Census: Warrington households rise amid housebuilding boom

The first results of the 2021 census are in – and they show Warrington has seen its population swell over the last decade.

The census, run by the Office for National Statistics, takes place every 10 years, with every household in the UK required to take part.

On census day in March last year, 210,900 people were living in the area – up four per cent from 202,228 in 2011, when the last census was carried out.

The town’s population was below 200,000 in 2001 at 191,075, with the numbers for 1991 and 1981 being 182,685 and 167,149 respectively.

A rise in residents also means the town’s population density has grown to 1,168 usual residents per square kilometre, up from 1,120 in 2011.

In 2011, there were 85,140 households in Warrington, with a household being defined as a place of abode with at least one usual resident.

But by 2021, this had risen to 90,500, demonstrating a rise of 6.3 per cent.

The town has seen a number of large homebuilding projects over the past decade, including hundreds of new homes at Omega on the site of the former Burtonwood Airbase.

The figure will undoubtedly increase further given a number of huge building projects already underway, be that creating more apartments in the town centre or the massive Rivers Edge site.

Only 12 local authorities experienced a drop in the number of households between 2011 and 2021, predominantly in inner city areas such as Westminster and Chelsea.

The census is crucial for the UK’s statisticians to understand how our population is changing, and plays a vital role in how our public services and government operate.

It shows the balance of men and women in the area has changed – Warrington’s population is now 49.5 per cent male and 50.5 per cent female, meaning there is now a slightly higher proportion of women in the area than 10 years ago.

In 2011, people living in Warrington were 49.6 per cent male and 50.4 per cent female.

It also shows the area is aging – a decade ago the population was made up of 11.8 per cent under-10s and 15.9 per cent over-65s, but this had changed to 10.9 per cent and 19 per cent respectively by 2021.

Apartment developments are underway across Warrington

Across England and Wales, the total population grew 6.3 per cent over the past decade, from 56,075,912 in 2011 to 59,597,300 last year.

This included a 5.2 per cent increase in the north west, where the population rose to 7,417,300 from 7,052,177 in 2011.

There were 24.8million households in England and Wales on census day 2021, up from 23.4million in 2011, with an average of 2.4 people in each household – the same as in 2011.

Commenting on the census, the Office for National Statistics’ deputy national statistician Pete Benton said: “Today’s census statistics begin to paint a rich and detailed snapshot of the nation and how we were living during the pandemic.

“They show the population of England and Wales continued to grow across the decade, albeit at different rates across the regions.

“Ultimately, the full suite of census results, based on the information we all gave, will ensure decisions about how the billions of pounds we spend each year as a nation are made using the best possible evidence.

“This includes planning our emergency services, mental health care, school places, hospital beds, houses, roads, buses, trains, trams, GPs and dentists’ services.”