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Wakefield · England

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Wakefield council area. Every figure carries its own date.

Choose a ward to see its people, homes, health and mapped crime. These are electoral neighbourhoods within the council area; some extend beyond the city itself.

Wakefield

Ackworth, North Elmsall & UptonAiredale & Ferry FrystonAltofts & WhitwoodCastleford Central & GlasshoughtonCrofton, Ryhill & WaltonFeatherstoneHemsworthHorbury & South OssettKnottingley & FerrybridgeNormantonOssettPontefract NorthPontefract SouthSouth Elmsall & South KirkbyStanley & Outwood EastWakefield EastWakefield NorthWakefield RuralWakefield SouthWakefield WestWrenthorpe & Outwood West
21 mapped electoral wards · May 2026. The same wards are available in the named list below. These are council boundaries, not police neighbourhoods.
Wakefield: 21 wards · boundaries May 2026
WardPeople in censusPrivately rented homesBad or very bad health
Ackworth, North Elmsall & Upton17,38214%6%
Airedale & Ferry Fryston16,6698%8.7%
Altofts & Whitwood17,84912%5.4%
Castleford Central & Glasshoughton17,61223%7.2%
Crofton, Ryhill & Walton15,57911%7.1%
Featherstone17,73513%7.6%
Hemsworth15,92015%9.4%
Horbury & South Ossett15,20013%5.8%
Knottingley & Ferrybridge14,25912%7.7%
Normanton17,35116%6.1%
Ossett16,52215%5.3%
Pontefract North17,61316%6.7%
Pontefract South17,08310%6.5%
South Elmsall & South Kirkby18,86017%8.3%
Stanley & Outwood East16,20415%4.4%
Wakefield East15,68326%6.7%
Wakefield North17,55828%6.6%
Wakefield Rural17,69111%4.5%
Wakefield South16,64915%5.7%
Wakefield West16,73711%6.9%
Wrenthorpe & Outwood West17,2219%5.1%

Look beneath the council average

Homes rented privately

8.3% to 28.1%

Homes rented privately ranged from 8.3% in Airedale & Ferry Fryston to 28.1% in Wakefield North — a gap of 19.8 percentage points.

21 March 2021 · 21 of 21 current wards with comparable figures.

A larger private-rented sector changes the mix of housing advice, enforcement and tenant support needed. It does not tell us whether individual homes are affordable or safe.

See each ward and the workings

These are separate ward percentages, not an average of them. Boundaries: May 2026. Missing or differently defined figures are excluded from this range and stay visible on the ward pages.

Homes rented privately · 21 March 2021
WardShareCountPopulation or households covered
Airedale & Ferry Fryston8.3%5716,856
Wrenthorpe & Outwood West9.4%6857,294
Pontefract South10.1%7507,400
Crofton, Ryhill & Walton10.7%7216,721
Wakefield West11%7777,049
Wakefield Rural11.5%8807,676
Altofts & Whitwood12.4%9417,585
Knottingley & Ferrybridge12.5%7906,344
Horbury & South Ossett13.4%9176,858
Featherstone13.4%1,0417,745
Ackworth, North Elmsall & Upton13.8%1,0337,494
Stanley & Outwood East14.5%1,0237,043
Wakefield South14.9%1,0627,119
Hemsworth15%1,0376,931
Ossett15.4%1,1497,458
Pontefract North15.6%1,2187,793
Normanton15.8%1,1947,549
South Elmsall & South Kirkby17%1,3598,006
Castleford Central & Glasshoughton22.6%1,8578,228
Wakefield East25.8%1,6696,481
Wakefield North28.1%2,1137,509
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People reporting bad or very bad health

4.4% to 9.4%

People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 4.4% in Stanley & Outwood East to 9.4% in Hemsworth — a gap of 4.9 percentage points.

21 March 2021 · 21 of 21 current wards with comparable figures.

Residents described their own health. Differences in age matter, so this is a prompt to investigate needs, not a score for local health services.

See each ward and the workings

These are separate ward percentages, not an average of them. Boundaries: May 2026. Missing or differently defined figures are excluded from this range and stay visible on the ward pages.

People reporting bad or very bad health · 21 March 2021
WardShareCountPopulation or households covered
Stanley & Outwood East4.4%71916,201
Wakefield Rural4.5%80217,708
Wrenthorpe & Outwood West5.1%88017,208
Ossett5.3%87716,521
Altofts & Whitwood5.4%95617,860
Wakefield South5.7%94416,665
Horbury & South Ossett5.8%88015,204
Ackworth, North Elmsall & Upton6%1,04217,378
Normanton6.1%1,06417,361
Pontefract South6.5%1,11317,066
Wakefield North6.6%1,15417,555
Wakefield East6.7%1,05415,680
Pontefract North6.7%1,18517,615
Wakefield West6.9%1,16416,762
Crofton, Ryhill & Walton7.1%1,11115,579
Castleford Central & Glasshoughton7.2%1,26717,614
Featherstone7.6%1,34417,733
Knottingley & Ferrybridge7.7%1,09914,258
South Elmsall & South Kirkby8.3%1,57018,876
Airedale & Ferry Fryston8.7%1,44216,669
Hemsworth9.4%1,49215,922
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People aged 65 or over

13.6% to 23.2%

People aged 65 or over ranged from 13.6% in Wakefield East to 23.2% in Horbury & South Ossett — a gap of 9.5 percentage points.

21 March 2021 · 21 of 21 current wards with comparable figures.

Age helps locate demand for accessible homes, transport and support. Being older does not itself mean someone needs care.

See each ward and the workings

These are separate ward percentages, not an average of them. Boundaries: May 2026. Missing or differently defined figures are excluded from this range and stay visible on the ward pages.

People aged 65 or over · 21 March 2021
WardShareCountPopulation or households covered
Wakefield East13.6%2,13715,694
Wakefield North13.8%2,41917,571
Altofts & Whitwood15.7%2,80217,832
Pontefract North16.4%2,89517,631
Normanton16.9%2,92617,355
Airedale & Ferry Fryston17.2%2,86016,668
Wakefield West17.3%2,89316,755
South Elmsall & South Kirkby18%3,39818,878
Castleford Central & Glasshoughton18%3,16717,591
Stanley & Outwood East18.3%2,97316,206
Featherstone18.7%3,30917,734
Knottingley & Ferrybridge18.7%2,66714,236
Wakefield South19.5%3,23916,625
Ackworth, North Elmsall & Upton20.2%3,50917,386
Hemsworth20.3%3,23615,948
Wrenthorpe & Outwood West20.5%3,53317,201
Ossett21.9%3,61516,538
Wakefield Rural22.8%4,03517,716
Pontefract South22.9%3,91517,079
Crofton, Ryhill & Walton23.1%3,59915,593
Horbury & South Ossett23.2%3,52515,221
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People aged 16+ with no qualifications

17.8% to 32.3%

People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 17.8% in Stanley & Outwood East to 32.3% in Airedale & Ferry Fryston — a gap of 14.5 percentage points.

21 March 2021 · 21 of 21 current wards with comparable figures.

Formal qualifications are only one part of someone's skills. Training decisions also need current vacancies, employment and residents' experience.

See each ward and the workings

These are separate ward percentages, not an average of them. Boundaries: May 2026. Missing or differently defined figures are excluded from this range and stay visible on the ward pages.

People aged 16+ with no qualifications · 21 March 2021
WardShareCountPopulation or households covered
Stanley & Outwood East17.8%2,37013,332
Wakefield Rural18%2,66314,795
Wrenthorpe & Outwood West18.7%2,64514,138
Horbury & South Ossett19.4%2,44812,588
Ossett20.4%2,75213,519
Altofts & Whitwood21.1%3,03914,399
Wakefield South21.7%2,91513,417
Ackworth, North Elmsall & Upton21.8%3,10414,241
Crofton, Ryhill & Walton22.4%2,88012,867
Pontefract South23%3,20313,937
Pontefract North23.3%3,33414,335
Wakefield North24.2%3,47914,371
Normanton26.4%3,73714,162
Castleford Central & Glasshoughton27.1%4,00514,794
Wakefield West27.2%3,58913,214
Wakefield East28.1%3,48612,405
Featherstone28.5%4,11214,423
Hemsworth30.7%3,97012,928
South Elmsall & South Kirkby31%4,69215,128
Knottingley & Ferrybridge31.3%3,58511,446
Airedale & Ferry Fryston32.3%4,22613,103
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People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent

16.5% to 31.4%

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent ranged from 16.5% in Knottingley & Ferrybridge to 31.4% in Wakefield South — a gap of 14.9 percentage points.

21 March 2021 · 21 of 21 current wards with comparable figures.

Qualifications show local skills, not whether people have secure jobs or use those skills at work.

See each ward and the workings

These are separate ward percentages, not an average of them. Boundaries: May 2026. Missing or differently defined figures are excluded from this range and stay visible on the ward pages.

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent · 21 March 2021
WardShareCountPopulation or households covered
Knottingley & Ferrybridge16.5%1,88311,446
Airedale & Ferry Fryston16.8%2,19813,103
South Elmsall & South Kirkby17.5%2,65015,128
Hemsworth18.1%2,34512,928
Castleford Central & Glasshoughton19.1%2,82114,794
Featherstone19.7%2,84114,423
Normanton21.4%3,03214,162
Wakefield West21.7%2,86913,214
Pontefract North24.6%3,53114,335
Wakefield East24.7%3,07012,405
Altofts & Whitwood25.3%3,64414,399
Ossett25.7%3,47113,519
Wakefield North25.9%3,71514,371
Pontefract South26%3,63013,937
Crofton, Ryhill & Walton26.9%3,46412,867
Horbury & South Ossett28.2%3,54612,588
Ackworth, North Elmsall & Upton28.3%4,03614,241
Wrenthorpe & Outwood West29.8%4,21414,138
Stanley & Outwood East30.6%4,08513,332
Wakefield Rural30.8%4,55414,795
Wakefield South31.4%4,20813,417
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Households facing two or more measured disadvantages

13.7% to 29.4%

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 13.7% in Wakefield Rural to 29.4% in Airedale & Ferry Fryston — a gap of 15.7 percentage points.

21 March 2021 · 21 of 21 current wards with comparable figures.

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

See each ward and the workings

These are separate ward percentages, not an average of them. Boundaries: May 2026. Missing or differently defined figures are excluded from this range and stay visible on the ward pages.

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages · 21 March 2021
WardShareCountPopulation or households covered
Wakefield Rural13.7%1,0487,670
Stanley & Outwood East14.4%1,0107,021
Wrenthorpe & Outwood West15.8%1,1537,294
Ossett16.9%1,2557,444
Altofts & Whitwood17.1%1,2997,604
Horbury & South Ossett17.5%1,1986,851
Ackworth, North Elmsall & Upton18.9%1,4147,496
Wakefield South20.1%1,4277,096
Crofton, Ryhill & Walton20.2%1,3536,713
Pontefract North20.9%1,6317,793
Pontefract South21.3%1,5737,391
Normanton21.9%1,6537,545
Wakefield North22.8%1,7137,521
Castleford Central & Glasshoughton23%1,8898,224
Featherstone24.7%1,9137,757
Wakefield East25.5%1,6506,466
Knottingley & Ferrybridge25.6%1,6236,334
Wakefield West25.7%1,8077,042
South Elmsall & South Kirkby26.9%2,1497,996
Hemsworth28.8%1,9986,938
Airedale & Ferry Fryston29.4%2,0156,857
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Homes rented from a council or housing association

10.5% to 38.9%

Homes rented from a council or housing association ranged from 10.5% in Stanley & Outwood East to 38.9% in Wakefield West — a gap of 28.3 percentage points.

21 March 2021 · 21 of 21 current wards with comparable figures.

The share of social housing describes the homes already here. It does not show the current waiting list or whether enough suitable homes are available.

See each ward and the workings

These are separate ward percentages, not an average of them. Boundaries: May 2026. Missing or differently defined figures are excluded from this range and stay visible on the ward pages.

Homes rented from a council or housing association · 21 March 2021
WardShareCountPopulation or households covered
Stanley & Outwood East10.5%7427,043
Wakefield Rural10.8%8287,676
Ackworth, North Elmsall & Upton13.5%1,0097,494
Wrenthorpe & Outwood West14.9%1,0897,294
Castleford Central & Glasshoughton15.1%1,2428,228
Altofts & Whitwood15.8%1,1957,585
Crofton, Ryhill & Walton16.7%1,1236,721
Horbury & South Ossett17.4%1,1936,858
Ossett17.6%1,3147,458
Pontefract North20.3%1,5827,793
Pontefract South21.9%1,6187,400
Wakefield South23.9%1,7057,119
Normanton24.2%1,8247,549
Wakefield North24.3%1,8217,509
Featherstone25.2%1,9497,745
South Elmsall & South Kirkby25.9%2,0718,006
Hemsworth26.5%1,8386,931
Knottingley & Ferrybridge29.7%1,8816,344
Wakefield East31.5%2,0396,481
Airedale & Ferry Fryston35.4%2,4246,856
Wakefield West38.9%2,7417,049
Source and method →
What could respond to this pattern →