The 2021 Census supplies information on households and the types and tenure of accommodation they live in. This is invaluable in planning to meet the current and future housing needs of Shropshire residents.

The number of households living in Shropshire has risen by 7.6% since 2011, slightly above the level experienced nationally (6.2%). Growth in the number of households has been higher than population growth of 5.7% in Shropshire.

Two thirds of households in Shropshire live in families, with 8.4% of all households in lone parent households, 13.6% in older households aged 66 and over, 43.2% in married / civil partnership or cohabiting households and 4.8% in other types of households.

The 2021 census revealed 41% of Shropshire households lived in detached housing, with 33.5% in semi-detached housing, 15.8% in terraced accommodation, 8.9% in flats / maisonettes or apartments and 0.8% in a caravan, other mobile home or temporary structure.

The census showed 4,033 households (2.9%) in Shropshire were living in overcrowded accommodation and 82.1% of households (114,626) were living in under-occupied households. The largest percentage of households lived in 3-bedroom households (42.4%), with 26.3% occupying accommodation with four or more-bedroom households.

In Shropshire, the 2021 census showed 68.6% of all households (95,784) owned their home with and without a loan, with 17.5% living in privately rented accommodation and 13% in social rented accommodation. Shared ownership was the chosen option for 0.8% of households (1.170). The percentage of households living in private rented accommodation has risen by 25.9% since 2011, which suggests for many households this is the only affordable option.

In all, 90,426 households (64.8%) living in Shropshire, heated their homes using fuel from the National Grid. This compared with 83% in the West Midlands and 82.7% nationally. A third of Shropshire households (33.4%) were using other forms of central heating, with 15% relying on oil-fuelled heating and 2.1% relying on renewable energy only or in part. This is influenced by Shropshire’s rural character and the number of households living remotely from the national grid.

Please see the attached bulletins for more 2021 census analysis:

• Census 2021 bulletin - central heating
• Census 2021 bulletin - occupancy and rooms
• Census 2021 bulletin - dwelling type

If you have any difficulties accessing or reading the pdf files, please contact the Business Development: Data, Analysis, and Intelligence Team at Shropshire Council using the email BusinessIntelligence@shropshire.gov.uk