Photo: Mike Faherty · CC BY-SA 2.0

45.6Median age

Who lives here · ONS Census 2021

In Longtown, 41% of households are one person living alone, more than in 99% of UK towns

Where 29% of households have dependent children across England’s towns, Longtown has 22%. The 2021 Census put the village’s population at 2,176, in 1,061 households. Households in terraced houses account for 35%. 55% of residents describe themselves as Christian, a higher share than in 81% of UK towns.

24%aged 65 or over 4.3%born abroad 1,061households

Ages

A larger share of residents aged 65 and over than 64% of UK towns: 24%

Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.

LongtownEngland’s towns

0–410–1420–2430–3440–4450–5460–6470–7480–84

The figure for residents aged 15 to 24 is 10% in Longtown and 12% across England’s towns. Half of the village’s residents are over 45.6, older than in 58% of UK towns. The wider picture: 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns. The biggest five-year age group is 55–59, with 7.6% of residents.

Broad ages · share of residents

Under 1516%

15 to 2410%

25 to 4423%

45 to 6427%

65 and over24%

LongtownCumbria’s townsEngland’s towns

Women and men · all residents

50% women, 50% men

Longtown

England

WomenMen

About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.

Students & newcomers

A smaller share of full-time students than 97% of UK towns: 3.3%

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

Full-time students3.3%

Higher managerial and professional5.1%

Lower managerial and professional14%

Intermediate9.2%

Small employers and self-employed11%

Supervisory and technical8.1%

Semi-routine15%

Routine23%

Never worked or long-term unemployed11%

LongtownCumbria’s townsEngland’s towns

Address a year before the Census

Residents who lived somewhere else a year earlier. The bar runs to 25%.

Longtown

10%

England’s towns

11%

Moved within the UKTerm-time addressMoved from abroad

Moved in within a year

222

residents, 10%; England’s towns 11%

Of them from abroad

0.2× England’s share

The share of residents who moved in within the year is 10%, against 11% across England’s towns. On average, 7.9% of adults are full-time students across England’s towns.

Households

Fewer shared households of unrelated adults than 99% of UK towns: 1.1%

Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.

Living alone, 66+ 18%Living alone, under 66 23%Families with dependent children 22%Couples and families, no young children 36%Shared houses and other 1.1%

Against Cumbria’s towns and England’s towns

Longtown

Cumbria’s towns

England’s towns

People per household

1 person41%

2 people34%

3 people11%

4 people8.4%

5 or more5.3%

England’s towns.

Households in Longtown hold 2.1 people on average (England’s towns: 2.4). As a reference point, 4.3% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home across England’s towns.

Homes & cars

A smaller share of households in detached houses than 79% of UK towns: 18%

Accommodation type and cars or vans per household, Census 2021. Owning and renting are on Cost of living.

Type of home

Longtown

Cumbria’s towns

England’s towns

DetachedSemi-detachedTerracedFlat or maisonetteCaravan or other

Cars or vans · share of households

No car or van21%

One48%

Two23%

Three or more7.3%

LongtownCumbria’s townsEngland’s towns

Households in flats: 10%, below 53% of UK towns. On households without a car or van, Longtown sits higher than 77% of UK towns: 21%.

Where people were born

A lower share of residents born outside the UK than 73% of UK towns, at 4.3%

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%

Longtown

4.3%

Cumbria’s towns

5.1%

England’s towns

18%

EU countriesRest of EuropeMiddle East and AsiaAfricaAmericas, Oceania, other

Main language · residents aged 3 and over

English is main language98%

Another main language, speaks English very well or well2%

Another main language, little or no English0.3%

LongtownCumbria’s townsEngland’s towns

Among residents born abroad, the largest groups were born in EU countries (3.4%) and in the Americas, Oceania and elsewhere (0.5%). Residents whose main language is English are more common here than in just over half of UK towns. Elsewhere, 18% of residents were born outside the UK across England’s towns.

Ethnicity & religion

Longtown: 96% of residents describe themselves as White British, above 82% 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

LongtownCumbria’s townsEngland’s towns

Other White3.6%

Asian0.1%

Mixed0.6%

Black0.2%

Other0.1%

0%6%12%

White British, not charted: 96% of Longtown · Cumbria’s towns 95% · England’s towns 73%.

Religion · all residents

LongtownCumbria’s townsEngland’s towns

No religion39%

Christian55%

Muslim0.1%

Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, Buddhist0.2%

Other religion0.4%

Didn’t answer5.2%

0%35%70%

The largest groups after White British are Other White (3.6%), Mixed or multiple (0.6%) and African (0.2%). At 39%, the share of residents with no religion is lower than in 62% of UK towns. Across England’s towns, the share of residents who describe themselves as White British is 73%.

Relationships & caring

Longtown sits below 88% of UK towns for married adults and civil partners (41%)

Legal partnership status (residents 16 and over) and unpaid care (residents 5 and over), Census 2021.

Partnership status · residents 16 and over

Never married or in a civil partnership37%

Married or civil partnership41%

Separated3.2%

Divorced10%

Widowed8.3%

LongtownCumbria’s townsEngland’s towns

169residents give unpaid care to someone with an illness, disability or old age: 8.2%, against 8.7% in England’s towns

Unpaid care given · share of residents 5 and over

Up to 19 hours a week3.2%

20 to 49 hours2%

50 hours or more2.9%

Unpaid carers: 8.2%, near enough the figure across England’s towns. On the census count, 37% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership. Against that, 44% of adults are married or in a civil partnership across England’s towns.

Qualifications

Among adults, 16% hold a degree-level qualification

Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.

Highest qualification · residents 16 and over

No qualifications30%

Apprenticeship7.9%

A levels or similar15%

Degree level16%

LongtownCumbria’s townsEngland’s towns

With 16% of its adults qualified to degree level, Longtown compares with 34% across England’s towns; another 30% hold no qualification (18%).

Neighbours

6 of the 7 nearest towns are older than Longtown

Nearby built-up areas coloured by median age, Census 2021. Tap a town for its page.

GretnaHoughtonCarlisleScotbyWarwick BridgeWetheralBramptonLongtown

under 3838–4444–5050–5656+

Town	People	Away	Median age	65+	Homes with children
Longtown	2,176	—	45.6	24%	22%
Gretna	3,435	4.1 mi	50.6	28%	22%
Houghton	1,486	6.2 mi	47	26%	28%
Carlisle	77,729	8.4 mi	41.1	19%	25%
Scotby	1,830	9 mi	53.3	32%	23%
Warwick Bridge	1,232	9.3 mi	52	30%	21%
Wetheral	1,129	10.2 mi	58.5	37%	17%
Brampton	4,187	10.3 mi	51.8	29%	21%

More about Longtown’s residents

Health, work and homes have their own pages

Health CLife expectancy, early deaths and Census health, adjusted for age Work & commute DIncome, the claimant count, jobs and how people get to work Cost of living C⁺Owners and renters, prices, rents and council tax Schools BEvery primary and secondary, with results and inspections

How to read these numbers

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 Longtown’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 Longtown’s residents

What is the population of Longtown?

The 2021 Census counted 2,176 people in Longtown’s built-up area.

What is the average age in Longtown?

The median age was 45.6 at the 2021 Census. 10% of residents were 15 to 24 and 24% were 65 or over.

How diverse is Longtown?

96% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 95% across Cumbria’s towns. 4.3% were born outside the UK.

What religion are people in Longtown?

39% said they had no religion and 55% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0.1% were Muslim and 5.2% didn’t answer.

Is Longtown good for families?

22% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Longtown’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.