Socio-economic statistics for Sheerwater, Surrey

Socio-economic statistics for Sheerwater, Surrey

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

Sheerwater & Woking 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 Sheerwater in the Woking local area district.

Area Born in UK Born outside UK
Canalside 59.34% 40.66%
Woking 75.81% 24.2%
South East 84.24% 15.76%
England 82.65% 17.35%

Sheerwater compared to other wards in Woking

# Ward Born in UK Born outside UK
1 Canalside 59.34% 40.66%
2 Mount Hermon 63.58% 36.42%
3 Goldsworth Park 75.73% 24.27%
4 Pyrford 76.19% 23.81%
5 Hoe Valley 77.06% 22.94%
6 St John's 79.9% 20.1%
7 Knaphill 80.36% 19.64%
8 Heathlands 80.45% 19.55%
9 Horsell 82.21% 17.79%
10 Byfleet and West Byfleet 83.26% 16.74%
'; Sheerwater is ranked 1 out of 10 wards in Woking for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Sheerwater Health Statistics

Canalside has more residents (very_good_pc-$country_health->very_good_pc, 2)%) describing their health as very good than the national average for England.
Area VG G F B VB
Canalside 52.32% 33.22% 10.77% 2.72% 0.98%
Woking 53.3% 33.13% 10.16% 2.67% 0.74%
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 Woking changed since 2011?

Woking residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 0.08% between the 2011 and 2021 census.
Year VG G F B VB
2011 51.78% 34.57% 10.27% 2.62% 0.77%
2021 53.3% 33.13% 10.16% 2.67% 0.74%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

How many residents own or rent their home in Sheerwater and Woking

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Sheerwater either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 43.71 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 56.29 of Sheerwater residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.
Area Owned Rented
Canalside 43.71% 56.29%
Woking 66.44% 33.56%
South East 65.66% 34.34%
England 61.31% 38.69%

Sheerwater has a significantly lower level of home ownership than the national average. This is indicative or an economically deprived area.

Sheerwater compared to other wards in Woking

# Ward Owned Rented
1 Heathlands 80.52% 19.48%
2 Horsell 79.11% 20.89%
3 Pyrford 78.55% 21.45%
4 Byfleet and West Byfleet 73.9% 26.1%
5 Knaphill 70.41% 29.59%
6 St John's (Woking) 67.6% 32.4%
7 Hoe Valley 63.68% 36.32%
8 Goldsworth Park 58.42% 41.58%
9 Mount Hermon 51.12% 48.88%
10 Canalside 43.71% 56.29%
Sheerwater is ranked 10 out of 10 wards in Woking for the percentage of home owners.

Sheerwater 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 Woking.
Area Unemployed Yearly Change
Woking 2.3% -0.1%
South East 2.9% -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 Sheerwater 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 Sheerwater.
Economic Status Proportion
In Employment 61.16%
In Part-Time Work 25.3%
Unemployed 6.23%
74.7% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Sheerwater

Sheerwater Age Distribution Statistics

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

What are the occupations of the residents of Sheerwater?

The largest employment sector in Sheerwater is Professional Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Administrative & Secretarial.
Sector Proportion
Professional Occupations 19.78%
Elementary Occupations 13.18%
Associate Professional & Technical 12.02%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials 10.44%
Caring, leisure & Other Services 10.14%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives 8.75%
Skilled Trades 8.69%
Administrative & Secretarial 7.93%

Sheerwater Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Sheerwater 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 Sheerwater to the national average for England.
Level Canalside England
No Qualifications 19.65% 18.08%
Level 1 10.39% 9.69%
Level 2 12.07% 13.32%
Apprenticeship 3.56% 5.32%
Level 3 13.5% 16.92%
Level 4 37.45% 33.92%

What is the population of Sheerwater and Woking?

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

Ward Population
Byfleet and West Byfleet 11334
Canalside 10551
Goldsworth Park 9062
Heathlands 9300
Hoe Valley 9427
Horsell 9736
Knaphill 10501
Mount Hermon 10967
Pyrford 9539
St John's 9591
Woking Total 100008



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

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