Key Data

  • Levels of personal and household income in the South West are between 7% and 10% lower than the England average. They also vary considerably across the region and tend to reduce steadily the further south and west one travels.
  • Almost 1.5 million people (29% of the population) in the South West region are in receipt of one or more state benefits.  Of this total, 1 million people are in receipt of the state pension.
  • About 360,000 people of working age (12% of this age group) are in receipt of a state benefit.
  • The number of households in the South West region that own a car or van (82%) is higher than the proportion for England as a whole (75%). Home computer ownership (65%) is also higher than England (63%), as is the number of households with an internet connection (55%, England 53%).
  • There are 213,000 workless households in the South West, i.e. where there is at least one person of working age, but no-one in employment.
  • Around 179,000 South West residents live in an area ranked amongst the 10% most deprived in England.
  • Rural households in the South West have poorer access to key services than in most other English regions.
  • It is estimated that there are up to 73,000 voluntary and community sector organisations in the South West region.
  • There are 17,145 registered general charities in the South West region. Their combined income in 2005 was estimated to be £1.9 billion.
  • The South West has above average rates of social and civic participation and volunteering.
  • Around 10% of the population in the South West provide care for family, friends and neighbours who are ill, suffer from a disability or who are elderly. Around 100,000 people in the region provide in excess of 50 hours care per week.
  • Adults in the South West spend almost 11 million hours per month in formal volunteering. This equates to a cash value of around £58 million.