Photo: Roger Templeman · CC BY-SA 2.0Bradpole is older than 86% of UK towns: a median age of 50.3
Households with dependent children make up 23%, against 29% across England’s towns. Residents who describe themselves as White British account for 95%. At 28%, the share of adults who have never married is lower than in just over four fifths of UK towns. The 2021 Census put Bradpole’s population at 1,257, in 556 households.
What the Census says about Bradpole’s people
Older than most towns
Half of Bradpole’s residents are under 50.3 and half over, against 44.4 in the typical UK town. 29% 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).
Residents aged 65 and over: 29%, a higher share than 87% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
8.3% of residents are aged 15 to 24; across England’s towns the figure is 12%. Typically, 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
Bradpole ranks below 99% of UK towns on full-time students: 2.8%
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%.
11% of residents lived at another address a year earlier across England’s towns, against 8.2% in Bradpole. Across the comparison, 7.9% of adults are full-time students across England’s towns.
26% of households are one person living alone, below 78% of UK towns
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Dorset’s towns and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
The typical household size is 2.2 people, against 2.4 across England’s towns. The wider picture: 30% of households are one person living alone across England’s towns. On the census count, 2.3% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home.
Fewer households without a car or van than 82% of UK towns: 10%
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
The share of households in terraced houses tops 70% of UK towns: 25%. The comparison figure for households without a car or van is 24% across England’s towns. Locally, 14% of households live in a flat or apartment. On households in detached houses, Bradpole sits higher than 71% of UK towns: 37%.
Fewer residents born outside the UK than 85% of UK towns: 3.4%
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 90% of residents have English as their main language across England’s towns, Bradpole has 99%. Across England’s towns, 18% of residents were born outside the UK. By birthplace, the largest groups from abroad were born in EU countries (2%) and in the Middle East and Asia (0.7%).
A higher share of residents who describe themselves as Christian than 64% of UK towns, at 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: 95% of Bradpole · Dorset’s towns 87% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
After White British, the most common groups are Other White (3%), Mixed or multiple (0.5%) and Chinese (0.3%). As a reference point, 46% of residents describe themselves as Christian across England’s towns. 38% of residents said they have no religion, fewer than in 67% of UK towns.
Married adults and civil partners make up 53% in Bradpole, more than in 78% of UK towns
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
44 people give 50 hours or more of unpaid care a week. Higher than in 63% of UK towns: 9.8% of residents give unpaid care.
30% of adults have a degree-level qualification
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Degree-level qualifications are held by 30% of adults in Bradpole (England’s towns: 34%), and no qualification by 16% (England’s towns: 18%).
Around Bradpole, 6 of 7 towns have a higher median age
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradpole | 1,257 | — | 50.3 | 29% | 23% |
| Bridport | 12,294 | 1.3 mi | 56.2 | 35% | 17% |
| Beaminster | 2,995 | 4.3 mi | 57.7 | 39% | 17% |
| Charmouth | 1,337 | 7.1 mi | 61.8 | 46% | 16% |
| Maiden Newton | 1,128 | 7.7 mi | 49.7 | 28% | 25% |
| Misterton | 1,037 | 8.7 mi | 50.4 | 27% | 21% |
| Lyme Regis | 3,741 | 8.8 mi | 59.9 | 40% | 16% |
| Uplyme | 1,053 | 9.5 mi | 54 | 29% | 25% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “Dorset’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Dorset (or England), summed the same way as Bradpole’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 Bradpole’s residents
What is the population of Bradpole?
The 2021 Census counted 1,257 people in Bradpole’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Bradpole?
The median age was 50.3 at the 2021 Census. 8.3% of residents were 15 to 24 and 29% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Bradpole?
95% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 87% across Dorset’s towns. 3.4% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Bradpole?
38% said they had no religion and 52% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0.1% were Muslim and 8.9% didn’t answer.
Is Bradpole good for families?
23% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Bradpole’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.