Census shows how Cheshire West has changed in last 10 years

Between the last two censuses, in 2011 and 2021, the borough's overall population rose to almost 360,000.

However, the number of people in specific age groups - such as 20 to 24 and 35 to 49 - declined during that time.

More people in Cheshire West are also now reporting they have 'no religion' than in 2011. The data shows the number of people identifying as Christian declined from 70.1 per cent to 54.5 per cent in 2021.

Here we have broken down the data into sections to give people an idea of how the borough's population has changed.

Population size

The population of Cheshire West and Chester increased by 8.4 per cent, from around 329,600 in 2011 to around 357,200 in 2021.

The population here increased by a greater percentage than the overall population of the North West (5.2 per cent), and by a greater percentage than the overall population of England (up 6.6 per cent since the 2011 Census).

In 2021, Cheshire West and Chester was home to around 2.8 people per football pitch-sized piece of land, compared with 2.6 in 2011. This area was among the lowest 40 per cent for population density across English local authority areas at the last census.

Median age

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Cheshire West and Chester increased by one year, from 42 to 43 years of age.

The median age is the age of the person in the middle of the group, meaning that one half of the group is younger than that person and the other half is older.

This area had a higher median age than the North West as a whole in 2021 (40 years) and a higher median age than England (40 years).

The number of people aged 50 to 64 years rose by around 9,200 (an increase of 13.9 per cent), while the number of residents between 35 and 49 years fell by a little more than 5,500 (7.7 per cent decrease).

Religion

In 2021, 37.8 per cent of Cheshire West and Chester residents reported having 'No religion', up from 22.0 per cent in 2011.

The rise of 15.8 percentage points was the largest increase of all broad religious groups in Cheshire West and Chester.

Because the census question about religious affiliation is voluntary and has varying response rates, caution is needed when comparing figures between different areas or between censuses.

Across the North West, the percentage of residents who described themselves as having 'No religion' increased from 19.8 per cent to 32.6 per cent, while across England the percentage increased from 24.8 per cent to 36.7 per cent.

In 2021, 54.5 per cent of people in Cheshire West and Chester described themselves as Christian (down from 70.1 per cent), while 5.5 per cent did not state their religion (down from 6.5 per cent the decade before).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as a changing age structure or residents relocating for work or education.

Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals chose to self-identify between censuses.

Religious affiliation is the religion with which an person connects or identifies, rather than their beliefs or religious practice.

Residents' country of birth

In the latest census, around 309,800 Cheshire West and Chester residents said they were born in England. This represented 86.8 per cent of the local population.

The figure has risen from just over 294,300 in 2011, which at the time represented 89.3 per cent of the borough's population.

Wales was the next most represented, with just under 14,500 residents reporting this country of birth (4.1 per cent). This figure was up from around 12,700 in 2011, which at the time represented 3.8 per cent of the population.

The number of Cheshire West and Chester residents born in Scotland fell from around 4,800 in 2011 (1.5 per cent of the local population) to around 4,700 in 2021 (1.3 per cent).

Family

Of Cheshire West and Chester households, 18.4 per cent included a couple but no children in 2021, down from 19.1 per cent in 2011.

During this period, Cheshire West and Chester went from being close to the median level for the share of households including a couple but no children to being among the highest 35 per cent of English local authority areas.

The decrease in the percentage of households including a couple but no children was greater in Cheshire West and Chester (0.8 percentage points) than across the North West (0.5 percentage points).

Across the region, the percentage fell from 16.5 per cent in 2011 to 16.0 per cent in 2021, while across England, the percentage fell from 17.6 per cent to 16.8 per cent.

Relationships

Of Cheshire West and Chester residents aged 16 years and over, 34.9 per cent said they had never been married or in a civil partnership in 2021, up from 30.9 per cent in 2011.

During this period, Cheshire West and Chester went from being close to the median level for the share of people aged 16 years and over who had never been married or in a civil partnership to being among the highest 55 per cent of English local authority areas.

The increase in the percentage of people aged 16 years and over who had never been married or in a civil partnership in Cheshire West and Chester (four percentage points) was similar to the increase across the North West (3.8 percentage points).

Across the region, the percentage increased from 35.6 per cent in 2011 to 39.4 per cent in 2021, while across England, the percentage increased from 34.6 per cent to 37.9 per cent.

These figures include same-sex marriages and opposite-sex civil partnerships in 2021, neither of which were legally recognised in England and Wales in 2011.

Same-sex marriages have been legally recognised in England and Wales since 2014 and opposite-sex civil partnerships have been recognised since 2019.

About the data

Census data are adjusted to reflect estimated non-response so that the published results relate to the entire usually resident population as it was on Census Day (March 21, 2021).

Those respondents who were on furlough because of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic were asked to classify themselves as 'temporarily away from work' to ensure they remained in the economically active population.

Students are counted as usually resident at their term-time address even if they were not physically present there on Census Day.

Percentages and percentage point changes have been individually rounded to one decimal place. This means they may not sum exactly.