Photo: Supergolden · CC BY-SA 3.0A higher White British share than 99% of UK towns: 98% of residents
3% of households live in a flat or apartment, against 23% across England’s towns. At the 2021 Census Brough was home to 820 people in 363 households. The census found that nearly one in ten households have no car or van locally. On shared households of unrelated adults, Brough sits lower than 95% of UK towns: 1.4%.
Brough is older than 88% of UK towns: a median age of 50.7
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
By its share of residents aged 65 and over (28%), Brough is above 83% of UK towns. Meanwhile, nearly one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24, fewer than in 82% of UK 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.
A smaller share of full-time students than 89% of UK towns: 3.8%
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 or semi-routine work; Brough has 23% and 33%. 6.8% of residents lived at another address a year earlier, a lower share than in 88% of UK towns. Full-time students make up 7.9% across England’s towns.
A lower share of households with dependent children than 81% of UK towns, at 24%
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Cumbria’s towns and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
The typical household size is 2.3 people, against 2.4 across England’s towns. Lower than in 54% of UK towns: 29% of households are one person living alone.
A larger share of households in terraced houses than 92% of UK towns: 37%
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
A quarter of households live in a detached house (England’s towns: 21%). Households in terraced houses make up 24% across England’s towns.
Residents born outside the UK: 1.6%, a lower share than 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
Where nine in ten residents have English as their main language across England’s towns, Brough has 100%. Most residents from abroad were born in EU countries (0.7%) or in the Middle East and Asia (0.4%). Residents born outside the UK make up 18% across England’s towns.
59% of residents describe themselves as Christian, more than in 92% 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: 98% of Brough · Cumbria’s towns 95% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Where 37% of residents said they have no religion across England’s towns, Brough has 35%. By way of comparison, 46% of residents describe themselves as Christian across England’s towns.
50% of adults are married or in a civil partnership, a share 64% of UK towns don’t reach
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 two in five adults have never married or formed a civil partnership across England’s towns, against 31% in Brough. Locally, 7.9% of residents give unpaid care. To put it in context, 44% of adults are married or in a civil partnership across England’s towns.
A degree-level qualification for 24% of adults
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
With 24% of its adults qualified to degree level, Brough compares with 34% across England’s towns; another 22% hold no qualification (18%).
1 of the 2 nearest towns are older than Brough
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brough | 820 | — | 50.7 | 28% | 24% |
| Kirkby Stephen | 1,895 | 4.1 mi | 50 | 29% | 21% |
| Appleby-in-Westmorland | 3,233 | 7.7 mi | 51.1 | 29% | 20% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “Cumbria’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Cumbria (or England), summed the same way as Brough’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 Brough’s residents
What is the population of Brough?
The 2021 Census counted 820 people in Brough’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Brough?
The median age was 50.7 at the 2021 Census. 8.7% of residents were 15 to 24 and 28% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Brough?
98% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 95% across Cumbria’s towns. 1.6% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Brough?
35% said they had no religion and 59% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0.2% were Muslim and 6% didn’t answer.
Is Brough good for families?
24% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Brough’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.