Photo: Bryn Holmes · CC BY-SA 2.0Only 21% of households have dependent children in Padstow
With a median age of 49.3, Padstow is older than just over four fifths of UK towns. Census day 2021: 2,351 residents and 1,067 households locally. On the census count, 11% of residents give unpaid care. Households in Padstow hold 2.2 people on average (England’s towns: 2.4).
What the Census says about Padstow’s people
Many older residents
28% of residents were 65 or over in 2021, more than in 85% of UK towns; 19% of households are someone 66 or over living alone. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: ONS Census 2021 (output areas summed to the 2022 built-up area).
A larger share of residents aged 65 and over than 85% of UK towns: 28%
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
Set against 12% across England’s towns, nearly one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24 in Padstow. As a reference point, 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns.
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.
In Padstow, 3.3% of adults are full-time students, fewer than in 97% of UK towns
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%.
10% of residents lived at another address a year earlier (England’s towns: 11%). For full-time students, the comparison across England’s towns is 7.9%.
One-person homes: 32% of households in Padstow
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Cornwall’s towns and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
At 4.3%, the share of shared households of unrelated adults is in line with the figure across England’s towns. For comparison, 30% of households are one person living alone across England’s towns.
A higher share of households in terraced houses than 78% of UK towns, at 28%
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 without a car or van is 24%; Padstow has 18%. For Padstow, the census puts households in flats at 12%. Households in detached houses are rarer here than in 64% of UK towns.
4.5% born outside the UK, fewer than in 71% 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 25%
When those born abroad arrived
Main language · residents aged 3 and over
Among residents born abroad, the largest groups were born in EU countries (2.7%) and in Africa (0.7%). 98% of residents have English as their main language, a higher share than in 70% of UK towns. The share of residents born outside the UK across England’s towns is 18%. Of residents born abroad, 21% arrived in 2017 or later, against 21% across England’s towns.
In Padstow, 94% of residents describe themselves as White British, more than in 66% 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: 94% of Padstow · Cornwall’s towns 93% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Beyond White British, the biggest groups are Other White (2.5%), Mixed or multiple (0.7%) and Indian (0.1%). Against that, 73% of residents describe themselves as White British across England’s towns. Compared with other places, residents who describe themselves as Christian are common here: 51%, more than in 61% of UK towns. In Padstow, 42% of residents said they have no religion, beside 37% across England’s towns.
A lower share of married adults and civil partners than 60% of UK towns, at 46%
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
Nearly a third of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership; across England’s towns the figure is 39%. Typically, 44% of adults are married or in a civil partnership across England’s towns.
Degree level: the highest qualification of 25% of adults
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Across England’s towns, 34% of adults have a degree-level qualification; in Padstow, 25%, and 19% have none, against 18%.
2 of the 7 nearest towns are older than Padstow
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Padstow | 2,351 | — | 49.3 | 28% | 21% |
| Rock | 1,156 | 2 mi | 53.9 | 36% | 20% |
| St Merryn | 1,344 | 2.2 mi | 46.9 | 25% | 28% |
| Wadebridge | 5,626 | 5.1 mi | 50.4 | 30% | 21% |
| Egloshayle | 1,185 | 5.5 mi | 45 | 25% | 30% |
| St Columb Major | 3,663 | 7.4 mi | 43.2 | 22% | 28% |
| Quintrell Downs | 1,358 | 10.1 mi | 46.7 | 26% | 25% |
| Newquay | 24,543 | 10.1 mi | 42.7 | 20% | 25% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “Cornwall’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Cornwall (or England), summed the same way as Padstow’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 Padstow’s residents
What is the population of Padstow?
The 2021 Census counted 2,351 people in Padstow’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Padstow?
The median age was 49.3 at the 2021 Census. 9.3% of residents were 15 to 24 and 28% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Padstow?
94% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 93% across Cornwall’s towns. 4.5% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Padstow?
42% said they had no religion and 51% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0.3% were Muslim and 5.9% didn’t answer.
Is Padstow good for families?
21% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Padstow’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.