Photo: Glyn Baker · CC BY-SA 2.0Only 1.2% of households live in a terraced house in North Benfleet
Households without a car or van make up 6.8%, against 24% across England’s towns. At the 2021 Census North Benfleet was home to 1,765 people in 681 households. On the census count, 23% of households are one person living alone. 11% of residents give unpaid care, a higher share than in 83% of UK towns.
What the Census says about North Benfleet’s people
Older than most towns
Half of North Benfleet’s residents are under 50.8 and half over, against 44.4 in the typical UK town. 25% 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 median age of 50.8: North Benfleet is older than 89% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
The biggest five-year age group is 55–59, with 9.9% of residents, 1.5 times the share across England’s towns. Across North Benfleet, 25% of residents are 65 or over. More residents aged 15 to 24 than in four fifths of UK towns: 11%.
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.
A smaller share of full-time students than 61% of UK towns: 4.6%
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%.
Across England’s towns, 33% of adults are in managerial and professional jobs and 24% in routine or semi-routine work; North Benfleet has 28% and 22%. The benchmark for full-time students across England’s towns: 7.9%. Residents who moved in within the year: nearly a tenth of the total.
Larger households than 96% of UK towns: 2.6 people on average
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.
A quarter of households have dependent children (England’s towns: 29%). Shared households of unrelated adults: 4.6% of the total.
North Benfleet sits above 99% of UK towns for households in detached houses (70%)
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
Nearly a quarter of households live in a flat or apartment across England’s towns, against 3% in North Benfleet. Against that, just over a fifth of households live in a detached house across England’s towns.
North Benfleet ranks below 53% of UK towns on residents whose main language is English: 98%
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
By birthplace, the largest groups from abroad were born in EU countries (3.5%) and in Africa (1.3%). Against that, 90% of residents have English as their main language across England’s towns. Across England’s towns, just over a fifth of those born abroad arrived in 2017 or later; here, 14%.
Below 70% of UK towns: 88% of residents describe themselves as White British
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: 88% of North Benfleet · Essex’s towns 83% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
On religion, 39% answered “no religion” and 53% Christian, against 37% and 46% across England’s towns. After White British, the largest groups are Other White (4.6%), Mixed or multiple (2.3%) and African (1.9%). Residents who describe themselves as Christian are more common here than in 69% of UK towns. As a yardstick, 73% of residents describe themselves as White British across England’s towns.
51% of adults are married or in a civil partnership, more than in 68% 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
Unpaid care takes 50 hours a week or more for 74 people. For married adults and civil partners, the comparison across England’s towns is 44%. Lower than in 63% of UK towns: 30% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership.
Adults with a degree-level qualification: 20%
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Degree-level qualifications cover 20% of adults in North Benfleet, 34% across England’s towns; 28% have no qualification, against 18%.
North Benfleet is older than every town around it
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Benfleet | 1,765 | — | 50.8 | 25% | 25% |
| Thundersley and South Benfleet | 49,886 | 1.9 mi | 46.7 | 25% | 27% |
| Wickford | 27,533 | 2.6 mi | 42.5 | 20% | 30% |
| Basildon | 115,935 | 3 mi | 36.6 | 14% | 34% |
| Rayleigh | 32,383 | 3.4 mi | 45.5 | 23% | 29% |
| Crays Hill | 1,218 | 3.4 mi | 50.5 | 27% | 23% |
| Runwell | 8,086 | 3.6 mi | 43.1 | 23% | 30% |
| Canvey Island | 38,004 | 4.1 mi | 46.3 | 26% | 26% |
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 North Benfleet’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 North Benfleet’s residents
What is the population of North Benfleet?
The 2021 Census counted 1,765 people in North Benfleet’s built-up area.
What is the average age in North Benfleet?
The median age was 50.8 at the 2021 Census. 11% of residents were 15 to 24 and 25% were 65 or over.
How diverse is North Benfleet?
88% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 83% across Essex’s towns. 6.3% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in North Benfleet?
39% said they had no religion and 53% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0.2% were Muslim and 7.1% didn’t answer.
Is North Benfleet good for families?
25% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on North Benfleet’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.