Photo: David Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0A smaller share of residents aged 15 to 24 than 97% of UK towns: 7.3%
Residents who describe themselves as White British are more common here than in 96% of UK towns. On the census count, nearly a quarter of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership. 1,732 residents in 796 households: that is Charminster at the 2021 Census. The share of one-person households tops 83% of UK towns: 34%.
What the Census says about Charminster’s people
A village people move to
15% of residents gave a different address a year before the 2021 Census, 1.4 times the share across England’s towns. Students & newcomers ↓
Many older residents
28% of residents were 65 or over in 2021, more than in 85% of UK towns; 22% of households are someone 66 or over living alone. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: ONS Census 2021 (output areas summed to the 2022 built-up area).
A median age of 49.7: Charminster is older than 83% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
Across England’s towns, 18% of residents are 65 or over; in Charminster, 28%. More residents are 55–59 than any other five-year age: 8% of residents.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
About 85 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.
Charminster ranks below 99% of UK towns on full-time students: 2.9%
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%.
The figure for residents who moved in within the year is 15% in Charminster and 11% across England’s towns. Full-time students: 7.9% across England’s towns, for comparison.
Charminster households average 2.2 people, smaller than in 85% 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.
29% of households have dependent children across England’s towns, against 26% in Charminster. On the census count, 2.4% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home.
A larger share of households in flats than 58% of UK towns: 12%
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
Against a figure of 24% across England’s towns, the share of households in terraced houses in Charminster comes in at 19%. The comparison figure for households in flats is 23% across England’s towns. The share of households in detached houses stands at 26%. Lower than in 57% of UK towns: 14% of households have no car or van.
A higher share of residents whose main language is English than 99% of UK towns, at 100%
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
By birthplace, the largest groups from abroad were born in EU countries (1.3%) and in Africa (1.2%). For residents whose main language is English, the comparison across England’s towns is 90%. At 3.9%, the share of residents born outside the UK is lower than in 78% of UK towns.
A higher share of residents who describe themselves as Christian than 75% of UK towns, at 54%
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 Charminster · Dorset’s towns 87% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
After White British, the largest groups are Other White (1.6%), Mixed or multiple (0.9%) and Indian (0.1%). The comparison figure for residents who describe themselves as Christian is 46% across England’s towns. At 39%, the share of residents with no religion is lower than in nearly two thirds of UK towns.
Charminster ranks above 69% of UK towns on married adults and civil partners: 51%
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
50 people give 50 hours or more of unpaid care a week. Typically, 44% of adults are married or in a civil partnership across England’s towns. Few places have as many unpaid carers: 10% here, more than in 73% of UK towns.
Degree-level qualifications: 31% of adults
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Charminster’s adults: 31% with a degree-level qualification and 18% with none, against 34% and 18% across England’s towns.
2 in 7 nearby towns have a higher median age than Charminster
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charminster | 1,732 | — | 49.7 | 28% | 26% |
| Charlton Down | 1,487 | 1.3 mi | 45.6 | 22% | 31% |
| Dorchester | 21,358 | 1.8 mi | 48.7 | 28% | 23% |
| Puddletown | 1,193 | 5.1 mi | 51.1 | 28% | 25% |
| Maiden Newton | 1,128 | 5.7 mi | 49.7 | 28% | 25% |
| Crossways | 2,494 | 6.2 mi | 49 | 27% | 24% |
| Chickerell | 3,973 | 8 mi | 45.3 | 23% | 27% |
| Weymouth | 55,540 | 8 mi | 50.2 | 27% | 21% |
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 Charminster’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 Charminster’s residents
What is the population of Charminster?
The 2021 Census counted 1,732 people in Charminster’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Charminster?
The median age was 49.7 at the 2021 Census. 7.3% of residents were 15 to 24 and 28% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Charminster?
97% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 87% across Dorset’s towns. 3.9% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Charminster?
39% said they had no religion and 54% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0.4% were Muslim and 6.9% didn’t answer.
Is Charminster good for families?
26% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Charminster’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.