Census shows how Cheshire East has changed in last 10 years

Between the last two censuses, in 2011 and 2021, the borough's overall population rose to almost 400,000.

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

More people in Cheshire East are also now reporting they have 'no religion' than in 2011. The data shows the number of people identifying as Christian declined from 68.9 per cent to 54.3 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 East increased by 7.7 per cent, from around 370,100 in 2011 to around 398,800 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 East was home to around 2.4 people per football pitch-sized piece of land, compared with 2.3 in 2011. This area was among the lowest 35 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 East increased by two years, from 43 to 45 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 10,600 (an increase of 13.9 per cent), while the number of residents between 35 and 49 years fell by around 7,500 (9.1 per cent decrease).

Religion

In 2021, 37.7 per cent of Cheshire East residents reported having 'No religion', up from 22.7 per cent in 2011.

The rise of 15 percentage points was the largest increase of all broad religious groups in the borough.

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, 54.3 per cent of people in Cheshire East described themselves as Christian (down from 68.9 per cent), while 5.5 per cent did not state their religion (down from 6.7 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.

Looking after family

In 2021, 3.5 per cent of Cheshire East residents (aged 16 years and over) said they were economically inactive because they were looking after their family or home. This figure increased from 3.2 per cent in 2011.

In 2021, just under six in 10 (57.2 per cent) said they were employed (excluding full-time students), compared with 57.9 per cent in 2011. The percentage of residents who were unemployed (excluding full-time students) decreased from 2.9 per cent to 2.1 per cent.

The increase in the percentage of people who were economically inactive because they were looking after their family or home was greater across the North West (1.1 percentage points) than in Cheshire East (0.3 percentage points).

Across the region, the percentage increased from 3.6 per cent in 2011 to 4.7 per cent in 2021, while across England, the percentage increased from 4.0 per cent to 4.8 per cent.

Working hours

In 2021, 10.3 per cent of Cheshire East residents aged 16 years and over and in employment said they worked 15 hours or less per week. This figure was at a similar level in 2011 (10.1 per cent).

During this period, Cheshire East remained close to the median level for the share of people aged 16 years and over and in employment who said they usually worked 15 hours or less per week across English local authority areas.

The percentage of people aged 16 years and over and in employment who said they usually worked 15 hours or less per week increased from 9.1 per cent to 9.6 per cent across the North West. Across England, the percentage increased from 9.7 per cent to 10.3 per cent.

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

Residents' country of birth

In the latest census, around 352,300 Cheshire East residents said they were born in England. This represented 88.3 per cent of the local population.

The figure has risen from just over 336,200 in 2011, which at the time represented 90.8 per cent of the borough's population.

Wales was the next most represented, with a little more than 5,900 residents reporting this country of birth (1.5 per cent). This figure was up from around 5,800 in 2011, which at the time represented 1.6 per cent of the population.

The number of Cheshire East residents born in Scotland fell from around 6,200 in 2011 (1.7 per cent of the local population) to around 5,900 in 2021 (1.5 per cent).

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.