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North Yorkshire, in numbers

People and living standards

North Yorkshire council area. Every figure carries its own date.

How the population is changing, who lives here and what living standards look like.

North Yorkshire council area. These are council-area figures. They are not a separate history for every ward or the city centre.

More people? A different age mix?

The population grew from 541,800 in 1991 to 639,133 in 2025.

A growing number of children, working-age adults or older residents can mean different needs for homes, schools, jobs and care.

Population

1996 to 2025

North Yorkshire council area · people

Reviewed figures: 1991 to 2025. The chart opens on the latest 30 years; choose All history for the full reviewed record.

Shown on this chart: 553,703 people in 1996; 639,133 people in 2025. 15.4% higher between these observations.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Data table and workings

Published annual mid-year population estimates, both sexes. Exact requested ONS area code; source geography vintage retained. Latest revised source series is used throughout; no years are interpolated and no ward values are inferred.

Mid-year estimates, not census counts. Historical revisions and boundaries follow this one published series.

This is the whole stated area, not a ward or necessarily the named city settlement.

The table retains the full reviewed history when the chart is shortened. Preset ranges end at this measure’s latest published period. Yearly windows count published annual periods; monthly windows count months. Gaps are never filled with estimates.

Population — North Yorkshire council area: full reviewed history
Periodpeople
1991541,800
1992546,103
1993544,706
1994547,753
1995551,984
1996553,703
1997555,468
1998558,107
1999562,012
2000565,610
2001570,094
2002573,186
2003576,130
2004579,959
2005584,001
2006587,299
2007591,247
2008594,979
2009596,396
2010599,028
2011601,206
2012603,963
2013604,151
2014603,672
2015603,711
2016605,770
2017607,291
2018607,735
2019610,660
2020610,899
2021618,627
2022623,520
2023628,076
2024633,692
2025639,133
Source →
People aged 0 to 15

People aged 0 to 15

1996 to 2025

North Yorkshire council area · people

Reviewed figures: 1991 to 2025. The chart opens on the latest 30 years; choose All history for the full reviewed record.

Shown on this chart: 107,885 people in 1996; 99,349 people in 2025. 7.9% lower between these observations.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Data table and workings

Published annual mid-year population estimates, both sexes. Exact requested ONS area code; source geography vintage retained. Latest revised source series is used throughout; no years are interpolated and no ward values are inferred.

Mid-year estimates, not census counts. Historical revisions and boundaries follow this one published series.

This is the whole stated area, not a ward or necessarily the named city settlement.

The table retains the full reviewed history when the chart is shortened. Preset ranges end at this measure’s latest published period. Yearly windows count published annual periods; monthly windows count months. Gaps are never filled with estimates.

People aged 0 to 15 — North Yorkshire council area: full reviewed history
Periodpeople
1991102,424
1992103,529
1993104,754
1994106,390
1995107,476
1996107,885
1997108,088
1998108,522
1999109,890
2000109,907
2001109,411
2002109,502
2003109,194
2004108,890
2005108,032
2006106,767
2007105,642
2008104,652
2009103,790
2010103,460
2011103,484
2012103,112
2013102,679
2014101,861
2015101,415
2016101,386
2017101,358
2018100,984
2019100,235
202099,199
202199,156
2022100,075
2023100,142
2024100,035
202599,349
Source →
People aged 16 to 64

People aged 16 to 64

1996 to 2025

North Yorkshire council area · people

Reviewed figures: 1991 to 2025. The chart opens on the latest 30 years; choose All history for the full reviewed record.

Shown on this chart: 345,368 people in 1996; 369,396 people in 2025. 7% higher between these observations.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Data table and workings

Published annual mid-year population estimates, both sexes. Exact requested ONS area code; source geography vintage retained. Latest revised source series is used throughout; no years are interpolated and no ward values are inferred.

Mid-year estimates, not census counts. Historical revisions and boundaries follow this one published series.

This is the whole stated area, not a ward or necessarily the named city settlement.

The table retains the full reviewed history when the chart is shortened. Preset ranges end at this measure’s latest published period. Yearly windows count published annual periods; monthly windows count months. Gaps are never filled with estimates.

People aged 16 to 64 — North Yorkshire council area: full reviewed history
Periodpeople
1991342,217
1992344,452
1993341,135
1994342,377
1995344,607
1996345,368
1997346,555
1998348,287
1999350,375
2000353,277
2001356,844
2002358,269
2003359,952
2004362,612
2005365,884
2006369,385
2007372,791
2008374,924
2009374,166
2010373,920
2011373,401
2012371,232
2013368,250
2014365,000
2015362,773
2016362,230
2017361,460
2018360,012
2019360,377
2020360,113
2021364,455
2022364,925
2023366,116
2024367,837
2025369,396
Source →
People aged 65 or over

People aged 65 or over

1996 to 2025

North Yorkshire council area · people

Reviewed figures: 1991 to 2025. The chart opens on the latest 30 years; choose All history for the full reviewed record.

Shown on this chart: 100,450 people in 1996; 170,388 people in 2025. 69.6% higher between these observations.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Data table and workings

Published annual mid-year population estimates, both sexes. Exact requested ONS area code; source geography vintage retained. Latest revised source series is used throughout; no years are interpolated and no ward values are inferred.

Mid-year estimates, not census counts. Historical revisions and boundaries follow this one published series.

This is the whole stated area, not a ward or necessarily the named city settlement.

The table retains the full reviewed history when the chart is shortened. Preset ranges end at this measure’s latest published period. Yearly windows count published annual periods; monthly windows count months. Gaps are never filled with estimates.

People aged 65 or over — North Yorkshire council area: full reviewed history
Periodpeople
199197,159
199298,122
199398,817
199498,986
199599,901
1996100,450
1997100,825
1998101,298
1999101,747
2000102,426
2001103,839
2002105,415
2003106,984
2004108,457
2005110,085
2006111,147
2007112,814
2008115,403
2009118,440
2010121,648
2011124,321
2012129,619
2013133,222
2014136,811
2015139,523
2016142,154
2017144,473
2018146,739
2019150,048
2020151,587
2021155,016
2022158,520
2023161,818
2024165,820
2025170,388
Source →

Population growth alone does not show whether services are under pressure. Capacity, location and residents’ needs also matter.

How residents described their ethnic group

These are census snapshots, not annual estimates. Open a year to see both the number of people and their share of the population.

2021 census · 615,490 residents
How this census compares with other years

Census snapshots use the categories and boundaries published for each year. They are not annual estimates. In England and Wales, Chinese moved from Chinese/Other in 2001 to Asian in 2011; mixed categories and later write-in categories also changed. No change is calculated across these categories.

Ethnic group · North Yorkshire · 2021
Residents’ census answerPeopleShare
Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh8,3171.4%
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African2,4560.4%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups6,7201.1%
White595,15496.7%
Other ethnic group2,8430.5%

Census wording and the available categories can change. The tables retain the categories published for each year; they are not automatically like-for-like trends.

Source and method →

A complete, comparable 30-year ethnicity history is not available for every current area. Missing years have not been estimated.

How comfortable is life here?

Pay, housing costs, health and opportunities tell different parts of the story. An area average can hide large differences between households.

In 2024, average disposable income per person was 6.7% above the UK average.

Money available to spend or save per person

1997 to 2024

North Yorkshire council area · Cash prices, before allowing for inflation

Reviewed figures: 1997 to 2024. This reviewed record covers fewer than 30 years, so the chart opens on all of it.

Shown on this chart: £11,370 per person in 1997; £27,703 per person in 2024. 143.6% higher between these observations.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Data table and workings

Published ONS table values from one 1997–2024 release, matched by exact source geography code. Table3 per-person values are retained, not recalculated from rounded totals. Source country/region references are the official published totals, not averages of selected councils.

Amounts are in cash prices for each year and include inflation. A rise does not by itself show an increase in purchasing power.

This is an average per resident, including children and retired people, not the income of a typical household, wages or wealth.

These are official statistics in development, combining administrative and survey inputs. The Annual Population Survey contributes to some components; it is not the sole source.

The 2024 estimates are provisional. Earlier years have been revised within this single release; no release editions are spliced.

The UK index compares each year with the UK average in that same year. It is not an inflation-adjusted income index.

Geography as published in the ONS 19 August 2026 release; exact source code retained. The workbook does not specify a separate local-boundary effective date.

The table retains the full reviewed history when the chart is shortened. Preset ranges end at this measure’s latest published period. Yearly windows count published annual periods; monthly windows count months. Gaps are never filled with estimates.

Money available to spend or save per person — North Yorkshire council area: full reviewed history
Period£ per person, current prices
199711,370
199812,014
199912,236
200012,240
200112,667
200213,067
200313,530
200414,076
200514,862
200615,773
200716,276
200816,649
200917,363
201017,179
201117,440
201218,014
201318,522
201418,796
201519,998
201620,072
201720,674
201821,629
201922,234
202022,116
202123,136
202224,364
202326,225
202427,703
Source →
Has the gap with the UK average changed?

Above zero means income is above the UK average; below zero means it is below. Each year is compared with the UK average for that same year.

Income above or below the UK average

1997 to 2024

North Yorkshire council area · %

Reviewed figures: 1997 to 2024. This reviewed record covers fewer than 30 years, so the chart opens on all of it.

Shown on this chart: 7.2% in 1997; 6.7% in 2024. 0.5 percentage points lower.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Data table and workings

Published ONS table values from one 1997–2024 release, matched by exact source geography code. Table3 per-person values are retained, not recalculated from rounded totals. Source country/region references are the official published totals, not averages of selected councils. Displayed as the published UK=100 value minus 100, giving the percentage above or below the UK average.

Amounts are in cash prices for each year and include inflation. A rise does not by itself show an increase in purchasing power.

This is an average per resident, including children and retired people, not the income of a typical household, wages or wealth.

These are official statistics in development, combining administrative and survey inputs. The Annual Population Survey contributes to some components; it is not the sole source.

The 2024 estimates are provisional. Earlier years have been revised within this single release; no release editions are spliced.

The UK index compares each year with the UK average in that same year. It is not an inflation-adjusted income index.

Geography as published in the ONS 19 August 2026 release; exact source code retained. The workbook does not specify a separate local-boundary effective date.

The table retains the full reviewed history when the chart is shortened. Preset ranges end at this measure’s latest published period. Yearly windows count published annual periods; monthly windows count months. Gaps are never filled with estimates.

Income above or below the UK average — North Yorkshire council area: full reviewed history
Period%
19977.2
199811
19998.2
20002.8
20012.4
20023.3
20033.8
20043.7
20055.7
20067.7
20076.1
20085.7
20098.4
20106.4
20117
20126.7
20135.7
20143.9
20155.1
20164.2
20174.9
20186
20195.5
20205.4
20215.9
20226.1
20237.3
20246.7
Source →

Mixed-source official estimates: administrative records and surveys. Income here is the average money per resident available to spend or save after tax and benefits. It is not typical pay or household wealth. Cash figures do not show how much prices changed.

Adults in work

56.9%

21 March 2021 · North Yorkshire council area

Show the workings

All usual residents aged 16 and over

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly. Current-authority counts sum its complete, non-overlapping current ward output-area counts; former-authority totals have not been relabelled.

Source →

Households facing several disadvantages

13.7%

21 March 2021 · North Yorkshire council area

Show the workings

All households

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Source →

Adults with no qualifications

16.1%

21 March 2021 · North Yorkshire council area

Show the workings

Residents aged 16 and over

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Source →

People reporting bad or very bad health

4.7%

21 March 2021 · North Yorkshire council area

Show the workings

All usual residents; self-reported, not age-standardised

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Source →

Average home price

£270,000

July 2026 · North Yorkshire council area

Show the workings

Homes in the local authority area

Published UK House Price Index average price, all property types and all buyers, not seasonally adjusted. Entire series comes from the 2026-07 official full-file release, preserving its historical revisions and exact area codes. It is a mix-adjusted average, not the median price paid.

Source →

Average monthly private rent

£849

August 2026 · North Yorkshire council area

Show the workings

Homes in the local authority area

Official local housing data feed. House prices are provisional, not seasonally adjusted; rents use the Price Index of Private Rents. Local short-term estimates are variable. Country references use only the explicitly country-coded ctry object, never the local place object.

Source →

Deprivation describes several kinds of disadvantage. It is not a measure of household wealth. A change in an area's ranking does not by itself show whether living conditions improved.

See differences between neighbourhoods →

What could the changes mean locally?

Use the age profile alongside school places and care capacity, and look at housing costs alongside pay. Then check whether local plans respond to the needs shown by the evidence.

Read the local action plan →
Which histories are missing or need care?

No counts returned for this exact present-day area code in the 2001 census table. Older boundaries have not been reassigned by name or population share.

No counts returned for this exact present-day area code in the 2011 census table. Older boundaries have not been reassigned by name or population share.

These histories describe the stated whole area. A consistent historical series for its current wards has not been established.

1991 ethnicity has not been reconstructed to this current area. No annual ethnicity values are inferred between census dates.

These local income figures include inflation. No local inflation-adjusted income series has been substituted or inferred from regional prices.

This series describes the stated council or reference area. A comparable 30-year income history for its current wards has not been established.

The reviewed release starts in 1997. Earlier income values have not been invented or joined from another definition.