Photo: Chris Heaton · CC BY-SA 2.0Sedbergh is younger than 96% of UK towns: a median age of 35.3
A household here has 1.9 people on average; across England’s towns, 2.4. At the 2021 Census Sedbergh was home to 1,449 people in 528 households. The census found that 42% of households are one person living alone here. Fewer unpaid carers than in 99% of UK towns: 5.8%.
What the Census says about Sedbergh’s people
A student village
The 2021 Census counted 211 full-time students aged 16 and over, 20% of adults, against 7.9% across England’s towns: more than in 99% of UK towns. That shows in the ages: 23% of residents are 15 to 24. Students & newcomers ↓
Younger than most towns
Half of Sedbergh’s residents are under 35.3 and half over, against 44.4 in the typical UK town. 23% are 15 to 24 and 23% are 65 or over. Ages ↓
A village people move to
17% of residents gave a different address a year before the 2021 Census, 1.6 times the share across England’s towns, and 1.3% gave a term-time address. Students & newcomers ↓
Written from the data on this page: ONS Census 2021 (output areas summed to the 2022 built-up area).
Sedbergh ranks above 99% of UK towns on residents aged 15 to 24: 23%
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
Where 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns, Sedbergh has 23%. To put it in context, 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24 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.
Above 99% of UK towns: 20% of adults are full-time students
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%.
In Sedbergh, 17% of residents lived at another address a year earlier, beside 11% across England’s towns. The share of full-time students across England’s towns is 7.9%.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.
Fewer family households than 95% of UK towns: 20% in Sedbergh
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.
Against a figure of 4.3% across England’s towns, the share of shared households of unrelated adults in Sedbergh comes in at 1.7%. As a yardstick, 29% of households have dependent children across England’s towns.
Above 90% of UK towns: 36% of households live in a terraced house
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
In Sedbergh, 21% of households have no car or van, beside 24% across England’s towns. The census found that 19% of households live in a detached house locally. Few places have as many households in flats: 22% here, more than in 87% of UK towns.
Residents whose main language is English make up 98% in Sedbergh, more than in 53% 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
Most residents from abroad were born in EU countries (2.8%) or in the Middle East and Asia (1.5%). Measured more widely, 90% of residents have English as their main language across England’s towns. 6.2% of residents were born outside the UK, fewer than in 52% of UK towns.
Sedbergh sits above 62% of UK towns for residents who describe themselves as Christian (52%)
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: 93% of Sedbergh · Cumbria’s towns 95% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
39% of residents said they have no religion, against 37% across England’s towns. Besides White British, the main groups are Other White (4%), Mixed or multiple (1.3%) and Chinese (0.6%). On residents who describe themselves as White British, Sedbergh sits higher than 54% of UK towns: 93%. Residents who describe themselves as Christian: 46% across England’s towns, for comparison.
A lower share of married adults and civil partners than 93% of UK towns, at 39%
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
Unpaid care takes 50 hours a week or more for 19 people. The usual figure: 44% of adults are married or in a civil partnership across England’s towns. Higher than in 87% of UK towns: 39% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership.
The share of adults with a degree-level qualification: 33%
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Degree-level qualifications cover 33% of adults in Sedbergh, 34% across England’s towns; 18% have no qualification, against 18%. The highest qualification of 14% is A levels, often students still at university.
Every neighbour of Sedbergh has an older population
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sedbergh | 1,449 | — | 35.3 | 23% | 20% |
| Kendal | 28,939 | 8.5 mi | 46.6 | 24% | 23% |
| Kirkby Lonsdale | 1,965 | 8.6 mi | 54.8 | 35% | 19% |
| Levens | 1,020 | 11 mi | 52.7 | 31% | 22% |
| Holme | 1,477 | 11.4 mi | 47.4 | 25% | 26% |
| Milnthorpe | 1,871 | 11.7 mi | 45.9 | 25% | 26% |
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.
- “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 Sedbergh’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 Sedbergh’s residents
What is the population of Sedbergh?
The 2021 Census counted 1,449 people in Sedbergh’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Sedbergh?
The median age was 35.3 at the 2021 Census. 23% of residents were 15 to 24 and 23% were 65 or over.
Is Sedbergh a student village?
Yes: 20% of adults were full-time students at the 2021 Census (211 people), against 7.9% across England’s towns.
How diverse is Sedbergh?
93% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 95% across Cumbria’s towns. 6.2% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Sedbergh?
39% said they had no religion and 52% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0% were Muslim and 7.6% didn’t answer.
Is Sedbergh good for families?
20% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Sedbergh’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.