Census 2021: Key statistics for housing by local area in England and Wales

The areas with the highest proportion of mortgages are all in the south or east of England.

Ian Jones
Thursday 05 January 2023 12:35 GMT
An aerial view of terraced houses in south-west London (Victoria Jones/PA)
An aerial view of terraced houses in south-west London (Victoria Jones/PA) (PA Archive)

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Here are some of the key statistics from the 2021 census for housing by local area across England and Wales.

– Homes owned outright

North Norfolk is the local authority with the highest percentage of households who own their home outright (48.6%), followed by Rother in East Sussex (48.4%), Staffordshire Moorlands (48.2%), Ceredigion in mid-Wales (47.9%) and Derbyshire Dales (47.7%).

In one in four local authorities in England and Wales, at least 40% of households own their home outright.

The areas with the lowest levels are all in London, with Tower Hamlets having the lowest percentage (7.8%), followed by Hackney (9.7%), Southwark (10.6%), Islington (11.6%) and Lambeth (12.0%).

The lowest percentage in England outside London is Manchester (16.5%), while the lowest in Wales is Cardiff (28.6%).

– Homes with a mortgage

Wokingham in Berkshire has the highest proportion of households who own a home with a mortgage, loan or shared ownership (42.0%), followed by Dartford in Kent (41.0%), Hart in Hampshire (40.2%), Bracknell Forest in Berkshire (39.7%) and Central Bedfordshire (39.3%).

All these local authorities are in the south or east of England.

The highest in Wales is Vale of Glamorgan (33.7%).

The areas with the lowest levels are again all in London: Westminster (12.1%), Kensington & Chelsea (12.8%), Camden (14.5%), Islington (16.8%) and Hackney (17.4%).

This excludes the Isles of Scilly and the City of London, both of which have very low population numbers.

The lowest level in England outside London is Norwich (20.4%), while the lowest in Wales is Ceredigion (21.0%).

– Overall home ownership

Rochford in Essex had the highest proportion of households who either own their home outright or own it through a mortgage, loan or shared ownership (81.2%), followed by Castle Point in Essex (80.4%), Fareham in Hampshire (79.2%), Blaby in Leicestershire (79.0%) and Staffordshire Moorlands (78.7%).

The highest in Wales is Monmouthshire (72.2%).

The areas with the lowest levels are once again in London, starting with Tower Hamlets (25.7%), then Hackney (27.1%), Westminster (28.1%), Islington (28.4%) and Camden (30.4%).

The lowest proportion in England outside London is Manchester (38.0%), while the lowest in Wales is Cardiff (58.3%).

– Private rent

The local authorities with the highest proportion of households renting their accommodation privately are all in London.

Westminster is the highest (43.3%), followed by Kensington & Chelsea (39.6%), Newham (38.5%), Tower Hamlets (38.2%) and Hammersmith & Fulham (36.4%).

The Isles of Scilly and the City of London are excluded due to very low population numbers.

The area in England outside London with the highest percentage is Brighton & Hove (32.7%) while in Wales it is Cardiff (24.3%).

The areas with the lowest proportion are North East Derbyshire (10.0%), South Staffordshire (10.6%), Bromsgrove in Worcestershire (10.6%), Rochford in Essex (10.7%) and Copeland in Cumbria (11.0%).

– Social rent

London tops the list for areas with the highest proportion of households renting their accommodation from a local authority, housing association or other organisation in the social sector.

The top five are Hackney (40.5% households), Islington (40.2%), Southwark (39.7%), Tower Hamlets (35.9%) and Camden (33.7%).

The highest proportion in England outside London is in Norwich (30.3%) and in Wales it is Torfaen (23.8%).

The lowest areas are Castle Point in Essex (5.5%), Wyre in Lancashire (7.6%), Wokingham in Berkshire (7.7%), Oadby & Wigston in Leicestershire (7.9%) and Ribble Valley in Lancashire (8.0%).

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