Demography
In the 2001 census, the population was 8,981, comprising 4,482 (49.9%) males and 4,499 (50.1%) females. 1,976 (22%) residents were aged 16 or below, 5,781 (64.4%) between 16 and 65, and 1,224 (13.6%) aged 65 or over.
Of the population aged between 16 and 74, 4,200 (66%) were in employment, with only 224 (3.5%) unemployed (the remainder being economically inactive). About 69% of those in employment were in service industries, with the remainder in manufacturing. 1,459 people were employed in managerial or professional occupations, 522 were self-employed, and 1,888 in routine and semi-routine occupations.
3,714 households were recorded in the town, of which 2,621 (70.6%) were owner-occupied, 515 (13.9%) rented from private landlords, and 578 (15.6%) rented from the local authority or other social landlords. 3,688 (99.3%) heads of households were white.
In late 2008, Mendip District Council's estimate of the town's population was 9,700.
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