Photo: Linda Spashett, Storye book · CC BY 3.0More family households than 97% of UK towns: 38% in Merrybent
Households in flats make up 0.6%, against 23% across England’s towns. A fifth of households are one person living alone. At 67%, the share of residents who describe themselves as Christian is higher than in 99% of UK towns. Merrybent is home to 478 residents in 182 households, by the 2021 Census.
Merrybent ranks above 88% of UK towns on residents aged 15 to 24: 11%
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
With a median age of 43.4, Merrybent is younger than 58% of UK towns. On average, 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across England’s towns. The share of residents aged 65 and over stands at 17%. 10–14 is the most common age band: 10% of residents, 1.7 times the share across England’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
13% of residents lived at another address a year earlier, a share 93% of UK towns don’t reach
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%.
Across England’s towns, 33% of adults are in managerial and professional jobs and 24% in routine work; in Merrybent, 43% and 14%. 7.1% of adults are full-time students, more than in 92% of UK towns. Residents who moved in within the year make up 11% across England’s towns.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.
Merrybent households average 2.7 people, larger than in 98% of UK towns
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against County Durham’s towns and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
Across England’s towns, 4.3% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home; in Merrybent, 2.8%.
Fewer car-free households than 99% of UK towns: 4.5%
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
The share of households in detached houses is 49%, against 21% across England’s towns. As a reference point, nearly a quarter of households have no car or van across England’s towns. Households in terraced houses are more common here than in 66% of UK towns.
Merrybent: 100% of residents have English as their main language, above 99% 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%
Main language · residents aged 3 and over
3.4% of residents were born outside the UK, against 18% across England’s towns. By birthplace, the largest groups from abroad were born in EU countries (1.5%) and in the Middle East and Asia (1.3%). Residents whose main language is English make up 90% across England’s towns.
25% of residents said they have no religion, fewer than in 97% 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: 97% of Merrybent · County Durham’s towns 93% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
After White British, the most common groups are Indian (2.1%), Mixed or multiple (0.6%) and Other White (0.2%). Across England’s towns, 37% of residents said they have no religion. Higher than in 96% of UK towns: 97% of residents describe themselves as White British.
Merrybent ranks above 69% of UK towns on married adults and civil partners: 51%
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
There is little gap on unpaid carers: 8.1%, about the same as across England’s towns. In Merrybent, 30% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership. Across England’s towns, 44% of adults are married or in a civil partnership.
38% of adults are qualified to degree level
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
38% of Merrybent’s adults have a degree-level qualification, against 34% across England’s towns; 9.6% have none (18%). Many of the 23% whose highest qualification is A levels are students working towards a degree.
6 of the 7 nearest towns are older than Merrybent
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merrybent | 478 | — | 43.4 | 17% | 38% |
| Darlington | 93,022 | 2.6 mi | 42.4 | 20% | 26% |
| Hurworth-on-Tees | 2,667 | 4.3 mi | 50.5 | 29% | 25% |
| Heighington | 1,548 | 4.8 mi | 50 | 28% | 26% |
| Gainford | 1,127 | 5 mi | 53.5 | 31% | 24% |
| School Aycliffe | 1,590 | 5.8 mi | 45.2 | 20% | 34% |
| Middleton St George | 4,756 | 6.3 mi | 46 | 22% | 28% |
| Newton Aycliffe | 25,760 | 7 mi | 44 | 21% | 27% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The Census was taken in a lockdown, in term time. 21 March 2021 fell in term time, and students were asked to give their term-time address, so most were counted where they study. Some may have been living with family that day.
- “County Durham’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in County Durham (or England), summed the same way as Merrybent’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 Merrybent’s residents
What is the population of Merrybent?
The 2021 Census counted 478 people in Merrybent’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Merrybent?
The median age was 43.4 at the 2021 Census. 11% of residents were 15 to 24 and 17% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Merrybent?
97% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 93% across County Durham’s towns. 3.4% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Merrybent?
25% said they had no religion and 67% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0.2% were Muslim and 5.1% didn’t answer.
Is Merrybent good for families?
38% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Merrybent’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.