Area profile for Dorset West
| Comparators | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Percentage | Dorset Council | England and Wales | |
| All Persons | 37,117 | - | 389,947 | 61,806,682 |
| All Males | 17,657 | 47.6% | 48.5% | 49.0% |
| All Females | 19,460 | 52.4% | 51.5% | 51.0% |
| 0-15 yrs | 4,586 | 12.4% | 14.9% | 18.3% |
| 16-64 yrs | 18,720 | 50.4% | 54.6% | 62.8% |
| 65+ yrs | 13,811 | 37.2% | 30.5% | 18.9% |
| Male 0-15 yrs | 2,331 | 6.3% | 7.6% | 9.4% |
| Male 16-64 yrs | 8,893 | 24.0% | 26.8% | 31.0% |
| Male 65+ yrs | 6,433 | 17.3% | 14.1% | 8.7% |
| Female 0-15 yrs | 2,255 | 6.1% | 7.3% | 8.9% |
| Female 16-64 yrs | 9,827 | 26.5% | 27.8% | 31.9% |
| Female 65+ yrs | 7,378 | 19.9% | 16.4% | 10.2% |
Show Male/Female individual age breakdown
Source: Mid Year Estimates (2024), Office for National Statistics
| Change | Birth Rate per 1,000 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | - | 7.9 |
| 2006 | -5.1% | 7.5 |
| 2007 | 10.7% | 8.3 |
| 2008 | -3.6% | 8.0 |
| 2009 | 0% | 8.0 |
| 2010 | 1.2% | 8.1 |
| 2011 | -6.2% | 7.6 |
| 2012 | 6.6% | 8.1 |
| 2013 | -7.4% | 7.5 |
| 2014 | -4.0% | 7.2 |
| 2015 | 4.2% | 7.5 |
| 2016 | -9.3% | 6.8 |
| 2017 | 4.4% | 7.1 |
| 2018 | -11.3% | 6.3 |
| 2019 | -3.2% | 6.1 |
| 2020 | -6.6% | 5.7 |
| 2021 | 10.5% | 6.3 |
| 2022 | -19.0% | 5.1 |
| 2023 | -7.8% | 4.7 |
| 2024 | 8.5% | 5.1 |
| Change | Death Rate per 1,000 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | - | 14.9 |
| 2006 | -7.4% | 13.8 |
| 2007 | -4.3% | 13.2 |
| 2008 | 3.8% | 13.7 |
| 2009 | -2.2% | 13.4 |
| 2010 | -2.2% | 13.1 |
| 2011 | -2.3% | 12.8 |
| 2012 | 3.9% | 13.3 |
| 2013 | -3.8% | 12.8 |
| 2014 | -2.3% | 12.5 |
| 2015 | 4.8% | 13.1 |
| 2016 | -7.6% | 12.1 |
| 2017 | 10.7% | 13.4 |
| 2018 | -3.0% | 13.0 |
| 2019 | 7.7% | 14.0 |
| 2020 | -2.9% | 13.6 |
| 2021 | -8.8% | 12.4 |
| 2022 | 8.1% | 13.4 |
| 2023 | -3.7% | 12.9 |
| 2024 | -3.9% | 12.4 |
Source: Office for National Statistics
94.6%
White British
5.4%
BME (black and minority ethnic population)
Source: 2021 Census, Office for National Statistics.
NINO Registrations
National Insurance number allocations to adult overseas nationals entering the UK
NINO Data only available at National and Unitary level. View NINO Data for Dorset Council
Religion
| % Christian | 51.9% |
|---|---|
| % Non-Christian | 1.6% |
| % No religion | 39.5% |
| % Religion not stated | 7.1% |
Source: 2021 Census, Office for National Statistics.
Country of Birth
Country of Birth data is only available at National and Unitary level.
Health
79.5% of residents reported having very good or good health.
| % Very Good Health | 42.2% |
|---|---|
| % Good Health | 37.3% |
| % Fair Health | 15.3% |
| % Bad Health | 4.1% |
| % Very Bad Health | 1.1% |
Source: 2021 Census, Office for National Statistics.
Unpaid care
9.9% of residents aged 5 and over provide unpaid care.
6.9%
Residents aged 5 and over providing up to 50 hours of unpaid care per week
3%
Residents aged 5 and over providing more than 50 hours of unpaid care per week
Communal establishments
0.8% of residents live in communal establishments.
Source: 2021 Census, Office for National Statistics.
MOSAIC
Mosaic is a socio-demographic data set that segments households into particular groups based upon their characteristics. It is used to gain a deeper understanding of residents, their beliefs, preferences and lifestyles Learn more
The highest proportion of residents are classified as
Country Living (37.3%)
Followed by
Rural Reality (24.9%)
And then
Senior Security (9.7%)
Source: Mosaic 2021, EXPERIAN
Living Arrangements
| All Households | 17,625 |
|---|---|
| % of households with one person 66+ or couple/family all aged 66+ | 38.5% |
| % of households married or same sex civil partnership with/without dependents* | 28.3% |
| % of households cohabiting with/without dependents* | 8.8% |
| % of households lone parents* | 7.5% |
| % all others** | 17% |
* may include members aged 66+, but not all
** may include households all aged 66+ but not a family
Source: 2021 Census, Office for National Statistics.
Tenure
| % Owner Occupied | 70.3% |
|---|---|
| % Public Rented | 13.9% |
| % Private Rented | 15.8% |
| % Other | 0% |
Source: 2021 Census, Office for National Statistics.
Dwelling type
| Detached | 42.1% |
|---|---|
| Semi-Detached | 23.9% |
| Terraced | 19% |
| Flats/Maisonettes | 14.7% |
| Mobile Homes/Caravans | 0.3% |
Source: 2021 Census, Office for National Statistics.
| % no cars or vans in household | 13.2% |
|---|---|
| % 2 or more cars or vans in a household | 42.9% |
Source: 2021 Census, Office for National Statistics.
Local business units
| Total | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|
| Total businesses | 2,355 | - |
| Wholesale, retail and repair | 425 | 18.05% |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 320 | 13.59% |
| Construction | 295 | 12.53% |
| Accommodation and food services | 275 | 11.68% |
| Professional, scientific and technical activities | 215 | 9.13% |
| Manufacturing | 150 | 6.37% |
| Administrative and support service activities | 150 | 6.37% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 90 | 3.82% |
| Information and communications | 85 | 3.61% |
| Human heath and social work activites | 85 | 3.61% |
| Real estate activities | 60 | 2.55% |
| Transportation and storage | 35 | 1.49% |
| Education | 35 | 1.49% |
| Public administration and defence; compulsory social security | 30 | 1.27% |
| Financial and insurance activities | 20 | 0.85% |
| Water, sewerage and waste management | 10 | 0.42% |
| Electricity, gas, steam and air | 5 | 0.21% |
| Mining and quarrying | 0 | 0.00% |
Source: UK Business: Activity, Size and Location (2025), ONS
Business size bands
| Total businesses | 2,355 | - |
|---|---|---|
| Micro (0 to 9 employees) | 1,970 | 83.65% |
| Small (10 to 49 employees) | 340 | 14.44% |
| Medium (50 to 249 employees) | 40 | 1.70% |
| Large (250+ employees) | 5 | 0.21% |
Source: UK Business: Activity, Size and Location (2025), ONS
Employment of workers by sector
These figures exclude farm agriculture.
| Total | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|
| All industries | 12,000 | - |
| Accommodation and food services | 3,000 | 25.00% |
| Wholesale, retail and repair | 2,000 | 16.67% |
| Manufacturing | 1,500 | 12.50% |
| Human heath and social work activites | 1,000 | 8.33% |
| Construction | 900 | 7.50% |
| Education | 900 | 7.50% |
| Professional, scientific and technical activities | 800 | 6.67% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 650 | 5.42% |
| Administrative and support service activities | 450 | 3.75% |
| Information and communications | 225 | 1.88% |
| Transportation and storage | 150 | 1.25% |
| Real estate activities | 125 | 1.04% |
| Public administration and defence; compulsory social security | 125 | 1.04% |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 75 | 0.63% |
| Water, sewerage and waste management | 75 | 0.63% |
| Financial and insurance activities | 50 | 0.42% |
| Mining and quarrying | 0 | 0.00% |
| Electricity, gas, steam and air | 0 | 0.00% |
Source: BRES (2024), ONS
Claimant unemployment
These figures refer to the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance plus those who claim Universal Credit who are out of work.
| Date Range | Avg. Number of Claimants | Avg. Rate of Claimants |
|---|---|---|
| October 2024 to December 2024 | 570 | 3% |
| January 2025 to March 2025 | 615 | 3.3% |
| April 2025 to June 2025 | 545 | 2.9% |
| July 2025 to September 2025 | 465 | 2.5% |
Source: Office for National Statistics
Skills
15,388
All usual residents aged 16 and over in Employment (includes students in employment)
42.3%
High skill occupation
42.8%
Intermediate skill occupation
14.9%
Low skill occupation
Source: 2021 Census, Office for National Statistics.
Gross weekly full time earnings
Earnings data is only available at National and Unitary level.
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