Topic reports
Ethnicity in Calderdale
Background
This is one of a set of Topic Reports published by Calderdale Council. The 2001 Census is the key source for this report, since no other dataset compares in either coverage or detail. However, the report also uses some data from the health sector, indices of deprivation, and the Council's own information systems.
Purpose of the report
The objective of this report is to provide a demographic context and aid for those planning and providing services for, or affecting, different ethnic groups in Calderdale, as well as providing an overview for those with a general interest in Calderdale’s diverse communities.
The report’s focus is on identifying geographical differences in the numbers and socio-economic situation of the main ethnic groups – both within Calderdale and between Calderdale and national averages. This includes concentrations of particular ethnic minority groups, as well as variation in housing, economic activity, qualifications, health and income between ethnic groups.
The report provides the most reliable and comprehensive data available at the time of publication. For more recent population estimates by ethnic group up to 2004 visit the Office of National Statistics: Population Estimates by Ethnic Group (experimental)|
The full report is available as a pdf:
Ethnicity in Calderdale [PDF file 950KB]|
Key points
- 93% of Calderdale’s population in 2001 described itself as White. By far the largest ethnic group after this is Pakistani (nearly 5%).
- In more than half of the wards in Calderdale, people calling themselves White-British account for over 95% of the total population.
- The non-White population is concentrated geographically, with almost 60% living in Park ward. White-Irish and White-Other groups are spread across the District, with no ward having large numbers in either group.
- There are marked differences in the age-profile of ethnic groups in Calderdale. Whilst 36% of the Asian population was under 16 in 2001, the comparable figures for the White and Black groups were 29% and 23% respectively. In contrast, the older population (over 65) is overwhelmingly White. Amongst non-White groups, only 3.9% were aged 65 or above.
- The majority of Asian households (64%) consist of 2 or more adults with dependent children, with relatively few (17%) single-person or lone-parent households. 40% of White-headed households are either a single person or a lone-parent household.
- Car ownership is highest in the Chinese & Other groups, and lowest in the Mixed and Black ethnic groups. More than two-fifths of Asian households lack central heating, compared with fewer than one-fifth of other households.
- Unemployment is highest among Asian groups. This, together with the high proportion of young adults amongst the Asian population and the low economic activity rate among Asian women, contributes to relatively low economic activity levels amongst the Asian population.
- Over half of the 16-74 Asian population has no qualifications / qualifications unknown, compared with just under 40% of the white population in this age group. The rates of “Higher Level Qualifications” are highest amongst the Black and Chinese & Other groups.
- Relatively high proportions of the Asian, Chinese and Other groups are engaged in the Transport, Distribution, Wholesale and Retail sectors, and relatively low numbers in Manufacturing and Construction.
- Despite the much lower proportion of the Asian population aged over 65, the Asian population has very significant numbers with long-term illness, and a figure for people not in good health that is only slightly lower than that for the population as a whole. Fairly high numbers with Not Good Health are also apparent in the Black population, although its older age-profile would help explain this.
- Whilst under 8% of Calderdale’s White population lives in areas that fall within England’s worst 10% on the deprivation index, the figure for the Pakistani community is 67%, and for Black and Mixed groups around 20%.
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