Harrogate District Facts & Statistics

Key facts about the District

(Source: 2001 Census or as shown)

It is 504 square miles (133,060 hectares) in area and has a population of 151,336.
The District has a high quality environment with a rich mix of natural and man-made heritage.
70% of the population live in one of the six main urban settlements of Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon, Boroughbridge, Masham and Pateley Bridge.
17.2% of the population are aged 20 to 34, compared to 20.3% nationally.
17.4% of the population are aged 65+, compared to 15.9% nationally.
One ward is in the most deprived 40% of wards nationally and two others are in the 50% most deprived. 48% of the District's wards are in the top 20% of least deprived wards nationally.
1.6% of the population is from minority ethnic groups, compared to 8.7% nationally.
Unemployment is 1.1% (June 2003), below the national average. There are three District wards where unemployment is over 2%.
7.5% of the District's jobs are in manufacturing (half the national average), 2% are in agriculture (double the national average) and 31.4% are in distribution, hotels and restaurants, compared to 25% nationally (Annual Business Inquiry 2001 - ONS).
Life expectancy for babies born locally is 76 years for males (75.2 years nationally) and 80.5 years for females (80.1 years nationally) (Craven, Harrogate and Rural District PCT Health Profile 2003).
Three of the District's wards are ranked in the poorest 50% of English wards for child poverty. One ward is in the poorest 25% of wards nationally (CHRD PCT Health Profile 2003).
Seventeen District wards are ranked in the 25% of wards nationally with the poorest access to services like a post office, GP, etc. Eight district wards are in the poorest 10% of wards nationally (CHRD PCT Health Profile 2003).
17.8% of households do not have a car, compared to 26.8% nationally.
House prices in the District have risen 66% since 1997. The average house price in June 2003 was £186,320 (Land Registry).
69.5% of 15-16 year olds gained 5 or more GCSEs at grade A*-C, compared to 61% nationally (DfES).
79.4% of the District's population have basic literacy skills and 80.8% have basic numeracy skills, compared to 76% nationally. Three of the District's wards are ranked amongst the lower half of wards across the Country for education, skills and training (CHRD PCT Health Profile 2003).
6.27% of household waste is recycled in the District, compared to the national average of 9.8% (DEFRA).
Home energy efficiency in the District improved by 2.7% over the period 1996 to 2001, compared to the national average improvement of 8.12% (DEFRA).
Reported crime levels for the District are below the levels for the rest of North Yorkshire (Home Office 2003).
There are high levels of participation in cultural activities in the District. Visiting parks, gardens, areas of open space or the countryside was the most popular leisure pastime (Harrogate District Citizens' Panel 2003).

Facts and figures

Economic activity

Employed 67%

Unemployed 1.8%

Economically Active Full Time Students 2.5%

Retired 14.5%

Economically inactive students 3.1%

Looking after home/family 5.7%

Permanently sick or disabled 3.4%

Economically inactive 1.9%

Employment by sector

Agriculture and Fishing 2.2%

Energy and Water 0.4%

Manufacturing 7.7%

Construction 5.2%

Dist. Hotels and Restaurants 31.4%

Transport and Communications 3.2%

Banking etc 17.5%

Police, Administration, Education and Health 26.0%

Other Services 6.4%

Ethnic groups

White 98.4%

Mixed 0.7%

Asian 0.2%

Black 0.2%

Chinese or Other 0.4%

Harrogate District population by age group (2001 census)

Total population 151,336

Average house price, average earnings, maximum mortgage
	Average Annual Earnings	Maximum Mortgage	Average House Price
Yorkshire & Humber	£16,792	£58,772	£93,170
Yorkshire & Humber	£16,792	£58,772	£93,170
Harrogate	£16,774	£58,709	£162,253