How life has changed in Hambleton: Census 2021

The population reached nearly 91,000

Between the last two censuses (held in 2011 and 2021), the population of Hambleton increased by 1.7%, from around 89,100 in 2011 to around 90,700 in 2021.

The population here increased by a smaller percentage than the overall population of Yorkshire and The Humber (3.7%), and by a smaller percentage than the overall population of England (up 6.6% since the 2011 Census).

In 2021, Hambleton was home to around 0.5 people per football pitch-sized piece of land. This area was among the lowest 2% for population density across English local authority areas at the last census.

This article generally uses percentages to enable comparisons over time and between areas. The percentage point change is also used to show the difference between the 2011 and 2021 percentages.

Population growth was lower in Hambleton than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage population change, Hambleton and surrounding areas, 2011 Census to Census 2021

An older Hambleton

Between the last two censuses, the average (median) age of Hambleton increased by four years, from 46 to 50 years of age.

This area had the joint highest average (median) age in Yorkshire and The Humber (alongside Craven, Ryedale and Scarborough) and a higher average (median) age than England (40 years).

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.

The number of people aged 65 to 74 years rose by just under 2,600 (an increase of 24.6%), while the number of residents between 35 and 49 years fell by around 4,400 (23.5% decrease).

The share of residents aged between 65 and 74 years increased by 2.6 percentage points between 2011 and 2021

Hambleton stood out from other areas for housing

The percentage of households in the social rented sector increased in Hambleton, but fell across Yorkshire and The Humber.

In Hambleton, the percentage of households in the social rented sector rose from 12.9% in 2011 to 13.4% in 2021. During the same period, the regional percentage fell from 18.1% to 17.3%.

Private renting in Hambleton increased from 15.1% to 16.7%, while the rate of home ownership decreased from 69.5% to 69.0%.

The rate of social renting in Hambleton increased by 0.5 percentage points

Fewer couples with dependent children

Hambleton saw England's largest percentage-point fall in the proportion of households including a couple with dependent children (from 20.3% in 2011 to 16.6% in 2021).

Richmondshire saw the country's next largest decrease in the percentage of households including a couple with dependent children (from 21.6% in 2011 to 18.0% in 2021).

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of households including a couple with dependent children fell from 19.2% to 18.2%, while the percentage in nearby Ryedale fell from 18.0% to 16.2%.

The percentage of households including a couple with dependent children in Hambleton decreased by 3.7 percentage points

Fall in employment

Hambleton saw England's third-largest percentage-point fall in the proportion of people aged 16 years and over (excluding full-time students) who were employed (from 60.0% in 2011 to 55.3% in 2021).

England's largest decreases in the percentage of people aged 16 years and over (excluding full-time students) who were employed occurred in Isles of Scilly (from 72.1% to 63.7%) followed by Richmondshire (from 64.1% to 58.1%).

Because of its small size, comparisons to Isles of Scilly should be made with caution.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people aged 16 years and over (excluding full-time students) who were employed fell from 54.5% to 53.5%, while the percentage in nearby Ryedale fell from 58.1% to 55.0%.

Census 2021 took place during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a period of rapid and unparalleled change; the national lockdown, associated guidance and furlough measures will have affected the labour market and our ability to measure it.

The percentage of people aged 16 years and over who were employed (excluding full-time students) in Hambleton decreased by 4.7 percentage points

Fewer adults working long hours

Hambleton saw Yorkshire and The Humber's third-largest percentage-point fall in the proportion of people aged 16 years and over and in employment who said they usually worked over 49 hours per week (from 18.3% in 2011 to 15.0% in 2021).

Across the region, only Richmondshire (from 26.4% to 17.8%) and Harrogate (from 16.9% to 13.4%) saw a greater decrease in the percentage of people aged 16 years and over and in employment who said they usually worked over 49 hours per week.

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a fall in the percentage of people aged 16 years and over and in employment who said they usually worked over 49 hours per week, as the regional percentage fell from 11.9% to 9.9%.

Working hours may have been affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The percentage of adults in employment who worked 49 hours or more in Hambleton decreased by 3.3 percentage points

Unpaid care in Hambleton

Hambleton saw Yorkshire and The Humber's joint second-largest percentage-point fall (alongside Harrogate and Ryedale) in the proportion of people (aged five years and over) providing up to 19 hours of weekly unpaid care (from 8.0% in 2011 to 5.0% in 2021). These are age-standardised proportions.

Age-standardised proportions are used throughout this section. They enable comparisons between populations over time and across geographies, as they account for differences in the population size and age structure.

Across the region, only Craven saw a greater fall in the proportion of people (aged five years and over) providing up to 19 hours of weekly unpaid care (from 8.4% to 5.0%).

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a fall in the proportion of people (aged five years and over) providing up to 19 hours of weekly unpaid care, as the regional proportion fell from 7.1% to 4.4%.

Census 2021 was undertaken during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This may have influenced how people perceived and managed their provision of unpaid care, and therefore may have affected how people chose to respond.

Caution should be taken when making comparisons between 2011 and 2021 because of changes in question wording and response options.

The percentage of people (aged five years and over) providing up to 19 hours of weekly unpaid care in Hambleton decreased by 3.0 percentage points

More adults never married or in a civil partnership

Of Hambleton residents aged 16 years and over, 26.9% said they had never been married or in a civil partnership in 2021, up from 24.9% in 2011.

In 2021, just over one in two people (54.0%) said they were married or in a registered civil partnership, compared with 56.5% in 2011. The percentage of adults in Hambleton that had divorced or dissolved a civil partnership increased from 8.6% to 9.5%.

This area had the country's joint lowest percentage of people aged 16 years and over who had never been married or in a civil partnership and the third highest percentage of people aged 16 years and over who were married (or in a civil partnership) (alongside New Forest). North Norfolk had England's next-lowest percentage of people aged 16 years and over who had never been married or in a civil partnership (27.2%), while Lambeth had the country's highest percentage (62.2%).

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.

The percentage of adults who had never married or registered a civil partnership in Hambleton increased by 2.0 percentage points

Disability in Hambleton

In 2021, 5.7% of Hambleton residents were identified as being disabled and limited a lot. This figure decreased from 6.6% in 2011. These are age-standardised proportions.

Age-standardised proportions are used throughout this section. They enable comparisons between populations over time and across geographies, as they account for differences in the population size and age structure.

In 2021, just under 1 in 10 people (9.7%) were identified as being disabled and limited a little, compared with 9.0% in 2011. The proportion of Hambleton residents who were not disabled increased from 84.3% to 84.6%.

The decrease in the proportion of residents who were identified as being disabled and limited a lot was greater across Yorkshire and The Humber (1.7 percentage points, from 9.9% to 8.2%) than in Hambleton (0.9 percentage points). Across England, the proportion fell by 1.6 percentage points, from 9.1% to 7.5%.

Census 2021 was undertaken during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This may have influenced how people perceived their health status and activity limitations, and therefore may have affected how people chose to respond.

Caution should be taken when making comparisons between 2011 and 2021 because of changes in question wording and response options.

The percentage of people who were identified as being disabled and limited a lot in Hambleton decreased by 0.9 percentage points

Hambleton residents' country of birth

In the latest census, around 83,000 Hambleton residents said they were born in England. This represented 91.5% of the local population. The figure has risen from just under 81,700 in 2011, which at the time represented 91.6% of Hambleton's population.

Scotland was the next most represented, with just under 2,100 Hambleton residents reporting this country of birth (2.3%). This figure was down from just under 2,300 in 2011, which at the time represented 2.5% of the population of Hambleton.

The number of Hambleton residents born in Wales fell from around 800 in 2011 (0.9% of the local population) to just under 750 in 2021 (0.8%).

In 2021, 91.5% of Hambleton residents reported their country of birth as England

Religion in Hambleton

In 2021, 34.1% of Hambleton residents reported having "No religion", up from 19.8% in 2011. The rise of 14.3 percentage points was the largest increase of all broad religious groups in Hambleton. 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 Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of residents who described themselves as having "No religion" increased from 25.9% to 39.4%, while across England the percentage increased from 24.8% to 36.7%.

In 2021, 59.4% of people in Hambleton described themselves as Christian (down from 72.6%), while 5.5% did not state their religion (down from 6.8% 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 someone connects or identifies, rather than their beliefs or religious practice.

In 2021, 34.1% of usual residents in Hambleton reported having "No religion"

Ethnic groups in Hambleton

In 2021, 0.8% of Hambleton residents identified their ethnic group within the "Mixed or Multiple" category, up from 0.7% in 2011. The 0.2 percentage-point change was the largest increase among high-level ethnic groups in this area.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people from "Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups" increased from 1.6% to 2.1%, while across England the percentage increased from 2.3% to 3.0%.

In 2021, 97.9% of people in Hambleton identified their ethnic group within the "White" category (compared with 98.3% in 2011), while 0.7% identified their ethnic group within the "Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh" category (also 0.7% the previous decade).

The percentage of people who identified their ethnic group within the "Other" category ("Arab" or "Any other ethnic group") increased from 0.1% in 2011 to 0.3% in 2021.

There are many factors that may be contributing to the changing ethnic composition of England and Wales, such as differing patterns of ageing, fertility, mortality, and migration. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals chose to self-identify between censuses.

In 2021, 0.8% of usual residents in Hambleton identified their ethnic group within the "Mixed or Multiple" category

National identity in Hambleton

In 2021, 2.3% of Hambleton residents did not identify with any national identity associated with the UK. This figure increased from 2.0% in 2011.

In 2021, 0.7% of residents identified with a UK and non-UK national identity, compared with 0.3% in 2011. The percentage of residents in Hambleton that identified as "British only" increased from 16.2% to 59.6%.

This area had the region’s lowest percentage of people who did not identify with any national identity associated with the UK. Craven had Yorkshire and The Humber's next lowest percentage of people who did not identify with any national identity associated with the UK (2.8%), while Kingston upon Hull had the region's highest percentage (10.1%).

In Census 2021, “British” was moved to the top response option and this may have influenced how people described their national identity. For further information, please see our quality report.

The percentage of people who did not identify with at least one UK national identity in Hambleton increased by 0.3 percentage points

Health in Hambleton

In 2021, 51.8% of Hambleton residents described their health as "very good", increasing from 50.6% in 2011. Those describing their health as "good" fell from 33.7% to 33.6%. These are age-standardised proportions.

Age-standardised proportions are used throughout this section. They enable comparisons between populations over time and across geographies, as they account for differences in the population size and age structure.

The proportion of Hambleton residents describing their health as "very bad" was 0.8% (similar to 2011), while those describing their health as "bad" fell from 3.1% to 2.9%.

These data reflect people’s own opinions in describing their overall health on a five point scale, from very good to very bad.

Census 2021 was conducted during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This may have influenced how people perceived and rated their health, and therefore may have affected how people chose to respond.

The percentage of people in bad health in Hambleton decreased by 0.2 percentage points

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 (21 March 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.

The questions relating to disability differed slightly between 2011 and 2021 to ensure that data were more closely aligned with the definition of disability in the Equality Act (2010). There was also a change to question wording for unpaid care, for more information read the health, disability and unpaid care quality information.

Age-standardised proportions are used throughout the health, disability and unpaid care sections. They allow for fairer comparisons between populations over time and across geographies, as they account for differences in the population size and age structure. The 2013 European Standard Population is used to standardise proportions.

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

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About these articles

There is an article like this for every local authority district in England and Wales. The articles have been written and semi-automated by our data journalists and are a new publishing format for the Office for National Statistics.

Topics are chosen and ordered automatically based on how relevant they are for each area, however all data are checked before publishing.

We have not included topics that were new for Census 2021 or where there is no comparability with the 2011 Census. Read about how we developed and tested the questions for Census 2021.

These articles were first published on 8 December 2022 covering topics such as demography, country of birth, ethnic groups, religion, national identity and economic activity status. They were updated on 19 January 2023 following the release of more data from Census 2021 and now include housing tenure, general health, disability and unpaid care.

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