Photo: Nigel Thompson · CC BY-SA 2.082% of residents describe themselves as White British, fewer than in 83% of UK towns
Here 8.8% of residents are aged 15 to 24, where the figure across England’s towns is 12%. Households in flats are more common here than in 90% of UK towns. 10,693 residents in 4,575 households: that is Epping at the 2021 Census. In Epping, 7.7% of residents give unpaid care.
Younger than 65% of UK towns: half of Epping is under 42.6
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
Against a figure of 18% across England’s towns, the share of residents aged 65 and over in Epping comes in at 20%. The largest age band is 40–44: 7.6% of residents.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Epping, 42.6. The typical town is 44.4.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
9.4% of residents lived at another address a year earlier, more than in 64% of UK towns
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%.
Managerial and professional jobs account for 44% of Epping’s adults, routine and semi-routine work for 15%, against 33% and 24% across England’s towns. 4.9% of adults are full-time students, more than in 52% of UK towns. Elsewhere, 11% of residents lived at another address a year earlier across England’s towns.
Epping households average 2.3 people, larger than in 61% 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.
29% of households have dependent children, about the same as across England’s towns. The share of one-person households stands at 30%. On shared households of unrelated adults, Epping sits higher than 51% of UK towns: 2.4%.
In Epping, 19% of households live in a detached house, fewer than in 76% 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
Here 17% of households have no car or van, where the figure across England’s towns is 24%. Higher than in 56% of UK towns: 22% of households live in a terraced house. Across the comparison, 21% of households live in a detached house across England’s towns.
Epping: 11% of residents were born outside the UK, above 78% 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
Compared with 90% across England’s towns, 96% of residents have English as their main language here. Most residents from abroad were born in EU countries (5.4%) or in the Middle East and Asia (2.3%). The comparison figure for residents born outside the UK is 18% across England’s towns.
38% said they have no religion, fewer than in 68% 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: 82% of Epping · Essex’s towns 83% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
The groups that follow White British are Other White (8.2%), Mixed or multiple (3.6%) and Indian (1.8%). By way of comparison, 37% of residents said they have no religion across England’s towns. At 50%, the share of residents who describe themselves as Christian is higher than in 54% of UK towns.
35% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership, more than in 64% 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
The number giving 50 or more hours of unpaid care a week is 206. At 47%, the share of married adults and civil partners is lower than in 54% of UK towns. On average, 39% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership across England’s towns.
Degree level: the highest qualification of 38% of adults
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Degree-level qualifications are held by 38% of adults in Epping (England’s towns: 34%), and no qualification by 16% (England’s towns: 18%).
149th lowest median age among 455 UK towns of 7,000 to 14,000
Median age, Census 2021. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
At the ends of the range sit Stoke Gifford (27.8), the youngest, and Seaton (61), the oldest. Nearest to Epping in age: Cleckheaton (42.6), Conisbrough (42.6), Murton (42.7) and Great Harwood (42.7).
Nearby, 5 of 7 towns have older populations than Epping
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epping | 10,693 | — | 42.6 | 20% | 29% |
| Coopersale | 1,067 | 1.2 mi | 43 | 18% | 32% |
| Theydon Bois | 3,540 | 1.8 mi | 47.8 | 26% | 28% |
| Thornwood Common | 1,030 | 1.8 mi | 47.7 | 24% | 26% |
| North Weald Bassett | 4,323 | 2.9 mi | 45.4 | 23% | 28% |
| Abridge | 1,651 | 3.3 mi | 45.8 | 24% | 26% |
| Loughton | 33,338 | 3.9 mi | 40.3 | 16% | 32% |
| Waltham Abbey | 18,645 | 4.3 mi | 40.6 | 18% | 31% |
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 Epping’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 Epping’s residents
What is the population of Epping?
The 2021 Census counted 10,693 people in Epping’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Epping?
The median age was 42.6 at the 2021 Census, younger than 65% of UK towns. 8.8% of residents were 15 to 24 and 20% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Epping?
82% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 83% across Essex’s towns. 11% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Epping?
38% said they had no religion and 50% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 1.8% were Muslim and 5.6% didn’t answer.
Is Epping good for families?
29% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Epping’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.