Photo: Tom Tunney · Public domainFewer households in flats than 99% of UK towns: 0.4%
Where 73% of residents describe themselves as White British across England’s towns, Thornley has 97%. 1.3% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home. Higher than in just over four fifths of UK towns: 11% of residents give unpaid care. The town had 2,543 residents in 1,156 households at the 2021 Census.
A smaller share of residents aged 15 to 24 than 65% of UK towns: 9.3%
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
Half of Thornley’s residents are over 45.1, older than in 54% of UK towns. Across the comparison, 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across England’s towns. On the census count, 21% of residents are 65 or over. In Lanchester, the oldest of County Durham’s towns by this measure, it is 32%.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Thornley, 45.1. The typical town is 44.4.
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.
Residents who moved in within the year make up 5.2% in Thornley, less than in 99% 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%.
Managerial and professional jobs account for just over a fifth of Thornley’s adults, routine and semi-routine work for 33%, against 33% and 24% across England’s towns. Fewer full-time students than in just over three fifths of UK towns: 4.6%. The share of residents who moved in within the year across England’s towns is 11%.
Smaller households than 81% of UK towns: 2.2 people on average
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.
The share of households with dependent children is 26%, against 29% across England’s towns. One-person households account for 32%.
Households in detached houses: 24%, a lower share than 64% of UK towns
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
Higher than in 65% of UK towns: 24% of households live in a terraced house. The wider picture: 21% of households live in a detached house across England’s towns. In Thornley, nearly a quarter of households have no car or van.
Only 2.8% of residents were born outside the UK in Thornley
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
Most residents from abroad were born in EU countries (1.1%) or in Africa (0.6%). The comparison figure for residents born outside the UK is 18% across England’s towns. Thornley has more residents whose main language is English than 91% of UK towns, at 99%.
More residents who describe themselves as Christian than 85% of UK towns: 56%
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 Thornley · County Durham’s towns 93% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Besides White British, the main groups are Other White (1.2%), Mixed or multiple (0.9%) and African (0.1%). Residents who describe themselves as Christian make up 46% across England’s towns. Lower than in two thirds of UK towns: 38% of residents said they have no religion.
Adults who have never married: 35%, a higher share than 64% of UK towns
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
114 people give 50 hours or more of unpaid care a week. As a yardstick, nearly two in five adults have never married or formed a civil partnership across England’s towns. Few places have so few married adults and civil partners: 46% here, fewer than in 60% of UK towns.
21% of adults have qualifications at degree level
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Degree-level qualifications are held by 21% of Thornley’s adults, against 34% across England’s towns; 27% have no qualification (18%).
Among 219 UK towns of 2,500 to 3,000 people, the 75th youngest
Median age, Census 2021. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
Ages run from 20.6 in Keele to 60.8 in St Mary's Bay. Nearest to Thornley in age: Halton (44.8), Cwm (44.8), Weedon Bec (45.1) and Oakley (45.1).
2 in 7 nearby towns have a higher median age than Thornley
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thornley | 2,543 | — | 45.1 | 21% | 26% |
| Wheatley Hill | 3,148 | 1.2 mi | 43.4 | 21% | 24% |
| Shotton Colliery | 4,943 | 2.2 mi | 39.7 | 18% | 29% |
| Haswell | 1,185 | 2.4 mi | 43.9 | 19% | 26% |
| Kelloe | 1,434 | 2.5 mi | 46.1 | 22% | 25% |
| Trimdon Colliery | 1,788 | 2.6 mi | 43.4 | 20% | 26% |
| Trimdon Grange | 1,233 | 2.7 mi | 46.6 | 21% | 25% |
| Wingate | 5,033 | 2.9 mi | 40.3 | 17% | 29% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “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 Thornley’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 Thornley’s residents
What is the population of Thornley?
The 2021 Census counted 2,543 people in Thornley’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Thornley?
The median age was 45.1 at the 2021 Census, older than 54% of UK towns. 9.3% of residents were 15 to 24 and 21% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Thornley?
97% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 93% across County Durham’s towns. 2.8% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Thornley?
38% said they had no religion and 56% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0.2% were Muslim and 4.7% didn’t answer.
Is Thornley good for families?
26% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Thornley’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.