Church of St Mary · Photo: Wulfrunian1 · CC BY-SA 3.0Charlton Marshall is older than 92% of UK towns: a median age of 51.9
Where 24% of households have no car or van across England’s towns, Charlton Marshall has 6.2%. The census found that 0.9% of households live in a flat or apartment locally. At 21%, the share of adults who have never married is lower than in 99% of UK towns. The village counted 1,084 residents and 469 households at the 2021 Census.
What the Census says about Charlton Marshall’s people
Older than most towns
Half of Charlton Marshall’s residents are under 51.9 and half over, against 44.4 in the typical UK town. 30% are 65 or over, against 18% across England’s towns. Ages ↓
Many carers
136 residents gave unpaid care to someone with an illness, disability or old age in 2021, 13% of those 5 and over: more than in 99% of UK towns. Relationships & caring ↓
Written from the data on this page: ONS Census 2021 (output areas summed to the 2022 built-up area).
A smaller share of residents aged 15 to 24 than 97% of UK towns: 7.5%
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
Residents aged 65 and over: 30%, above 90% of UK towns. Across the comparison, 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across England’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
7.2% of residents lived at another address a year earlier, below 81% 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%.
Full-time students: 4.3%, below 73% of UK towns. Set beside that, just over one in ten residents lived at another address a year earlier across England’s towns.
Below 91% of UK towns: 24% of households are one person living alone
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.
With households with dependent children at 25%, Charlton Marshall is behind just over two thirds of UK towns on that count. Typically, 30% of households are one person living alone across England’s towns. In Charlton Marshall, 1.9% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home.
Charlton Marshall ranks above 93% of UK towns on households in detached houses: 55%
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
Census figures put households in terraced houses at 21% in Charlton Marshall.
In Charlton Marshall, 100% of residents have English as their main language, more than in 99% 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 the Middle East and Asia (0.5%). Lower than in 87% of UK towns: 3.3% of residents were born outside the UK. The comparison figure for residents whose main language is English is 90% across England’s towns.
Above 94% of UK towns: 97% of residents describe themselves as White British
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: 97% of Charlton Marshall · Dorset’s towns 87% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Where 37% of residents said they have no religion across England’s towns, Charlton Marshall has 40%. Residents who describe themselves as Christian account for 54%. The benchmark for residents who describe themselves as White British across England’s towns: 73%.
In Charlton Marshall, 13% of residents give unpaid care, more than in 99% 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
By its share of married adults and civil partners (58%), Charlton Marshall is above 95% of UK towns. Heavy unpaid care, 50 hours a week or more, falls to 37 residents. Across England’s towns, nearly one in ten residents give unpaid care.
Qualified to degree level: 27% 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 Charlton Marshall, 16%, while 27% hold one at degree level (34%).
Of the 7 towns nearest Charlton Marshall, 2 are older
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlton Marshall | 1,084 | — | 51.9 | 30% | 25% |
| Blandford Forum | 11,805 | 1.8 mi | 45.8 | 25% | 24% |
| Pimperne | 2,770 | 2.9 mi | 32.9 | 16% | 36% |
| Sturminster Marshall | 1,504 | 4 mi | 48.4 | 24% | 30% |
| Shillingstone | 1,165 | 6 mi | 52.9 | 29% | 22% |
| Lytchett Matravers | 3,455 | 6.1 mi | 48.8 | 28% | 27% |
| Bere Regis | 1,320 | 6.6 mi | 50.5 | 28% | 22% |
| Child Okeford | 1,159 | 6.8 mi | 60.3 | 42% | 17% |
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 Charlton Marshall’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 Charlton Marshall’s residents
What is the population of Charlton Marshall?
The 2021 Census counted 1,084 people in Charlton Marshall’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Charlton Marshall?
The median age was 51.9 at the 2021 Census. 7.5% of residents were 15 to 24 and 30% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Charlton Marshall?
97% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 87% across Dorset’s towns. 3.3% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Charlton Marshall?
40% said they had no religion and 54% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0.2% were Muslim and 6.6% didn’t answer.
Is Charlton Marshall good for families?
25% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Charlton Marshall’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.