Photo: Roger A Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0Older than 91% of UK towns: half of Chambercombe is over 51.5
Here 31% of households live in a terraced house, where the figure across England’s towns is 24%. At the 2021 Census, 1,502 people lived in Chambercombe, in 668 households. Nearly a quarter of households have dependent children. On residents who describe themselves as White British, Chambercombe sits higher than just over four fifths of UK towns: 95%.
What the Census says about Chambercombe’s people
Older than most towns
Half of Chambercombe’s residents are under 51.5 and half over, against 44.4 in the typical UK town. 27% are 65 or over, against 18% across England’s towns. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: ONS Census 2021 (output areas summed to the 2022 built-up area).
8.2% of residents are aged 15 to 24, fewer than in 91% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
27% of residents are 65 or over, against 18% across England’s towns. For comparison, 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24 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.
In Chambercombe, 3.3% of adults are full-time students, fewer than in 96% 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 32% of Chambercombe’s adults, routine and semi-routine work for 25%, against 33% and 24% across England’s towns. On average, 7.9% of adults are full-time students across England’s towns. The census found that nearly one in ten residents lived at another address a year earlier here.
Chambercombe households average 2.2 people, smaller than in 69% of UK towns
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Devon’s towns and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
Here 31% of households are one person living alone, where the figure across England’s towns is 30%. Census figures put shared households of unrelated adults at 3.7% in Chambercombe.
More households in flats than 70% of UK towns: 15%
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
Across England’s towns, the share of households without a car or van is 24%; Chambercombe has 12%. The wider picture: nearly a quarter of households live in a flat or apartment across England’s towns. Households in detached houses account for 35%.
Chambercombe: 99% of residents have English as their main language, above 91% 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 (1.7%) or in Africa (0.9%). Typically, 90% of residents have English as their main language across England’s towns. At 4.3%, the share of residents born outside the UK is lower than in nearly three quarters of UK towns.
45% said they have no religion, more than in 79% 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: 95% of Chambercombe · Devon’s towns 91% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Residents who describe themselves as Christian make up 46%, close to the figure across England’s towns. Leading the other groups after White British: Other White (2%), Mixed or multiple (1.5%) and Indian (0.5%). Against that, 37% of residents said they have no religion across England’s towns.
A lower share of adults who have never married than 79% of UK towns, at 28%
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
Where 44% of adults are married or in a civil partnership across England’s towns, Chambercombe has 49%. Across the comparison, 39% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership across England’s towns. In Chambercombe, nearly one in ten residents give unpaid care.
A degree-level qualification for 30% of adults
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Across England’s towns, 18% of adults have no qualification; in Chambercombe, 15%, while 30% hold one at degree level (34%).
Chambercombe is younger than 3 of its 7 nearest neighbours
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chambercombe | 1,502 | — | 51.5 | 27% | 23% |
| Ilfracombe | 9,199 | 0.8 mi | 47.4 | 24% | 23% |
| Combe Martin | 2,707 | 3.2 mi | 54.6 | 33% | 21% |
| Braunton | 6,610 | 7.3 mi | 50.6 | 30% | 24% |
| Chivenor and Wrafton | 1,953 | 7.9 mi | 31.9 | 9.8% | 41% |
| Barnstaple | 31,271 | 9.2 mi | 43.1 | 22% | 26% |
| Bickington | 2,105 | 9.2 mi | 52.3 | 30% | 21% |
| Fremington | 5,229 | 9.5 mi | 53.6 | 33% | 23% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “Devon’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Devon (or England), summed the same way as Chambercombe’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 Chambercombe’s residents
What is the population of Chambercombe?
The 2021 Census counted 1,502 people in Chambercombe’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Chambercombe?
The median age was 51.5 at the 2021 Census. 8.2% of residents were 15 to 24 and 27% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Chambercombe?
95% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 91% across Devon’s towns. 4.3% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Chambercombe?
45% said they had no religion and 46% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0.1% were Muslim and 7% didn’t answer.
Is Chambercombe good for families?
23% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Chambercombe’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.