Babylon · Photo: Acabashi · CC BY-SA 4.0A lower share of shared households of unrelated adults than 83% of UK towns, at 1.7%
Half of Boreham’s residents are under 42.2, younger than in just over two thirds of UK towns. At the 2021 Census, 3,561 people lived in the town, in 1,554 households. Locally, 16% of households live in a terraced house. The figure for households without a car or van is 11% in Boreham and 24% across England’s towns.
A lower share of residents aged 15 to 24 than 67% of UK towns, at 9.2%
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
People aged 65 and over make up 19% of residents, against 18% across England’s towns. The biggest five-year age group is 30–34, with 7.7% of residents. By way of comparison, 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across England’s towns.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Boreham, 42.2. The typical town is 44.4.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
Below 64% of UK towns: 4.5% of adults are full-time students
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%.
Residents who moved in within the year: 11%, near enough the figure across England’s towns. Across England’s towns, 7.9% of adults are full-time students.
A larger share of households with dependent children than 59% of UK towns: 28%
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Essex’s towns and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
29% of households are one person living alone. Across England’s towns, households average 2.4 people; in Boreham, 2.3.
A town of flats: 14% of households live in one
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 detached houses tops 54% of UK towns: 31%. The comparison figure for households in flats is 23% across England’s towns.
In Boreham, 98% of residents have English as their main language, more than in 64% 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%
When those born abroad arrived
Main language · residents aged 3 and over
The largest groups were born in EU countries (2.5%) and in Africa (1.3%). Fewer residents born outside the UK than in 58% of UK towns: 5.7%. Residents whose main language is English: 90% across England’s towns, for comparison.
Residents with no religion make up 43% in Boreham, more than in 66% 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
White British, not charted: 91% of Boreham · Essex’s towns 83% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
The share of residents who describe themselves as Christian is 49%, against 46% across England’s towns. The usual figure: 37% of residents said they have no religion across England’s towns. Across Boreham, 91% of residents describe themselves as White British.
In Boreham, 7.5% of residents give unpaid care, fewer than in 92% 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
Compared with 39% across England’s towns, 34% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership here. Boreham has fewer married adults and civil partners than 50% of UK towns, at 48%. The share of unpaid carers across England’s towns is 8.7%.
29% of adults have a degree-level qualification
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
29% of Boreham’s adults have a degree-level qualification, against 34% across England’s towns; 16% have none (18%).
142nd youngest of 749 UK towns of 2,500 to 5,000 people
Median age, Census 2021. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
The youngest is Bailrigg (18.9) and the oldest Milford on Sea (64.6). Nearest to Boreham in age: Honeybourne (42.2), Northway (42.2), Bearwood (42.2) and Exminster (42.2).
3 of the 7 nearest towns are older than Boreham
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boreham | 3,561 | — | 42.2 | 19% | 28% |
| Hatfield Peverel | 3,622 | 2.6 mi | 48.5 | 25% | 24% |
| Chelmsford | 110,612 | 3.2 mi | 39.3 | 17% | 30% |
| Broomfield | 3,491 | 3.2 mi | 42.1 | 22% | 27% |
| Danbury | 6,196 | 3.4 mi | 50.6 | 28% | 28% |
| Little Waltham | 1,038 | 3.5 mi | 50.4 | 27% | 25% |
| Witham | 27,395 | 4.8 mi | 38.9 | 18% | 30% |
| Great Leighs | 2,968 | 4.9 mi | 38.9 | 15% | 40% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “Essex’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Essex (or England), summed the same way as Boreham’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 Boreham’s residents
What is the population of Boreham?
The 2021 Census counted 3,561 people in Boreham’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Boreham?
The median age was 42.2 at the 2021 Census, younger than 68% of UK towns. 9.2% of residents were 15 to 24 and 19% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Boreham?
91% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 83% across Essex’s towns. 5.7% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Boreham?
43% said they had no religion and 49% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0.4% were Muslim and 6.1% didn’t answer.
Is Boreham good for families?
28% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Boreham’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.