Parish Church of All Saints · Photo: Cruccone · CC BY 3.0Milton ranks below 93% of UK towns on residents who describe themselves as White British: 70%
With a median age of 41.5, Milton is younger than 72% of UK towns. On the census count, 53% of adults are married or in a civil partnership. The town is home to 4,150 residents in 1,781 households, by the 2021 Census. 44% of households live in a detached house (England’s towns: 21%).
What the Census says about Milton’s people
More born abroad than most towns
24% of residents were born outside the UK, against 22% across Cambridgeshire’s towns and 18% across England’s towns. The largest groups were born in EU countries (10%) and in the Middle East and Asia (7.5%). Where people were born ↓
Fewer people than in 2011
ONS mid-year estimates put Milton at 4,700 in 2011 and 4,500 in 2024, down 5%, against 10% for England: slower growth than in 97% of UK towns. Since 2011 ↓
Written from the data on this page: ONS Census 2021 (output areas summed to the 2022 built-up area) and ONS mid-year population estimates.
From 2011 to 2024, 97% of UK towns grew faster than Milton: −5%
ONS mid-year estimates, each year indexed to mid-2011 = 100. Milton’s figure is the small areas (2021 LSOAs) that make up the town.
People, mid-2011 = 100
Change by age, 2011 to 2024
About 4,700 people in 2011; 4,500 in 2024.
By age, the 65 and over group changed most (+37%) and the 0 to 15 group least (−24%).
8.8% of residents are aged 15 to 24, fewer than in 79% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
More residents are 30–34 than any other five-year age: 8.2% of residents. Elsewhere, 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across England’s towns. On residents aged 65 and over, Milton sits lower than 83% of UK towns: 17%.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Milton, 41.5. The typical town is 44.4.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
A lower share of full-time students than 63% of UK towns, at 4.5%
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 account for 53% of Milton’s adults, routine and semi-routine work for 15%, against 33% and 24% across England’s towns. Census figures put residents who moved in within the year at 11% here. By way of comparison, 7.9% of adults are full-time students across England’s towns.
27% of households are one person living alone, fewer than in 74% of UK towns
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Cambridgeshire’s towns and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
Where 29% of households have dependent children across England’s towns, Milton has 26%. The usual figure: 30% of households are one person living alone across England’s towns. In Milton, 5.1% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home.
Milton sits below 67% of UK towns for households in terraced houses (16%)
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
Households without a car or van: 15% of the total. Across England’s towns, nearly a quarter of households live in a flat or apartment; in Milton, 11%.
Above 96% of UK towns: 24% of residents were born outside the UK
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
Most residents from abroad were born in EU countries (10%) or in the Middle East and Asia (7.5%). On average, 18% of residents were born outside the UK across England’s towns. Lower than in 94% of UK towns: 88% of residents have English as their main language. Born abroad and arrived since 2017: just over a fifth of that group, against 21% across England’s towns.
In Milton, 40% of residents said they have no religion, fewer than in 56% 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: 70% of Milton · Cambridgeshire’s towns 72% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Other than White British, most residents describe themselves as Other White (14%), Indian (4.3%) and Mixed or multiple (3.5%). On average, 37% of residents said they have no religion across England’s towns. Residents who describe themselves as Christian are rarer here than in three quarters of UK towns.
A larger share of adults who have never married than 68% of UK towns: 35%
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
At 8.1%, the share of unpaid carers is in line with the figure across England’s towns. For comparison, 39% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership across England’s towns. 72 residents give 50 hours or more of unpaid care each week.
56% of adults have 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 Milton, 10%, while 56% hold one at degree level (34%).
695 UK towns of 3,000 to 6,000 people: this is the 120th youngest
Median age, Census 2021. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
At the ends of the range sit Bailrigg (18.9), the youngest, and Sutton on Sea and Trusthorpe (64.7), the oldest. Nearest to Milton in age: Cholsey (41.4), Uppingham (41.5), Marchwood (41.5) and Markyate (41.6).
Of the 7 towns nearest Milton, 5 are older
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milton | 4,150 | — | 41.5 | 17% | 26% |
| Histon and Impington | 7,781 | 2.2 mi | 45.6 | 23% | 28% |
| Waterbeach | 5,375 | 2.4 mi | 38.1 | 16% | 31% |
| Cambridge | 152,742 | 2.9 mi | 31.9 | 11% | 26% |
| Girton | 4,384 | 3.2 mi | 45.1 | 25% | 28% |
| Cottenham | 6,156 | 3.4 mi | 44.8 | 22% | 29% |
| Oakington | 1,494 | 3.9 mi | 46.6 | 25% | 29% |
| Bottisham | 1,990 | 4.5 mi | 45 | 24% | 34% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “Cambridgeshire’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Cambridgeshire (or England), summed the same way as Milton’s figures, so households in open countryside are left out. The population trend compares with the whole county and nation.
- Estimates since 2021 are modelled. The ONS builds mid-year estimates from the Census, births, deaths and migration records. Milton’s trend uses the small areas (2021 LSOAs) with most of their people inside it: 4,402 people in 2021, against 4,150 in the built-up area.
- 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 Milton’s residents
What is the population of Milton?
The 2021 Census counted 4,150 people in Milton’s built-up area. The ONS estimates the same small areas held 4,500 people in mid-2024, 5% fewer than in 2011.
What is the average age in Milton?
The median age was 41.5 at the 2021 Census, younger than 72% of UK towns. 8.8% of residents were 15 to 24 and 17% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Milton?
70% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 72% across Cambridgeshire’s towns. 24% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Milton?
40% said they had no religion and 46% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 2% were Muslim and 7% didn’t answer.
Is Milton good for families?
26% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Milton’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) · ONS mid-year population estimates for 2021 LSOAs, mid-2011 to mid-2024. 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.