Photo: PaleCloudedWhite · CC BY-SA 4.0Half of Puddletown is over 51.1, older than 90% of UK towns
Set against 73% across England’s towns, 97% of residents describe themselves as White British in Puddletown. At the 2021 Census Puddletown was home to 1,193 people in 532 households. Locally, nearly a quarter of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership. On households in terraced houses, Puddletown sits higher than 77% of UK towns: 27%.
What the Census says about Puddletown’s people
Older than most towns
Half of Puddletown’s residents are under 51.1 and half over, against 44.4 in the typical UK town. 28% are 65 or over, against 18% across England’s towns. Ages ↓
Many carers
151 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).
Residents aged 65 and over make up 28% in Puddletown, more than in 86% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
By its share of residents aged 15 to 24 (8.7%), Puddletown is below just over four fifths of UK towns. For comparison, 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
About 90 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.
A smaller share of residents who moved in within the year than 82% of UK towns: 7.2%
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%.
Against a figure of 7.9% across England’s towns, the share of full-time students in Puddletown comes in at 4.5%. For residents who moved in within the year, the comparison across England’s towns is 11%.
Households with dependent children make up 25% in Puddletown, less than in 73% 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.
Shared households of unrelated adults make up 2.6%, against 4.3% across England’s towns. At the same time, 28% of households are one person living alone, fewer than in 65% of UK towns. The wider picture: 29% of households have dependent children across England’s towns. On average, 2.2 people share a household.
A lower share of households in flats than 68% of UK towns, at 7.7%
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
Households in detached houses: 23%, below 66% of UK towns. Census figures put households without a car or van at 14% in Puddletown.
Residents whose main language is English: 99%, a higher share than 97% 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
The largest groups were born in EU countries (1.5%) and in the Middle East and Asia (1.2%). Against that, nine in ten residents have English as their main language across England’s towns. 4.4% of residents were born outside the UK, fewer than in 71% of UK towns.
A higher share of residents who describe themselves as Christian than 89% of UK towns, at 57%
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 Puddletown · Dorset’s towns 87% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
The largest groups after White British are Other White (1.5%), Mixed or multiple (1%) and Indian (0.2%). Typically, 46% of residents describe themselves as Christian across England’s towns. Lower than in just over four fifths of UK towns: 35% of residents said they have no religion.
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
Where 44% of adults are married or in a civil partnership across England’s towns, Puddletown has 58%. As a yardstick, nearly one in ten residents give unpaid care across England’s towns.
Among adults, 35% hold a degree-level qualification
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Against 34% across England’s towns, 35% of adults here have a degree-level qualification, while 14% hold no qualification (18%).
1 in 7 nearby towns have a higher median age than Puddletown
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puddletown | 1,193 | — | 51.1 | 28% | 25% |
| Milborne St Andrew | 1,090 | 3.5 mi | 52.7 | 28% | 21% |
| Crossways | 2,494 | 3.6 mi | 49 | 27% | 24% |
| Charlton Down | 1,487 | 4.9 mi | 45.6 | 22% | 31% |
| Dorchester | 21,358 | 5.1 mi | 48.7 | 28% | 23% |
| Charminster | 1,732 | 5.1 mi | 49.7 | 28% | 26% |
| Bere Regis | 1,320 | 5.5 mi | 50.5 | 28% | 22% |
| Wool | 5,044 | 6.4 mi | 37.6 | 17% | 33% |
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 Puddletown’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 Puddletown’s residents
What is the population of Puddletown?
The 2021 Census counted 1,193 people in Puddletown’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Puddletown?
The median age was 51.1 at the 2021 Census. 8.7% of residents were 15 to 24 and 28% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Puddletown?
97% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 87% across Dorset’s towns. 4.4% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Puddletown?
35% said they had no religion and 57% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0.4% were Muslim and 6.5% didn’t answer.
Is Puddletown good for families?
25% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Puddletown’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.