Photo: Matthew Sheasby · CC BY-SA 2.09.5% of households have no car or van, fewer than in 85% of UK towns
In Henlow, 26% of households are one person living alone, beside 30% across England’s towns. At the 2021 Census, 2,446 people lived here, in 1,008 households. The census found that 6.5% of households live in a flat or apartment in the village. 29% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership, a lower share than in 76% of UK towns.
A median age of 46: Henlow is older than 61% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
Residents aged 65 and over make up 21%, against 18% across England’s towns. Census figures put residents aged 15 to 24 at 9.6% in Henlow.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
More full-time students than 57% of UK towns: 5%
What adults did at the 2021 Census (the ONS’s NS-SEC classes), and where residents lived a year earlier.
Adults by occupation class · residents 16 and over
Address a year before the Census
Residents who lived somewhere else a year earlier. The bar runs to 25%.
Managerial and professional jobs take in 40% of adults here, routine and semi-routine work 20% (England’s towns: 33% and 24%). For comparison, 7.9% of adults are full-time students across England’s towns. One in ten residents lived at another address a year earlier.
2.4 people per household, more than in 76% of UK towns
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Bedfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
Families with dependent children are 31% of households (England’s towns 29%), and 14% are someone 66 or over living alone (Bedfordshire’s towns 11%). In Henlow, 2.1% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home.
Above 80% of UK towns: 29% of households live in a terraced house
Accommodation type and cars or vans per household, Census 2021. Owning and renting are on Cost of living.
Type of home
Cars or vans · share of households
Across England’s towns, the share of households in detached houses is 21%; Henlow has 31%. For comparison, nearly a quarter of households live in a terraced house across England’s towns.
In Henlow, 98% of residents have English as their main language, more than in 66% of UK towns
Country of birth, year of arrival and main language, Census 2021.
Born outside the UK, by region · share of all residents; the bar runs to 30%
When those born abroad arrived
Main language · residents aged 3 and over
Residents born outside the UK make up 5.8%, against 18% across England’s towns. The benchmark for residents whose main language is English across England’s towns: 90%.
In Henlow, 52% of residents describe themselves as Christian, more than in 63% of UK towns
How residents described themselves at the 2021 Census. Lines join the lowest and highest of the three figures.
Ethnic groups other than White British · all residents
White British, not charted: 91% of Henlow · Bedfordshire’s towns 61% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Compared with 37% across England’s towns, two in five residents said they have no religion here. Residents who describe themselves as Christian: 46% across England’s towns, for comparison. In Henlow, 91% of residents describe themselves as White British.
Henlow sits above 73% of UK towns for married adults and civil partners (52%)
Legal partnership status (residents 16 and over) and unpaid care (residents 5 and over), Census 2021.
Partnership status · residents 16 and over
Unpaid care given · share of residents 5 and over
Unpaid care takes 50 hours a week or more for 47 people. At 8.3%, the share of unpaid carers is lower than in nearly four fifths of UK towns. The benchmark for married adults and civil partners across England’s towns: 44%.
34% of adults hold a degree-level qualification
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Across England’s towns, 18% of adults have no qualification; in Henlow, 15%, while 34% hold one at degree level (34%).
1 of the 7 nearest towns are older than Henlow
Nearby built-up areas coloured by median age, Census 2021. Tap a town for its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Homes with children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henlow | 2,446 | — | 46 | 21% | 31% |
| Clifton | 2,769 | 0.8 mi | 43.8 | 20% | 30% |
| Arlesey | 6,027 | 1.5 mi | 39.9 | 15% | 29% |
| Langford | 3,712 | 1.8 mi | 45.2 | 22% | 27% |
| Lower Stondon | 3,966 | 2 mi | 40.3 | 17% | 33% |
| Shefford | 7,317 | 2.1 mi | 39.9 | 16% | 33% |
| Meppershall | 2,044 | 2.4 mi | 46.5 | 23% | 30% |
| Stotfold | 12,313 | 2.5 mi | 40.3 | 16% | 37% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “Bedfordshire’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Bedfordshire (or England), summed the same way as Henlow’s figures, so households in open countryside are left out.
- Small counts are blurred. The ONS adds small random changes to Census counts to protect privacy, so the same total differs a little between tables, and the shares of a small town can move by a point or two.
Questions about Henlow’s residents
What is the population of Henlow?
The 2021 Census counted 2,446 people in Henlow’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Henlow?
The median age was 46 at the 2021 Census. 9.6% of residents were 15 to 24 and 21% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Henlow?
91% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 61% across Bedfordshire’s towns. 5.8% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Henlow?
40% said they had no religion and 52% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0.2% were Muslim and 6.1% didn’t answer.
Is Henlow good for families?
31% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Henlow’s schools page.
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area (TS002, TS003, TS004, TS007A, TS008, TS015, TS017, TS019, TS021, TS029, TS030, TS039, TS044, TS045, TS062, TS067). All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.