Suffolk Observatory
Suffolk Observatory website provides a lot statistics about Suffolk. Here we see the overview report for Southwold. which says that it is a mid year estimate for 2020.
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| Suffolk Observatory - Southwold |
Suffolk Observatory's estimate of population is surprisingly high (wrong?). probably referring to Southwold Ward rather than Town (and therefore includes Reydon & Walbersick). The percentages are probably correct, as is the inverted pyramid demographic graph showing that people are falling off the edge with no younger people behind to replace them. The numbers seem more accurate for Suffolk as a whole. Shows
- total population in 2021 760,688 (up from 636,266 in 1991)
East Suffolk Council
East Suffolk Council put together a Town Profile for Southwold in 2019. This shows the (surely far more accurate ) population figure of 1098.
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| Southwold ESC |
East Suffolk Council also has a data pack for their area which can be seen HERE. On the data pack, you have to click right to slide 3, and then select the tab for age & gender distribution.
The data pack shows the dreaded inverted pyramid demographic graph for Southwold WARD (which includes Walberswick and Reydon. That appears to show that the ward is dying. Is it dying though? Southwold and Walberswick are always full of wealthy retired people who naturally pass on and are replaced by other wealthy older retired people from elsewhere . And so you have a perpetual inverted pyramid. Eventually , when all young people leave town, the demographic graph will be a column starting at age 65yrs and consisting entirely of older people. You will never expand Southwold & Walberswick, or demolish enough expensive houses to change this, and so the answer for the community as a whole has to lay in Reydon and nearby doesn't it ? I can't see an explosion happening in the birth rate in Southwold either can you?
NOMIS
The NOMIS website says that it uses the official census and labour market data from the ONS (UK Government Office of National Statistics). It only seems to have numbers based on 2011 census and only for Southwold + Reydon together. It says there were 3680 usual residents.
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| Southwold NOMIS |
Office for National statistics
This blogger finds the ONS site very difficult to navigate. There sometimes seems to be every statistic except the ones you want. It doesn't seem to cover Southwold as an individual Town ? Parish . So anyway, firstly here is East Suffolk.
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| ONS East Suffolk |
Between census 2011 & census 2021 in East Suffolk :
- population increased 2.7% from 239,600 to 246,100.
- the average age in East Suffolk went up from 46 to 49.
- Increase of households in social rented sector from 12.7% to 13.1%
- Private rented increased from 14.2% to 17.6%
- Home ownership decreased from 71.3% to 68.9%
- People in East Suffolk identifying as "British only" up from 13.9% to 54.3%
The ONS provides an animated view of the statistics HERE
Perhaps Southwold is to East Suffolk what Kensington & Chelsea is to London.