second largest at 4.2%. The predominant religion in the ward is Christianity, with 71.8% of the population of the ward identifying themselves as Christians. This is near to the national average of 71.9% however is greater than the city average of 59.1%. 13.8% stated that they had no religion and 7.8% did not answer the question. 27.6% of the population was noted to be in the 25-44 age group, below the Birmingham average of 28.3% and the national average of 29.3%. People of a pensionable age represented 19.3% of the ward's population, above that of 16.7% for the city. 57.2% of the population was of a working age, below the city average of 59.8%. 63% of the population had a job whilst 8.2% was unemployed, below the city average of 9.5% yet above the national average of 5%. Of the unemployed, 36.5% were in long term unemployment and 11.2% had never worked. 17.9% of those with a job, worked in the manufacturing sector. 17.1% worked in the Wholesale & Retail Trade, Vehicle Repairs sector. The largest employer for the ward is National Express West Midlands who employ approximately 460 people. The majority of housing is either inter-war or post-war build. 99% of residents live in households whilst 1% live in communal establishments. There was a total of 10,514 households that were occupied resulting in an average of 2.4 people per house, equal to that of the national average. 63.8% of occupied houses were occupied by the owner, above the city average of 60.4%. 26.3% of occupied houses were rented from Birmingham City Council. 354 were stated as being vacant. The majority of the housing in the ward was stated as being semi-detached (42.9%) whilst terraced houses were the second most common (32.4%). References 2001 Population Census Information: Ward profiles External links Birmingham City Council: Billesley Ward Areas of Birmingham, West Midlands Wards of Birmingham, West Midlands