area VG G F B VB
Chelmsford Rural West 54.48% 31.63% 10.55% 2.78% 0.56%
Chelmsford 51.57% 33.82% 11.01% 2.8% 0.79%
East 48.28% 34.64% 12.5% 3.58% 1%
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 Chelmsford changed since 2011?

Chelmsford residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 0.48% between the 2011 and 2021 census.
Year VG G F B VB
2011 50.19% 34.72% 11.44% 2.84% 0.81%
2021 51.57% 33.82% 11.01% 2.8% 0.79%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

Ford End & Chelmsford 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 Ford End in the Chelmsford local area district.

Ford End has a lower rate of immigrants than Chelmsford, the East of England region and England as a whole.
Area Born in UK Born outside UK
Chelmsford Rural West 93.78% 6.22%
Chelmsford 88.1% 11.9%
East 85.09% 14.91%
England 82.65% 17.35%

Ford End compared to other wards in Chelmsford

# Ward Born in UK Born outside UK
1 Marconi 76.2% 23.8%
2 Moulsham and Central 78.27% 21.73%
3 Waterhouse Farm 80.76% 19.24%
4 Patching Hall 83.36% 16.64%
5 Trinity 85.24% 14.76%
6 Springfield North 85.26% 14.74%
7 St Andrews 85.49% 14.51%
8 Broomfield and The Walthams 86.21% 13.79%
9 Chelmer Village and Beaulieu Park 87.62% 12.38%
10 The Lawns 87.66% 12.34%
11 Goat Hall 89.83% 10.17%
12 Moulsham Lodge 90.15% 9.85%
13 Great Baddow East 90.19% 9.81%
14 Great Baddow West 90.3% 9.7%
15 Galleywood 92.46% 7.54%
16 Writtle 92.81% 7.19%
17 Bicknacre and East and West Hanningfield 92.82% 7.18%
18 Boreham and The Leighs 93.54% 6.46%
19 Chelmsford Rural West 93.78% 6.22%
20 Little Baddow, Danbury and Sandon 94.2% 5.8%
21 South Woodham-Chetwood and Collingwood 94.57% 5.43%
22 Rettendon and Runwell 94.89% 5.11%
23 South Hanningfield, Stock and Margaretting 95.12% 4.88%
24 South Woodham-Elmwood and Woodville 95.17% 4.83%
'; Ford End is ranked 19 out of 24 wards in Chelmsford for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

What is the population of Ford End and Chelmsford?

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

Ward Population
Bicknacre and East and West Hanningfield 5426
Boreham and The Leighs 6582
Broomfield and The Walthams 10330
Chelmer Village and Beaulieu Park 11104
Chelmsford Rural West 3155
Galleywood 5603
Goat Hall 5944
Great Baddow East 8411
Great Baddow West 6446
Little Baddow, Danbury and Sandon 8320
Marconi 8906
Moulsham and Central 12745
Moulsham Lodge 5544
Patching Hall 9170
Rettendon and Runwell 6075
South Hanningfield, Stock and Margaretting 5814
South Woodham-Chetwood and Collingwood 7887
South Woodham-Elmwood and Woodville 7953
Springfield North 10144
St Andrews 9597
The Lawns 5399
Trinity 6848
Waterhouse Farm 6744
Writtle 5402
Chelmsford Total 179549



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

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