Photo: Nilfanion · CC BY-SA 4.0

58Median age

Who lives here · ONS Census 2021

Dawlish Warren is older than 98% of UK towns: a median age of 58

Across England’s towns, 29% of households have dependent children; in Dawlish Warren, 17%. Census figures put households in terraced houses at 5.2% locally. On married adults and civil partners, Dawlish Warren sits higher than 88% of UK towns: 55%. The 2021 Census counted 1,191 residents in 574 households.

36%aged 65 or over 4.8%born abroad 574households

What stands out · In brief

What the Census says about Dawlish Warren’s people

58median age, older than 98% of UK towns 12%of residents give unpaid care; England’s towns 8.7%

Older than most towns

Half of Dawlish Warren’s residents are under 58 and half over, against 44.4 in the typical UK town. 36% are 65 or over, against 18% across England’s towns. Ages ↓

Many carers

137 residents gave unpaid care to someone with an illness, disability or old age in 2021, 12% of those 5 and over: more than in 96% of UK towns. Relationships & caring ↓

Written from the data on this page: ONS Census 2021 (output areas summed to the 2022 built-up area).

Ages

Above 97% of UK towns: 36% of residents are 65 or over

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

Dawlish WarrenEngland’s towns

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

More residents are 70–74 than any other five-year age: 11% of residents, 2.3 times the share across England’s towns. Across Dawlish Warren, 6.9% of residents are aged 15 to 24. For comparison, 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns.

Broad ages · share of residents

Under 1511%

15 to 246.9%

25 to 4415%

45 to 6432%

65 and over36%

Dawlish WarrenDevon’s townsEngland’s towns

Women and men · all residents

50% women, 50% men

Dawlish Warren

England

WomenMen

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

Students & newcomers

Fewer full-time students than 92% of UK towns: 3.7%

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 students3.7%

Higher managerial and professional11%

Lower managerial and professional17%

Intermediate11%

Small employers and self-employed13%

Supervisory and technical6.2%

Semi-routine13%

Routine15%

Never worked or long-term unemployed9.1%

Dawlish WarrenDevon’s townsEngland’s towns

Address a year before the Census

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

Dawlish Warren

13%

England’s towns

11%

Moved within the UKTerm-time addressMoved from abroad

Moved in within a year

152

residents, 13%; England’s towns 11%

Of them from abroad

0.4× England’s share

Across England’s towns, 11% of residents lived at another address a year earlier; in Dawlish Warren, 13%. Measured more widely, 7.9% of adults are full-time students across England’s towns.

Households

Dawlish Warren households average 2.1 people, smaller than in 96% of UK towns

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

Living alone, 66+ 16%Living alone, under 66 16%Families with dependent children 17%Couples and families, no young children 50%Shared houses and other 2.1%

Against Devon’s towns and England’s towns

Dawlish Warren

Devon’s towns

England’s towns

People per household

1 person31%

2 people47%

3 people11%

4 people7%

5 or more3.3%

England’s towns.

Compared with 4.3% across England’s towns, 2.1% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home here. Here, 31% of households are one person living alone.

Homes & cars

Dawlish Warren sits above 93% of UK towns for households in flats (27%)

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

Type of home

Dawlish Warren

Devon’s towns

England’s towns

DetachedSemi-detachedTerracedFlat or maisonetteCaravan or other

Cars or vans · share of households

No car or van14%

One51%

Two28%

Three or more6.9%

Dawlish WarrenDevon’s townsEngland’s towns

Against a figure of 24% across England’s towns, the share of households without a car or van in Dawlish Warren comes in at 14%. Households in detached houses account for 46%. Across England’s towns, the share of households in flats is 23%.

Where people were born

Dawlish Warren: 99% of residents have English as their main language, above 78% 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%

Dawlish Warren

4.8%

Devon’s towns

7.9%

England’s towns

18%

EU countriesRest of EuropeMiddle East and AsiaAfricaAmericas, Oceania, other

Main language · residents aged 3 and over

English is main language99%

Another main language, speaks English very well or well0.9%

Another main language, little or no English0.3%

Dawlish WarrenDevon’s townsEngland’s towns

4.8% of residents were born outside the UK, against 18% across England’s towns. Elsewhere, 90% of residents have English as their main language across England’s towns. Among residents born abroad, the largest groups were born in EU countries (1.9%) and in the Middle East and Asia (1.2%).

Ethnicity & religion

Dawlish Warren sits above 81% of UK towns for residents who describe themselves as White British (95%)

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

Dawlish WarrenDevon’s townsEngland’s towns

Other White2.9%

Asian0.8%

Mixed0.6%

Black0%

Other0.3%

0%6%12%

White British, not charted: 95% of Dawlish Warren · Devon’s towns 91% · England’s towns 73%.

Religion · all residents

Dawlish WarrenDevon’s townsEngland’s towns

No religion40%

Christian53%

Muslim0%

Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, Buddhist0.3%

Other religion0.7%

Didn’t answer6%

0%30%60%

Next after White British come Other White (2.9%), Mixed or multiple (0.6%) and Chinese (0.4%). Dawlish Warren has more residents who describe themselves as Christian than 72% of UK towns, at 53%. Typically, 73% of residents describe themselves as White British across England’s towns. By its share of residents with no religion (40%), Dawlish Warren is below 58% of UK towns.

Relationships & caring

A smaller share of adults who have never married than 96% of UK towns: 24%

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 partnership24%

Married or civil partnership55%

Separated2.6%

Divorced12%

Widowed6.3%

Dawlish WarrenDevon’s townsEngland’s towns

137residents give unpaid care to someone with an illness, disability or old age: 12%, against 8.7% in England’s towns

Unpaid care given · share of residents 5 and over

Up to 19 hours a week5.7%

20 to 49 hours2.9%

50 hours or more3.3%

Unpaid carers: 12%, above 96% of UK towns. Across England’s towns, 39% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership.

Qualifications

Degree-level qualifications: held by 24% of adults

Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.

Highest qualification · residents 16 and over

No qualifications25%

Apprenticeship8.1%

A levels or similar13%

Degree level24%

Dawlish WarrenDevon’s townsEngland’s towns

Across England’s towns, 18% of adults have no qualification; in Dawlish Warren, 25%, while 24% hold one at degree level (34%).

Neighbours

Among its 7 nearest neighbours, 1 are older than Dawlish Warren

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

DawlishStarcrossExmouthLympstoneTeignmouthExtonShaldonDawlish Warren

under 3838–4444–5050–5656+

Town	People	Away	Median age	65+	Homes with children
Dawlish Warren	1,191	—	58	36%	17%
Dawlish	11,800	1.3 mi	52	30%	20%
Starcross	1,687	1.8 mi	49.9	26%	21%
Exmouth	35,502	3.1 mi	50.3	29%	22%
Lympstone	1,838	3.7 mi	47.2	26%	28%
Teignmouth	15,314	3.8 mi	51.8	30%	21%
Exton	1,287	4.5 mi	26	16%	21%
Shaldon	1,717	4.9 mi	60.7	42%	16%

More about Dawlish Warren’s residents

Health, work and homes have their own pages

Health B⁻Life expectancy, early deaths and Census health, adjusted for age Work & commute C⁻Income, the claimant count, jobs and how people get to work Cost of living COwners and renters, prices, rents and council tax Schools DEvery primary and secondary, with results and inspections

How to read these numbers

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 Dawlish Warren’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 Dawlish Warren’s residents

What is the population of Dawlish Warren?

The 2021 Census counted 1,191 people in Dawlish Warren’s built-up area.

What is the average age in Dawlish Warren?

The median age was 58 at the 2021 Census. 6.9% of residents were 15 to 24 and 36% were 65 or over.

How diverse is Dawlish Warren?

95% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 91% across Devon’s towns. 4.8% were born outside the UK.

What religion are people in Dawlish Warren?

40% said they had no religion and 53% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0% were Muslim and 6% didn’t answer.

Is Dawlish Warren good for families?

17% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Dawlish Warren’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.