Census

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) carries out a national census every 10 years to find out about the:

• people who live in England and Wales
• make-up of local neighbourhoods.

The 2011 Census took place on 27 March, with questionnaires being sent out to around 25 million households nationally.

The questionnaire asked about:

• work
• health
• national identity
• citizenship
• ethnic background
• education
• second homes
• language
• religion
• voluntary work
• marital status.

These statistics will be used to build a picture of today's society.

Census 2011 results revealed

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has published the first release of information from the 2011 Census.

The release contains population and household estimates for England and Wales by sex and single years of age, and figures by sex and five-year age groups for local authorities. It is the first of four releases of increasing complexity. Second release data will become available between November 2012 and February 2013. A Third release is scheduled between March 2013 and June 2013. The Fourth and final release is scheduled for between July 2013 and October 2013.

What does the information say about Slough?

Some of the key results for Slough include:

• the total usual resident population in Slough on Census day 2011 was 140,200 persons – up 16.3% on the 2001 Census, and 6.9% higher than the previous mid-2010 population estimate
• the total number of households (i.e. containing at least one person) on Census day was 50,800 with a calculated average household size of 2.76 persons
• the 2011 Census response rate for Slough was 92.1% for individuals.

Find out more

We’re currently doing more analysis of the information and what it tells us about Slough. We’ll upload the results of this analysis to this website as soon as it’s available. You can find full information about the 2011 Census first release on the ONS website and further information about subsequent data releases from ONS for the 2011 Census.

Slough reports:

• Slough census 2011 key statistics
• Slough census first release briefing
• Slough census QA pack (produced by the Office for National Statistics. This includes the key data tables for Slough.)
• Comparisons between the 2001 and 2011 census findings for Slough
• Comparison between the Slough census 2011 population estimate and previous mid-2010 estimate
• Slough population time series from 1991 to 2011
• Table and chart depicting size and scale of population change between 2001 and 2011 Censuses for each English local authority.

Why does the census matter?

Like all local authorities in England and Wales, we rely on census population statistics to identify local needs for public services. Central government funding relates to how many and what kind of people the census shows live in our area.

It needs to include everyone, everywhere, that's why everyone was asked to take part.

We have worked closely with our local partners and colleagues from the ONS to make sure a high response rate was secured for the 2011 Census in Slough. We have also been proactive and provided further data on the town’s population for use by the ONS as they quality assure the final census results for the area.

Open Atlas project

Alex Singleton, a lecturer in Geographic Information Science at the University of Liverpool shows the value of the 2011 Census through his 2011 Census Open Atlas.

• The Open Atlas for Slough.

The report portrays a series of Census information datasets mapped across Slough, using small geographic areas called Output Areas. These are the smallest units at which Census data is released, and contain on average about 309 residents.

The map report shows areas of high and low incidence for characteristics of both residents and the homes they live in, and can be used to form a view about the spatial distribution of these characteristics across the borough – for example, to identify:

• locations with a high proportion of children,
• areas of high unemployment,
• or areas with high or low house ownership.

More details about these maps can be found at Alex Singleton's website.