Photo: Robert Edwards · CC BY-SA 2.0A median age of 52.8: Dedham Heath is older than 94% of UK towns
The figure for residents who describe themselves as Christian is 62% in Dedham Heath and 46% across England’s towns. Higher than in 99% of UK towns: 66% of adults are married or in a civil partnership. At the 2021 Census Dedham Heath was home to 601 people in 238 households. For Dedham Heath, the census puts households in terraced houses at 2.1%.
In Dedham Heath, 27% of residents are 65 or over, more than in 82% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
By its share of residents aged 15 to 24 (10%), Dedham Heath is above 60% of UK towns. Set beside that, 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns.
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.
Below 95% of UK towns: 6.2% of residents lived at another address a year earlier
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%.
5.1% of adults are full-time students (England’s towns: 7.9%). The comparison figure for residents who moved in within the year is 11% across England’s towns.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.
Fewer one-person households than 99% of UK towns: 14%
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.
In Dedham Heath the average household is 2.5 people, beside 2.4 across England’s towns. The census found that 28% of households have dependent children here. On average, 30% of households are one person living alone across England’s towns.
Households in detached houses: 85%, a higher share than 99% of UK towns
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 flats make up 0.9%, against 23% across England’s towns. 3.4% of households have no car or van, fewer than in 99% of UK towns. The comparison figure for households in detached houses is 21% across England’s towns.
Residents whose main language is English make up 100% in Dedham Heath, more than in 99% 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
Most residents from abroad were born in EU countries (2.2%) or in the Middle East and Asia (1.7%). To put it in context, 90% of residents have English as their main language across England’s towns. 6% of residents were born outside the UK; across England’s towns the figure is 18%.
In Dedham Heath, 33% of residents said they have no religion, fewer than in 87% 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: 93% of Dedham Heath · Essex’s towns 83% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Of the other groups, the largest are Other White (3%), Mixed or multiple (2.3%) and Indian (0.8%). The usual figure: 37% of residents said they have no religion across England’s towns. Set against 73% across England’s towns, 93% of residents describe themselves as White British in Dedham Heath.
Dedham Heath ranks below 98% of UK towns on adults who have never married: 22%
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
Unpaid carers make up 7.6% of residents, against 8.7% across England’s towns. 7 residents give 50 hours or more of unpaid care each week. Across England’s towns, adults who have never married come to 39%.
Degree-level qualifications reach 42% of adults
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Degree-level qualifications are held by 42% of Dedham Heath’s adults, against 34% across England’s towns; 14% have no qualification (18%).
Around Dedham Heath, 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dedham Heath | 601 | — | 52.8 | 27% | 28% |
| Ardleigh | 1,042 | 1.3 mi | 46.9 | 23% | 26% |
| Lawford | 4,488 | 2.4 mi | 43.6 | 21% | 29% |
| East Bergholt | 2,211 | 2.6 mi | 52.8 | 30% | 25% |
| Manningtree | 1,676 | 3 mi | 53.7 | 34% | 15% |
| Brantham | 2,081 | 3.3 mi | 45.9 | 23% | 28% |
| Mistley | 1,827 | 4 mi | 43.7 | 21% | 22% |
| Elmstead Market | 1,767 | 4.1 mi | 48.4 | 26% | 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 Dedham Heath’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 Dedham Heath’s residents
What is the population of Dedham Heath?
The 2021 Census counted 601 people in Dedham Heath’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Dedham Heath?
The median age was 52.8 at the 2021 Census. 10% of residents were 15 to 24 and 27% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Dedham Heath?
93% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 83% across Essex’s towns. 6% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Dedham Heath?
33% said they had no religion and 62% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0% were Muslim and 3.8% didn’t answer.
Is Dedham Heath good for families?
28% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Dedham Heath’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.