Definition: The percentage of the population aged 16-64. Census data published at Output Area (OA) level and assigned to Area Board based on the location of the OA's population-weighted centroid.

Data source and time period: Office for National Statistics, 2021 Census. Table RM121: Sex by age.

Link: Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics - Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics (nomisweb.co.uk)

Economic activity - employment and unemployment

This chart describes whether or not a person was an active participant in the labour market during the week prior to the 2021 Census. People aged 16 years and over are described in the chart as economically active if, between 15 March and 21 March 2021, they were:

in employment (an employee or self-employed);

unemployed, but looking for work and could start within two weeks;

unemployed, but waiting to start a job that had been offered and accepted.

Those described as economically inactive are people aged 16 years and over who did not have a job between 15 March to 21 March 2021 and had not looked for work between 22 February to 21 March 2021 or could not start work within two weeks.

Definition: People aged 16 years and over by their economic activity status. Census data published at Output Area (OA) level and assigned to Area Board based on the location of the OA's population-weighted centroid.

Data source and time period: Office for National Statistics, 2021 Census. Table TS066: Economic activity status.

Definition: Map of rivers

Data source and time period: The source of rivers is rain.

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Empty business premises

Empty business premises are exempt from business rates for a period of 3 months (retail premises and offices) or 6 months (industrial premises), after which most businesses must pay full business rates. The economic vibrancy of an area is reflected in both the number and duration of empty businesses. In August 2023, South West Wiltshire, Warminster and Trowbridge Area Boards saw the longest average time for which each empty business unit remained empty. Tidworth and Pewsey Area Boards had both low numbers of empty business premises, and comparatively short average durations spent empty. For more information on business support please see Wiltshire Council's business support directory and The Enterprise Network website.

Definition: Number of unoccupied properties liable for business rates, and average months per unit spent empty, as at August 2023.

Data source and time period: Wiltshire Council, Revenues and Benefits Team, August 2023.

Definition: This extract compiled from the Inter Departmental Business Register (IDBR) records the number of enterprises by the number of their employees. An enterprise can be thought of as the overall business, made up of all the individual sites or workplaces.

Data source and time period: Office for National Statistics, UK Business Counts - enterprises by industry and employment size band, March 2023.

Link: Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics - Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics (nomisweb.co.uk)

90% of the business enterprises in Wiltshire are micro-businesses employing fewer than 10 people. Micro-businesses form a strong part of the economy, and are represented in a diverse range of industries. As the Local Government Association (LGA) notes, the COVID-19 pandemic was particularly hard for micro-businesses, and Wiltshire Council provides a business support directory that provides signposting to support for small to medium sized enterprises, large businesses, and self-employed or sole traders. For more information, please click here.

This chart provides a measure of occupational class. Examples of occupational classes are shown below:

Definition: Percentage of households within 30 minutes travel time of nearest town centre, by public transport/walking and car. Published by Department for Transport at lower super output area (LSOA) level, apportioned to Area Board (AB) based on proportion of households in each LSOA/AB intersect.

Data source and time period: Department for Transport, Journey time statistics: JTS0508: Travel time, destination and origin indicators for town centres by mode of travel, Lower Super Output Area (LSOA), England. 2021.

Link: Journey time statistics: data tables (JTS) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Wiltshire's rural character means that the town centres can face a lack of accessibility - as shown in the chart, only the urban area of Salisbury Area Board has 100% of its households living with 30 minutes travel time of their nearest town centre by public transport. Accessibility is better by car, with 99% of Wiltshire's households living within 30 minutes drive of a town centre; but this indicator only measures travel time, not vehicle ownership. For Area Board information on the latter, please see the Sustainable Transport section of this JSNA.