Place CheckerOfficial local evidence

Census 2021 neighbourhood · E02005116

Sheerness West

Sheerness West is a Census neighbourhood of about 6,544 residents in Swale. This is a statistical area, not an administrative boundary or a postcode district.

6,544

Usual residents

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

2,629

Households

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

1,466.5

Residents per km²

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

39.9%

Households owning their home

ONS Census 2021 · tenure

35.2%

Households with no car or van

ONS Census 2021 · car availability

11.7%

Adults with a degree or above

ONS Census 2021 · qualifications

Neighbourhoods most like this one

Closest matches elsewhere in England and Wales, across 14 Census themes. Similarity is statistical, not a recommendation, and says nothing about how anywhere feels to live in.

Newington, Thanet8,925 residents · 46.4% owned · 30.7% no carHollington, Hastings8,106 residents · 41.7% owned · 30.6% no carBroomgrove, Hastings7,149 residents · 40.8% owned · 36.0% no carHeadland & West View, Hartlepool10,278 residents · 39.7% owned · 40.0% no carCotmanhay, Erewash7,027 residents · 49.4% owned · 30.2% no carThatto Heath, St. Helens7,477 residents · 48.2% owned · 33.9% no car

Census 2021 · Census neighbourhood (MSOA)

Life in Sheerness West

People, households and homes at the stated Census geography. These describe the 2021 population, not the occupants of a particular home.

Tenure

Owned39.9%
1,048 households
Social rented37%
973 households
Private rented22.5%
591 households
Shared ownership0.5%
14 households
Lives rent free0.1%
3 households
Sheerness West · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Accommodation type

Terraced37.7%
991 households
Semi-detached36.6%
962 households
In a purpose-built block of flats or tenement17.1%
451 households
Detached2.8%
74 households
Part of a converted or shared house, including bedsits2.4%
64 households
In a commercial building, for example, in an office building, hotel or over a shop2.3%
61 households
Part of another converted building, for example, former school, church or warehouse1%
25 households
A caravan or other mobile or temporary structure0.1%
2 households
Sheerness West · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Car or van availability

1 car or van in household37.4%
983 households
No cars or vans in household35.2%
925 households
2 cars or vans in household20.2%
532 households
3 or more cars or vans in household7.2%
189 households
Sheerness West · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Number of bedrooms

3 bedrooms49.5%
1,301 households
2 bedrooms30.5%
801 households
1 bedroom14.3%
377 households
4 or more bedrooms5.7%
151 households
Sheerness West · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household composition

Single family household61.4%
1,615 households
One-person household31.2%
819 households
Other household types7.4%
195 households
Sheerness West · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household size

1 person in household31.1%
819 households
2 people in household30%
790 households
3 people in household15.9%
418 households
4 people in household12.6%
331 households
5 people in household5.9%
155 households
6 people in household2.5%
65 households
7 people in household1.3%
34 households
8 or more people in household0.7%
18 households
0 people in household0%
0 households
Sheerness West · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Age

Under 1522.7%
1,486 residents
15–2918.3%
1,197 residents
30–4418.5%
1,212 residents
45–6424.8%
1,621 residents
65 and over15.7%
1,028 residents
Sheerness West · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Ethnic group

White95.7%
6,262 residents
Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh1.9%
124 residents
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups1.3%
84 residents
Other ethnic group0.6%
42 residents
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African0.5%
30 residents
Sheerness West · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Highest qualification

No qualifications33.5%
1,666 residents aged 16 and over
Level 2 qualifications16.4%
816 residents aged 16 and over
Level 1 and entry level qualifications16.2%
804 residents aged 16 and over
Level 3 qualifications14%
696 residents aged 16 and over
Level 4 qualifications or above11.7%
583 residents aged 16 and over
Apprenticeship5.2%
257 residents aged 16 and over
Other qualifications3.1%
154 residents aged 16 and over
Sheerness West · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Economic activity

Economically active (excluding full-time students)50.5%
2,512 residents aged 16 and over
Economically inactive48.5%
2,414 residents aged 16 and over
Economically active and a full-time student1%
52 residents aged 16 and over
Sheerness West · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Occupational class (NS-SeC)

L13 Routine occupations21.9%
1,092 residents aged 16 and over
L14.1 and L14.2 Never worked and long-term unemployed16.8%
838 residents aged 16 and over
L12 Semi-routine occupations16.5%
821 residents aged 16 and over
L4, L5 and L6 Lower managerial, administrative and professional occupations10.4%
515 residents aged 16 and over
L7 Intermediate occupations9.5%
474 residents aged 16 and over
L8 and L9 Small employers and own account workers9.3%
463 residents aged 16 and over
L10 and L11 Lower supervisory and technical occupations6.9%
344 residents aged 16 and over
L15 Full-time students5.1%
254 residents aged 16 and over
L1, L2 and L3 Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations3.5%
174 residents aged 16 and over
Sheerness West · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

General health

Very good health39.2%
2,565 residents
Good health32.5%
2,125 residents
Fair health18.8%
1,232 residents
Bad health7.3%
476 residents
Very bad health2.2%
146 residents
Sheerness West · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Disability

Not disabled under the Equality Act73.4%
4,802 residents
Disabled under the Equality Act26.6%
1,742 residents
Sheerness West · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household deprivation

Household is deprived in one dimension36%
947 households
Household is not deprived in any dimension26.7%
701 households
Household is deprived in two dimensions25.4%
668 households
Household is deprived in three dimensions11.3%
297 households
Household is deprived in four dimensions0.6%
17 households
Sheerness West · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Each percentage uses its Census table’s own total. Rounding and source categories can affect totals. ONS Census data · OGL v3.0.

How the similarity is worked out

Alike on the Census, which is not the same as alike to live in.

Every neighbourhood is described by its shares across the Census themes above — tenure, housing, cars, household make-up, age, ethnic group, qualifications, work, health and deprivation — each theme weighted equally, which is the approach ONS takes in its own Output Area Classification. The neighbourhoods listed are the closest on those numbers, published in full rather than folded into a score. Nothing here measures schools, crime, prices or what a place is like to be in, and a close match is a statistical fact rather than a suggestion to move.

Browse every neighbourhood in Swale

Evidence ledger

Source and date are part of the record.

Shared catalogue checked 2026-08-28: 88 candidate data layers listed. Catalogue presence is not publication approval; only separately approved public projections may be shown.