Photo: Rog Frost · CC BY-SA 2.0Bradfield is older than 92% of UK towns: a median age of 52.2
Compared with 24% across England’s towns, 4.2% of households live in a terraced house here. At the 2021 Census, 1,254 people lived in Bradfield, in 506 households. Locally, a fifth of households are one person living alone. Few places have as many residents who describe themselves as White British: 96% here, more than in 90% of UK towns.
What the Census says about Bradfield’s people
Older than most towns
Half of Bradfield’s residents are under 52.2 and half over, against 44.4 in the typical UK town. 31% 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).
A larger share of residents aged 65 and over than 93% of UK towns: 31%
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
The biggest five-year age group is 70–74, with 9% of residents, 1.9 times the share across England’s towns. Locally, 9.6% of residents are aged 15 to 24. Across England’s towns, 18% of residents are 65 or over.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 93 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 lower share of residents who moved in within the year than 78% of UK towns, at 7.4%
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%.
In Bradfield, 5.4% of adults are full-time students, beside 7.9% across England’s towns. Across England’s towns, the share of residents who moved in within the year is 11%.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.
Bradfield households average 2.5 people, larger than in 87% of UK towns
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.
4.3% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home across England’s towns, against 3% in Bradfield. The census found that just over a quarter of households have dependent children locally.
A village of detached houses: 70% 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
In Bradfield, 5.7% of households have no car or van, beside 24% across England’s towns. 3% of households live in a flat, less than in 93% of UK towns; 70% in a detached house, against 21% across England’s towns.
Fewer residents born outside the UK than 95% of UK towns: 2.6%
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
Across England’s towns, 90% of residents have English as their main language; in Bradfield, 100%. For residents born outside the UK, the comparison across England’s towns is 18%. Among residents born abroad, the largest groups were born in EU countries (1.4%) and in the Middle East and Asia (0.4%).
52% describe themselves as Christian, more than in 63% 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: 96% of Bradfield · Essex’s towns 83% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Beyond White British, the biggest groups are Other White (1.8%), Mixed or multiple (1.2%) and African (0.2%). Across England’s towns, 46% of residents describe themselves as Christian. In Bradfield, 40% of residents said they have no religion, beside 37% across England’s towns.
More married adults and civil partners than 94% of UK towns: 58%
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
Some 30 people give 50 hours or more of unpaid care a week. Fewer adults who have never married than in 87% of UK towns: 27%. The comparison figure for married adults and civil partners is 44% across England’s towns. With unpaid carers at 10%, Bradfield is ahead of 71% of UK towns on that count.
Qualified to degree level: 30% of adults
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Degree-level qualifications are held by 30% of adults in Bradfield (England’s towns: 34%), and no qualification by 18% (England’s towns: 18%).
Around Bradfield, 2 of 7 towns have a higher median age
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradfield | 1,254 | — | 52.2 | 31% | 26% |
| Mistley | 1,827 | 1.3 mi | 43.7 | 21% | 22% |
| Manningtree | 1,676 | 2.2 mi | 53.7 | 34% | 15% |
| Lawford | 4,488 | 2.5 mi | 43.6 | 21% | 29% |
| Brantham | 2,081 | 3.1 mi | 45.9 | 23% | 28% |
| Holbrook | 2,146 | 4.5 mi | 41.6 | 22% | 29% |
| Weeley | 1,285 | 4.8 mi | 52 | 31% | 22% |
| East Bergholt | 2,211 | 5.1 mi | 52.8 | 30% | 25% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The Census was taken in a lockdown, in term time. 21 March 2021 fell in term time, and students were asked to give their term-time address, so most were counted where they study. Some may have been living with family that day.
- “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 Bradfield’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 Bradfield’s residents
What is the population of Bradfield?
The 2021 Census counted 1,254 people in Bradfield’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Bradfield?
The median age was 52.2 at the 2021 Census. 9.6% of residents were 15 to 24 and 31% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Bradfield?
96% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 83% across Essex’s towns. 2.6% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Bradfield?
40% said they had no religion and 52% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0% were Muslim and 7.3% didn’t answer.
Is Bradfield good for families?
26% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Bradfield’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.