This page aims to present some simple demographic
facts and figures relating to the district of Eden.
Eden, situated in North Cumbria is the most
sparsely populated district in England and Wales. Its rural setting
and natural landscape make it a popular tourist destination. It has
a population of just over 50,000 people, scattered in small
villages over 830 square miles of land. There are 4 main centres of
population (shown on the map), the largest of these is Penrith,
situated in the centre of the district, which has a population of
more than 14,750. There are currently more than 23,500 households
in the district.
The district is spilt into 30 Wards, and more
locally into 71 Parishes and one unparished area (Penrith).
Population
The following section looks at the population
figures for 2002 and how these are changing over time.
The following table gives population estimates
for Mid-2002.
| |
Persons |
Males |
Females |
| All ages |
50,218 |
24,736 |
25,482 |
| Under 1 |
444 |
225 |
219 |
| 1-4 |
2,046 |
1,066 |
980 |
| 5-9 |
2,831 |
1,444 |
1,387 |
| 10-14 |
3,108 |
1,586 |
1,522 |
| 15-19 |
2,791 |
1,410 |
1,381 |
| 20-24 |
2,090 |
1,104 |
986 |
| 25-29 |
2,217 |
1,129 |
1,088 |
| 30-34 |
3,358 |
1,650 |
1,708 |
| 35-39 |
3,801 |
1,932 |
1,869 |
| 40-44 |
3,776 |
1,928 |
1,848 |
| 45-49 |
3,485 |
1,714 |
1,771 |
| 50-54 |
3,980 |
1,975 |
2,005 |
| 55-59 |
3,709 |
1,866 |
1,843 |
| 60-64 |
3,011 |
1,504 |
1,507 |
| 65-69 |
2,781 |
1,407 |
1,374 |
| 70-74 |
2,403 |
1,162 |
1,241 |
| 75-79 |
1,937 |
836 |
1,101 |
| 80-84 |
1,296 |
477 |
819 |
| 85-89 |
721 |
223 |
498 |
| 90+ |
433 |
98 |
335 |
It is interesting to look at the number of people
over pensionable age in Eden. Nationally 18% of the population is
over 60/65, whereas the corresponding figure in Eden is 22%. This
perhaps ties in with the rise in population that we are noting in
the district, as people move to the area after retirement.
The table below gives the population change
between 2001 and 2002.
| Population 2001 |
Population 2002 |
% Change |
| 49900 |
50200 |
0.6% |
The 0.6% increase in population is double that of
the UK trend, where the population has risen by 0.3% between 2001
and 2002.
Tying in with the increase already observed, ONS
have published projections for the Eden area that envisage a
population growth of 5.1% between 2000 and 2010. This
expected increase is the fourth highest in the North West, and is
more than five times the expected growth of Cumbria as a
County.
Births and Deaths
The table below gives the birth and death figures
for 2002.
| Number of Births |
Number of Deaths |
| 412 |
563 |
Looking at these figures for the births and
deaths in Eden, there were 151 more deaths than births.
Area and Density
The following table gives the area and density of
Eden, using the 2002 population figures.
| |
Area |
Density - people per.. |
| Hectares |
215646 |
0.23 |
| Sq Miles |
832.6 |
60.3 |
| Sq Kilometres |
2156.5 |
23.2 |
These figures shown that Eden has a population
density of 0.23 persons per hectare. This is considerably lower
than the density of Cumbria, which currently stands at 0.72 persons
per hectare, and the national figure of 3.8 persons per hectare for
England.
The population density of Eden places it in the
'Super Sparse' category along with only 12 other districts in
England and Wales, and it is ranked as the most sparsely populated
district in England.
Unemployment
The table below gives the number of unemployed
people in Eden, as of November 2003.
| |
Male |
Female |
Total |
| Eden |
158 |
69 |
227 |
| % of Workforce |
1.0% |
0.5% |
0.8% |
In November 2003, 5,547 people were unemployed in
Cumbria, which equates to 1.9% of the workforce, in comparison with
the rate of 0.8% in Eden. This figure shows that despite
being a very rural area, there are a range of employment
opportunities throughout the district.
Being an attractive tourist destination, a
substantial proportion of employment in the District (21% of all
jobs in 1999 - EDC STEAM Report) is generated directly through
tourism activity in the area. As a result, some of the work
does tend to be seasonal, resulting in slight variations in
employment levels between summer and winter.
Employment
Responses to the Census in 2001 revealed that the
largest sector of employment in Eden is 'Wholesale and retail
trade; repair of motor vehicles', which employs 16% of the
workforce. The sectors 'Hotels and catering' and 'Agriculture,
hunting and forestry' are both important in Eden, each employing
10% of the workforce. This is far higher than the percentage for
either of these sectors in Cumbria and the North-West region as a
whole.
Further Information
More information on Eden, the services provided
by the Council, and links to other organisations within the
district can be found on this website.
The figures featuring in this factsheet have been
calculated using figures published by ONS, and also data published
by Cumbria County Council.
