There are 28 wards in Eden, with only 2 having populations over 3,000 and only 7 with populations over 2,000. As such, population is relatively concentrated within the District, particularly in Penrith. Employment is more concentrated with only six wards employing over 1,000 people. Again Penrith dominates, accounting for the four largest concentrations of employment. As such, Penrith forms both the residential and business heart of the District.
Unemployment in Eden is very low, with almost half of the wards having an estimated unemployment rate of less than one per cent and three wards having no recorded unemployment. Only two wards have unemployment over two per cent, with only Alston Moor's three per cent unemployment rate even approaching the national average.
The indices of deprivation also indicate that the district does not have extensive deprivation problems, with no wards within the top 2,000 most deprived in England, and only two wards in the top 3,000. However, Alston Moor is significantly higher ranked than any other ward in the District, and in the context of its relatively high unemployment rate suggests that deprivation is relatively concentrated in this ward.
