Census 2011
Census population and household estimates help the government, local authorities, businesses and community organisations to identify community needs and plan future service provision. A census is one of the main ways of accurately measuring change across the whole population by collecting information about the make-up of society.
By knowing how many people live in England and Wales, and how this is distributed at local levels, everyone can plan properly for the future. The information helps to ensure that the local services that people rely on, such as housing, transport and schools, can be provided where they are needed. Census information is therefore important to the Council as a whole, and to individual services such as planning.
A Census is conducted every 10 years by the Government, with the most recent undertaken in 2011. The 2011 census data is published by the Office for National Statistics through a series of releases, which began in July 2012 and will continue through future years.
In response to each data release, we have prepared a report to summarise the results for West Lancashire and, where available, its lower levels, known as wards. Results for England, the North West and Lancashire are provided to enable comparison, along with 2001 census data to highlight the changes which have occurred over the last 10 years. Each of the reports is published below. New reports will be published here as they are produced.
1. Population and household estimates (Borough level)
First release - July 2012
On the 27 March 2011, the population in West Lancashire was estimated at 110,700 and is a 2% increase on the 2001 census population of 108,378. 25% of the West Lancashire population are now aged over 60, and there has been a significant decline in the number of people aged 30-44. This means that the aged population is increasing whilst the working population is decreasing.
At the 2011 Census, the number of households in West Lancashire was estimated at 45,400. This is a 4% increase on the 2001 Census figure of 43,586 and represents 1,800 new households in the 10 year period. This is behind growth seen at higher levels, including Merseyside, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, the North West and England.
2. Population and household estimates (ward level)
Update to first release - November 2012
3. Key statistics (Borough level)
Second release - December 2012
Key Statistics explain who we are, what we do and how we live to describe the defining characteristics of the population. This includes our age, sex, health, religion, ethnic group, language, accommodation, tenure, household make-up, car/van availability, economic activity, qualifications and occupations.
