Socio-economic statistics for Shafton, Barnsley

Socio-economic statistics for Shafton, Barnsley

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

How many residents own or rent their home in Shafton and Barnsley

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Shafton either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 62 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 38 of Shafton residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.
Area Owned Rented
North East 62% 38%
Barnsley 62.33% 37.67%
Yorkshire and The Humber 62.58% 37.42%
England 61.31% 38.69%

Shafton has a higher level of home ownership than than the national average.

Shafton compared to other wards in Barnsley

# Ward Owned Rented
1 Penistone East 77.45% 22.55%
2 Penistone West 75.66% 24.34%
3 Dodworth 75.36% 24.64%
4 Darton West 74.85% 25.15%
5 Darton East 74.29% 25.71%
6 Royston 66.86% 33.14%
7 Old Town (Barnsley) 65.17% 34.83%
8 Rockingham 65.05% 34.95%
9 Cudworth 64.88% 35.12%
10 Dearne South 63.09% 36.91%
11 Darfield 62.02% 37.98%
12 North East 62% 38%
13 Hoyland Milton 61.03% 38.97%
14 Wombwell 58.67% 41.33%
15 Monk Bretton 58.15% 41.85%
16 Worsbrough 57.85% 42.15%
17 Stairfoot 56.17% 43.83%
18 Dearne North 50.61% 49.39%
19 Central (Barnsley) 49.5% 50.5%
20 St Helens (Barnsley) 47.37% 52.63%
21 Kingstone 45.61% 54.39%
Shafton is ranked 12 out of 21 wards in Barnsley for the percentage of home owners.

Shafton Age Distribution Statistics

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

Shafton 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 Barnsley.
Area Unemployed Yearly Change
Barnsley 3.6% -0.4%
Yorkshire and The Humber 4.2% -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 Shafton 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 Shafton.
Economic Status Proportion
In Employment 53.75%
In Part-Time Work 25.93%
Unemployed 4.58%
74.07% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Shafton

Shafton & Barnsley 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 Shafton in the Barnsley local area district.

Shafton has a lower rate of immigrants than Barnsley, the Yorkshire and The Humber region and England as a whole.
Area Born in UK Born outside UK
North East 95.02% 4.98%
Barnsley 93.57% 6.43%
Yorkshire and The Humber 88.65% 11.35%
England 82.65% 17.35%

Shafton compared to other wards in Barnsley

# Ward Born in UK Born outside UK
1 Central 79.64% 20.36%
2 Kingstone 79.97% 20.03%
3 Stairfoot 91.16% 8.84%
4 Old Town 91.36% 8.64%
5 Darfield 93.01% 6.99%
6 Wombwell 93.1% 6.9%
7 Dearne North 93.17% 6.83%
8 St Helens 93.63% 6.37%
9 Worsbrough 94.66% 5.34%
10 Monk Bretton 94.73% 5.27%
11 North East 95.02% 4.98%
12 Cudworth 95.4% 4.6%
13 Dearne South 95.47% 4.53%
14 Dodworth 95.99% 4.01%
15 Darton West 96.5% 3.5%
16 Darton East 96.62% 3.38%
17 Hoyland Milton 96.85% 3.15%
18 Penistone East 97% 3%
19 Royston 97.01% 2.99%
20 Penistone West 97.17% 2.83%
21 Rockingham 97.48% 2.52%
'; Shafton is ranked 11 out of 21 wards in Barnsley for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Shafton Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Shafton 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 Shafton to the national average for England.
Level North East England
No Qualifications 29.72% 18.08%
Level 1 10.53% 9.69%
Level 2 15% 13.32%
Apprenticeship 6.09% 5.32%
Level 3 16.41% 16.92%
Level 4 19.39% 33.92%

What are the occupations of the residents of Shafton?

The largest employment sector in Shafton is Elementary Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Administrative & Secretarial.
Sector Proportion
Elementary Occupations 16.35%
Skilled Trades 13.1%
Caring, leisure & Other Services 12.74%
Professional Occupations 11.78%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives 11.59%
Associate Professional & Technical 9.44%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials 8.47%
Administrative & Secretarial 7.95%

Shafton Health Statistics

North East 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
North East 42.5% 31.89% 16.34% 7.22% 2.05%
Barnsley 43.35% 33.61% 15.54% 5.83% 1.68%
Yorkshire and The Humber 46.18% 34.31% 13.7% 4.49% 1.32%
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 Barnsley changed since 2011?

Barnsley residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 1.78% between the 2011 and 2021 census.
Year VG G F B VB
2011 41.6% 33.58% 16.42% 6.61% 1.79%
2021 43.35% 33.61% 15.54% 5.83% 1.68%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

What is the population of Shafton and Barnsley?

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

Ward Population
Central 12715
Cudworth 11705
Darfield 11146
Darton East 11136
Darton West 10961
Dearne North 11361
Dearne South 12459
Dodworth 10621
Hoyland Milton 12260
Kingstone 11971
Monk Bretton 12141
North East 13714
Old Town 11280
Penistone East 12219
Penistone West 12889
Rockingham 11129
Royston 11409
St Helens 11141
Stairfoot 12843
Wombwell 13181
Worsbrough 9790
Barnsley Total 248071



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

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