The latest data release from the 2021 Census reveals details about gender identity, sexual orientation, housing and education in Hitchin, Letchworth, Baldock and Royston.

90.78 per cent of people aged 16 or over in North Herts identified as straight or heterosexual, 1.28 per cent as gay or lesbian, and 1.18 per cent as bisexual. 0.27 per cent gave another sexual orientation, and 6.49 per cent did not answer.

Across England and Wales as a whole, 89.4 per cent identified as straight or heterosexual, and 3.2 per cent identified as gay or lesbian, bisexual, or another sexual orientation.

94.86 per cent said their gender identity was the same as their sex registered at birth, and 0.34 per cent said their gender identity was different from their sex registered at birth. 

Across England and Wales as a whole, 93.5 per cent said their gender identity was the same as their sex registered at birth, and 0.5 per cent said their gender identity was different from their sex registered at birth.

The 2021 census was the first to include questions on sexual orientation and gender identity, which were voluntary.

New data on education levels in North Herts reveals a mixed picture. The percentage of people aged 16 or over with no qualifications rose between the 2011 and 2021 censuses, from 10.2 per cent to 13.6 per cent.

However, the percentage of people with a level four (degree-level) or above qualification also increased, from 37.8 per cent to 41.5 per cent.

Housing-wise, there was an increase in the percentage of households who owned their home outright, from 30.3 per cent in 2011 to 33.4 per cent in 2021.

In 2021, 32.6 per cent owned their home with a mortgage, loan or via shared ownership, 18.7 per cent were in socially rented property, and 15.4 per cent rented privately or lived rent-free.

A significant majority of households in North Herts in 2021 were classed as under-occupied, based on the number of bedrooms and number of people living in each household.

39.6 per cent of households had an occupancy rating of +2 or more, meaning they had two or more spare bedrooms. 32.9 per cent had an occupancy rating of +1, 25.3 per cent had a zero occupancy rating, 2.2 per cent had a negative occupancy rating.