Photo: Anthony Vosper · CC BY-SA 2.0

61.8Median age

Who lives here · ONS Census 2021

Half of Charmouth is over 61.8, older than 99% of UK towns

Against a figure of 39% across England’s towns, the share of adults who have never married in Charmouth comes in at 21%. The village had 1,337 residents in 673 households at the 2021 Census. Here, 45% of households live in a detached house. Higher than in 94% of UK towns: 37% of households are one person living alone.

46%aged 65 or over 6.4%born abroad 673households

What stands out · In brief

What the Census says about Charmouth’s people

61.8median age, older than 99% of UK towns

Older than most towns

Half of Charmouth’s residents are under 61.8 and half over, against 44.4 in the typical UK town. 46% 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).

Ages

46% of residents are 65 or over, more than in 99% of UK towns

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

CharmouthEngland’s towns

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

70–74 is the most common age band: just over one in ten residents, 2.4 times the share across England’s towns. For comparison, 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns. Residents aged 15 to 24: 7.7% of the total.

Broad ages · share of residents

Under 1510%

15 to 247.7%

25 to 4411%

45 to 6426%

65 and over46%

CharmouthDorset’s townsEngland’s towns

Women and men · all residents

55% women, 45% men

Charmouth

England

WomenMen

About 83 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.

Students & newcomers

Charmouth sits below 99% of UK towns for full-time students (2.7%)

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 students2.7%

Higher managerial and professional15%

Lower managerial and professional25%

Intermediate10%

Small employers and self-employed21%

Supervisory and technical4.4%

Semi-routine10%

Routine7.3%

Never worked or long-term unemployed5.2%

CharmouthDorset’s townsEngland’s towns

Address a year before the Census

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

Charmouth

8.8%

England’s towns

11%

Moved within the UKTerm-time addressMoved from abroad

Moved in within a year

116

residents, 8.7%; England’s towns 11%

Of them from abroad

0.5× England’s share

Across England’s towns, 33% of adults are in managerial and professional jobs and 24% in routine work; in Charmouth, 39% and 17%. Full-time students make up 7.9% across England’s towns. Nearly one in ten residents lived at another address a year earlier.

Households

Fewer families than 99% of UK towns: 16% of households have children

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

Living alone, 66+ 27%Living alone, under 66 10%Families with dependent children 16%Couples and families, no young children 44%Shared houses and other 2.8%

Against Dorset’s towns and England’s towns

Charmouth

Dorset’s towns

England’s towns

People per household

1 person37%

2 people43%

3 people9.4%

4 people8.8%

5 or more1.9%

England’s towns.

Shared households of unrelated adults make up 2.8%, against 4.3% across England’s towns. Against that, 29% of households have dependent children across England’s towns. Households average 2 people.

Homes & cars

In Charmouth, 18% of households live in a flat or apartment, more than in 78% of UK towns

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

Type of home

Charmouth

Dorset’s towns

England’s towns

DetachedSemi-detachedTerracedFlat or maisonetteCaravan or other

Cars or vans · share of households

No car or van16%

One47%

Two26%

Three or more10%

CharmouthDorset’s townsEngland’s towns

The figure for households without a car or van is 16% in Charmouth and 24% across England’s towns. In Charmouth, just over a fifth of households live in a terraced house. Across England’s towns, the share of households in flats is 23%.

Where people were born

Charmouth: 99% of residents have English as their main language, above 98% 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%

Charmouth

6.4%

Dorset’s towns

11%

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 well0.5%

Another main language, little or no English0%

CharmouthDorset’s townsEngland’s towns

The largest groups were born in EU countries (2.2%) and in the Americas, Oceania and elsewhere (1.7%). Residents whose main language is English make up 90% across England’s towns. 6.4% of residents were born outside the UK, against 18% across England’s towns.

Ethnicity & religion

In Charmouth, 95% of residents describe themselves as White British, more than in 82% 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

CharmouthDorset’s townsEngland’s towns

Other White3.2%

Asian0.5%

Mixed0.6%

Black0.2%

Other0.2%

0%6%12%

White British, not charted: 95% of Charmouth · Dorset’s towns 87% · England’s towns 73%.

Religion · all residents

CharmouthDorset’s townsEngland’s towns

No religion39%

Christian52%

Muslim0%

Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, Buddhist0.7%

Other religion0.8%

Didn’t answer6.9%

0%30%60%

Asked about religion, 39% answered none, against 37% across England’s towns. Charmouth has more residents who describe themselves as Christian than nearly two thirds of UK towns, at 52%. The usual figure: 73% of residents describe themselves as White British across England’s towns. Besides White British, the main groups are Other White (3.2%), Mixed or multiple (0.6%) and African (0.2%).

Relationships & caring

Charmouth ranks above 81% of UK towns on married adults and civil partners: 53%

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 partnership21%

Married or civil partnership53%

Separated2.9%

Divorced11%

Widowed12%

CharmouthDorset’s townsEngland’s towns

134residents give unpaid care to someone with an illness, disability or old age: 10%, against 8.7% in England’s towns

Unpaid care given · share of residents 5 and over

Up to 19 hours a week5.4%

20 to 49 hours1.9%

50 hours or more2.9%

Against a figure of 8.7% across England’s towns, the share of unpaid carers in Charmouth comes in at 10%. The benchmark for married adults and civil partners across England’s towns: 44%. Heavy unpaid care, 50 hours a week or more, falls to 38 residents.

Qualifications

A degree-level qualification for 37% of adults

Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.

Highest qualification · residents 16 and over

No qualifications14%

Apprenticeship6.8%

A levels or similar17%

Degree level37%

CharmouthDorset’s townsEngland’s towns

Degree-level qualifications are held by 37% of adults in Charmouth (England’s towns: 34%), and no qualification by 14% (England’s towns: 18%).

Neighbours

Every neighbour of Charmouth has a younger population

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

Lyme RegisUplymeAxminsterBridportBradpoleColytonTatworthCharmouth

under 3838–4444–5050–5656+

Town	People	Away	Median age	65+	Homes with children
Charmouth	1,337	—	61.8	46%	16%
Lyme Regis	3,741	1.7 mi	59.9	40%	16%
Uplyme	1,053	2.4 mi	54	29%	25%
Axminster	6,094	5.1 mi	46.8	27%	24%
Bridport	12,294	6.3 mi	56.2	35%	17%
Bradpole	1,257	7.1 mi	50.3	29%	23%
Colyton	1,938	7.3 mi	55.7	35%	19%
Tatworth	2,287	7.6 mi	52.3	31%	22%

More about Charmouth’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 D⁻Owners and renters, prices, rents and council tax Schools BEvery primary and secondary, with results and inspections

How to read these numbers

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 Charmouth’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 Charmouth’s residents

What is the population of Charmouth?

The 2021 Census counted 1,337 people in Charmouth’s built-up area.

What is the average age in Charmouth?

The median age was 61.8 at the 2021 Census. 7.7% of residents were 15 to 24 and 46% were 65 or over.

How diverse is Charmouth?

95% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 87% across Dorset’s towns. 6.4% were born outside the UK.

What religion are people in Charmouth?

39% said they had no religion and 52% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0% were Muslim and 6.9% didn’t answer.

Is Charmouth good for families?

16% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Charmouth’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.