Some Facts about Somerset

The county covers 3,452 square kilometres or 1,333 square miles.

The main towns are Taunton, Yeovil and Bridgwater. The rest of the population live in the market towns or rural areas.

It is crossed by the M5, A30/A303 and the two main railway lines between London, the Midlands and North and the West Country.

76% of the county is classed as rural.

The majority of the Exmoor National Park lies within Somerset.

The upland areas of the Quantocks, the Mendips, the Blackdowns and a small part of Cranbourne Chase in the county are classed as ‘Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty’- all containing many sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs).

30% of the county is low lying and liable to flooding. Our coastal communities such as Burnham on Sea and Minehead will be affected by gradual sea level rise.

People aged 65 years and older make up approximately 20% of Somerset’s population. We expect that by 2026, 27% will be over 65.

Just over 18% of the population is aged between 5-19 years. While predictions show that the total Somerset population is currently increasing (by 7% between 2001 and 2011), the number of children and young people is expected to decrease over the same period (by 0.6%).

Glastonbury Tor

Somerset’s black and ethnic minority population has increased from nearly 3% in 2001 to over 4% in 2004.

There are 270 schools in Somerset, five further education and sixth form colleges providing education for over 67,000 pupils and students.

There are 6,580 kilometres (4089 miles) of roads in Somerset and footpaths and bridleways that make up the Rights of Way network which cover a further 6,000 kilometres, (3728 miles).

33,150 people (11%) of working age are key benefit claimants which is lower than the South West and national average.

The value of what Somerset produces and the wages people earn are lower than in other areas.

Our key business sectors are: advanced engineering, aerospace and environmental technology, food and drink, tourism and the creative industries (media and new technologies).

Jobs requiring professional or higher academic skills accounted for 18% of total employment in 2004 compared with 32% in Great Britain and 20% in the South West.

Somerset is a safe place to live, it compares very favourably with other areas in the South West – it has the 6th lowest crime rate out of the South West authorities.

Life expectancy in Somerset is relatively high (78 years for men and 82 years for women) and is increasing, but healthy life expectancy is not increasing as fast, suggesting that more people will be living with ill health in future and there is likely to be an increase in the incidence of dementia and life limiting conditions.

An estimated 20.8% (2000-02) of Somerset residents smoke compared to 26% nationally.

The Lifestyle Survey undertaken in 2002 shows that nearly 35% of adults were overweight and 13.5% were obese.

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