Alva-Johnstone Mausoleum, Alva Churchyard · Photo: Valerie Forsyth · CC BY-SA 4.0More people live alone than in 99% of UK towns: 41% of households
20% of households have dependent children, against 24% across Scotland’s towns. The 2022 Census put Alva’s population at 4,820, in 2,465 households. Here, 55% of residents said they have no religion. The median age locally is 48.9, higher than in nearly four fifths of UK towns.
9.1% of residents are aged 15 to 24, fewer than in 71% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2022.
60–64 is the most common age band: nearly one in ten residents, 1.3 times the share across Scotland’s towns. Higher than in nearly two thirds of UK towns: 24% of residents are 65 or over.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Alva, 48.9. The typical town is 44.4.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across Scotland, 51% of residents are women.
In Alva, 4.1% of adults are full-time students, fewer than in 81% of UK towns
What adults did at the 2022 Census (the NS-SEC classes).
Adults by occupation class · residents 16 and over
Managerial and professional jobs account for nearly a third of Alva’s adults, routine and semi-routine work for 30%, against 33% and 25% across Scotland’s towns. Across the comparison, nearly one in ten adults are full-time students across Scotland’s towns.
Alva households average 2 people, smaller than in 99% of UK towns
Household make-up at the 2022 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Clackmannanshire’s towns and Scotland’s towns
People per household
Scotland’s towns.
By its share of shared households of unrelated adults (1.7%), Alva is below 84% of UK towns.
A larger share of households in flats than 95% of UK towns: 30%
Accommodation type and cars or vans per household, Census 2022. Owning and renting are on Cost of living.
Type of home
Cars or vans · share of households
Set against 29% across Scotland’s towns, just over a fifth of households have no car or van in Alva. Across Alva, a quarter of households live in a detached house. Few places have so few households in terraced houses: 18% here, fewer than in 60% of UK towns. Households in flats: 39% across Scotland’s towns, for comparison.
5.5% of residents were born outside the UK, fewer than in 59% of UK towns
Country of birth, year of arrival and main language, Census 2022.
Born outside the UK, by region · share of all residents; the bar runs to 15%
When those born abroad arrived
Main language · residents aged 3 and over
Recent arrivals (2017 or later) make up 15% of those born abroad (Scotland’s towns: 34%). Among residents born abroad, the largest groups were born in EU countries (2.5%) and in the Middle East and Asia (1.1%). On residents whose main language is English, Alva sits lower than 51% of UK towns: 98%. Across Scotland’s towns, 11% of residents were born outside the UK.
Below 97% of UK towns: 36% of residents describe themselves as Christian
How residents described themselves at the 2022 Census. Lines join the lowest and highest of the three figures.
Ethnic groups other than White British · all residents
White British, not charted: 94% of Alva · Clackmannanshire’s towns 93% · Scotland’s towns 86%.
Religion · all residents
The next-largest groups, after White British, are Other White (3.4%), Pakistani (0.5%) and Arab (0.5%). At 94%, the share of residents who describe themselves as White British is higher than in 67% of UK towns. Elsewhere, nearly two in five residents describe themselves as Christian across Scotland’s towns.
Unpaid carers: 12%, a higher share than 97% of UK towns
Legal partnership status (residents 16 and over) and unpaid care (residents 3 and over), Census 2022.
Partnership status · residents 16 and over
Unpaid care given · share of residents 3 and over
The figure for married adults and civil partners is 46% in Alva and 42% across Scotland’s towns. For 143 residents, unpaid care runs to 50 hours or more a week. Lower than in 51% of UK towns: 32% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership.
29% of adults have a degree-level qualification
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2022.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Against 32% across Scotland’s towns, 29% of adults here have a degree-level qualification, while 17% hold no qualification (17%).
Of 811 UK towns its size (3,000 to 7,000 people), the 248th oldest
Median age, Census 2022. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
Bailrigg is the youngest (18.9); Barton on Sea the oldest (65.3). Nearest to Alva in age: Sonning Common (48.9), Hextable (48.9), Rowlands Gill (49) and Marple Bridge (49).
1 in 7 nearby towns have a higher median age than Alva
Nearby towns coloured by median age, Census 2022. Tap a town for its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Homes with children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alva | 4,820 | — | 48.9 | 24% | 20% |
| Tullibody | 8,515 | 1.8 mi | 41 | 17% | 32% |
| Sauchie | 6,357 | 1.8 mi | 44 | 21% | 26% |
| Menstrie | 2,834 | 2 mi | 45.5 | 23% | 30% |
| Tillicoultry | 4,482 | 2.4 mi | 51 | 27% | 18% |
| Alloa | 14,689 | 2.4 mi | 42.9 | 18% | 24% |
| Clackmannan | 3,282 | 3.7 mi | 47.4 | 22% | 23% |
| Fallin | 2,769 | 4.3 mi | 39.4 | 14% | 29% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “Clackmannanshire’s towns” and “Scotland’s towns” mean their towns. Census comparisons pool every locality in Clackmannanshire (or Scotland), summed the same way as Alva’s figures, so households in open countryside are left out.
- Small counts are blurred. National Records of Scotland adjusts small 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 Alva’s residents
What is the population of Alva?
The 2022 Census counted 4,820 people in Alva’s locality.
What is the average age in Alva?
The median age was 48.9 at the 2022 Census, older than 79% of UK towns. 9.1% of residents were 15 to 24 and 24% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Alva?
94% of residents described themselves as White British in 2022, against 86% across Scotland’s towns and 93% across Clackmannanshire’s towns. 5.5% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Alva?
55% said they had no religion and 36% that they were Christian at the 2022 Census; 1% were Muslim and 5.9% didn’t answer.
Is Alva good for families?
20% of households had dependent children in 2022, against 24% across Scotland’s towns. Schools are on Alva’s schools page.
Sources: Scotland’s Census 2022 (National Records of Scotland), output areas summed to the NRS 2022 locality (UV101b, UV103, UV104, UV113, UV201, UV204b, UV205, UV212, UV301, UV402, UV405, UV406, UV501, UV607, UV801). 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.