New census data has revealed that Hertfordshire’s population has boomed over the last decade, with growth up more than 8 per cent in some areas.

The national Census, filled out by the population last year, has provided up-to-date and detailed population figures for the county for the first time since 2011 when the last Census was carried out.

Results for 2021 have been rounded to the nearest 100.

Welwyn Hatfield saw the population shoot from 110,535 in 2011 to 119,900 in 2021, an increase of 8.4 per cent, while the last 30 years have seen a near 30 per cent growth.

In Stevenage, growth of 6.6 per cent was recorded as the population went from 83,957 to 89,500 over the last 10 years, while St Albans saw an increase of 5.3 per cent from 140,664 to 148,200.

North Hertfordshire saw the smallest growth at 4.7 per cent, with the population increasing from 127,114 to 133,200 from 2011 to 2021.

Data also revealed a growth in the ageing population across the county, with North Herts showing an 18.8 per cent increase in people older than 65, jumping from 21,711 in 2011 to 25,800 in 2021.

It’s a similar story in St Albans, with 25,600 people aged 65-plus, an increase of 17.5 per cent from the 21,776 recorded a decade ago.

Welwyn Hatfield recorded an 11.5 per cent increase in the ageing population from 16,939 to 18,900, while Stevenage saw a growth of 15.3 per cent from 11,872 to 13,700.

Across the county there has been a decrease in the young population, with St Albans recording a huge drop of 16.4 per cent in children aged 0 to 4, from 10,296 in 2011 to 8,600 in 2021.

North Hertfordshire saw a decrease of 6.5 per cent from 8,027 to 7,500, while Stevenage dropped 5.1 per cent from 5,906 to 5,600.

In Welwyn Hatfield, the decrease was less significant at 2.5 per cent, going from 6,775 to 6,600 over the last 10 years.