Population
The West Midlands has an area of 348 square miles and a density of 8288 people per square mile. It is the third most populated conurbation.
The population at the 2021 Census was 2,919,700 within 1,131,800 households. The gender balance is 49.1% male and 50.9% female.
Nearly two-thirds (58.1%) of the area is of high deprivation and 49% of neighbourhoods are in the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods of the country.
Age
The child population (0-14) is 19.8% which is higher than the national level.
The teenage population (15-19) is 6.7% which is slightly higher than the national level.
The working population (20-64) is 57.6% which is comparable with the national level.
The older population (64+) is 15.5% which is lower than the national level.
Employment
As of early 2025 the West Midlands employment rate stands at around 74%. The unemployment rate is 4.9% which is above the national average.
The largest job family is associate professional, administrative and elementary occupations which includes office workers, technicians, cleaners and construction labourers. This family accounts for 35.4% of employment which is slightly above the national rate. Professional occupations make up 25.8%, which is lower than the national rate, and includes civil and mechanical engineers, scientists, teachers and developers.
Learning more
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) are the UK’s largest independent producer of official statistics and its recognised national statistical institute. They are responsible for collecting and publishing statistics related to the economy, population and society at national, regional and local levels. They conduct the census in England and Wales every 10 years.
The ONS produce local indicators which include disposable household income, participation in further education and life satisfaction. Click here to go to the West Midlands profile.