County age rises as Hereford population closes in on 60,000 (From Hereford Times)

County age rises as Hereford population closes in on 60,000

7:00am Wednesday 9th January 2013 in News

ONE in four residents of Ledbury and Kington are at least 65 years old, the latest census figures have revealed.

Across Herefordshire almost 40,000 people are now above the traditional retirement age (21.3 per cent of the population) – four per cent higher than the national average.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) says results from the 2011 census show the county’s population now stands at 183,500 which represents a five per cent growth from the previous survey 10 years earlier when the figure stood at 174,800.

That number, however, is less than the seven per cent growth across England and Wales over the same period.

The figures also cast doubt on the belief that Herefordshire’s young adult population is dwindling as students head off to university, with the percentage of 15 to 29 year-old’s increasing in the past 10 years from 14.7 per cent to 16.2 per cent.

Other figures released by the ONS show 58,900 people now live in Hereford city.

Leominster remains the largest market town with 11,700 residents, just ahead of Ross-on-Wye (10,600).

Kington has the smallest population of Herefordshire’s market towns at 3,200, just behind Bromyard (4,500) and Ledbury (9,600).

• Census results paint a picture of Herefordshire: 124,403 Christians, 43,000 singletons and 15,000 divorcees