Headline statistics from the 2011 census...

• Shropshire's population rose from 283,173 in 2001 to 306,100 in 2011, an increase of 8%
• Nationally (England and Wales) the population was 56,075,900, an increase of 7.9% since 2001, when the population was 49,138,831 for England and Wales
• The population density in Shropshire was 0.96 persons per hectare compared to 4.06 in England as a whole
• The male population was 151,600, 49.5% of the population
• The female population was 154,500, 50.5% of the population
• The number of older people living in Shropshire was 63,400. This rose from 51,192 in 2001, a 24% rise compared to 10.9% in England and Wales
• The number of people aged 85 and over increased by 35% from 6,211 in 2001 to 8,400 in 2011, compared to a 24% rise in England and Wales
• The number of children under the age of five living in Shropshire was 15,700. This rose by 3.2% from 15,206 in 2001, compared to a 13% rise in England and Wales
• In contrast, the number of children aged 0-14 decreased by 2.2% from 50,328 in 2001 to 49,200 in 2011. This compares to a 0.3% decline in the region and a 0.7% increase in England and Wales
• There were 129,700 households in Shropshire in 2011, compared to 117,301 in 2001, an 11% increase compared to an 8% increase in England and Wales