Population statistics in Calderdale
Calderdale is a metropolitan district, situated in the South Pennines between Greater Manchester, and Leeds and Bradford. Within England, it is one of the larger districts by area, but one of the smallest by population, covering the towns of Brighouse, Elland, Halifax, Hebden Bridge, Sowerby Bridge and Todmorden. The headline demographic statistics are:
- the district covers 140 square miles, or 36,392 hectares;
- the population of Calderdale is 211,400 (Office for National Statistics (ONS): 2020 Mid year population estimates);
- the average number of people per hectare is 5.81 people.
We have recently updated our population information and the Calderdale Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) demographic information page with the latest annual population estimates from the Office for National Statistics.
Looking ahead we can expect national Census 2021 information about population, demography and much more to be published from March 2022 onwards. We will include a page here on Calderdale Dataworks to support access to this new data set once it is published.
The main data sets about population here on Calderdale Dataworks are listed below. Summaries about international migration in Calderdale are available from Migration Yorkshire.
Population estimates
These are annual estimates based on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published annual mid year estimates of population. They include:
- the number of people, males and females by single year of age.
- the reasons for changes in population due to natural change (births and deaths), internal migration (migration within the UK) and international migration.
They are available for small geographic scales such as ward and larger areas including local authority.
Population Projections
These are from the ONS published projections for population change at a local authority geographic scale or higher. ONS usually publish updates of these projections every two years, although in 2022 Census 2021 data will be used instead. The data sets cover a 25-year period, with data for the first 10 years considered sufficiently robust by ONS to support planning. They include the projected number of:
- people there will be by single year of age.
- changes in population due to natural change (births and deaths), internal migration (migration within the UK) and international migration.
Household Projections
These are from the ONS published projections for change in the number of households at a local authority geographic scale. ONS usually publish updates of these projections every two years, although in 2022 Census 2021 data will be used instead. The data sets cover a 25-year period, with data for the first 10 years considered sufficiently robust by ONS to support planning. They include projected number of households by selected age groups for the head of household.
Number of households per ward
This data set brings together data from the national Census 2011, ONS small area population estimates and Calderdale Council Tax data base to provide estimates of the number of households per ward. It is updated annually in the autumn.
Ward demographic profiles
The ward demographic profiles are based within Calderdale Dataworks’ individual ward data set folders. They include the latest ward estimates for population by age, gender, ethnic group and religion.
MSOA demographic profiles
The Medium layer super output area (MSOA) demographic profiles are like ward demographic profiles but based on the MSOA geography. They include the latest estimates for population by age, gender, ethnic group, and religion. MSOAs are geospatial statistical terms developed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for the reporting of statistics of similar population sizes.
Schools’ data sets
These include information on the number of pupils by a range of characteristics including age, gender, ethnic group, and eligibility for free school meals. The school census is updated three times a year, with data on ethnicity updated annually.