Photo: PeterSouthEast99 · CC BY-SA 4.049% said they have no religion, more than in 92% of UK towns
With households in flats at 20%, Rowhedge is ahead of 83% of UK towns on that count. At the same time, on households without a car or van, Rowhedge sits lower than 75% of UK towns: 11%. The village had 2,492 residents in 1,105 households at the 2021 Census. Nearly one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24.
What the Census says about Rowhedge’s people
More with no religion than most
49% of residents answered “no religion” in 2021 and 43% Christian, against 37% and 46% across England’s towns. Ethnicity & religion ↓
Written from the data on this page: ONS Census 2021 (output areas summed to the 2022 built-up area).
A median age of 40.5: Rowhedge is younger than 78% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
No age band is larger than 30–34: 8% of residents. On residents aged 65 and over, Rowhedge sits lower than 78% of UK towns: 18%. In Frinton-on-Sea, the oldest of Essex’s towns by this measure, it is 46%.
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.
Rowhedge ranks above 73% of UK towns on full-time students: 5.4%
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%.
Where just over one in ten residents lived at another address a year earlier across England’s towns, Rowhedge has 10%. For comparison, 7.9% of adults are full-time students across England’s towns.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.
More shared houses than 73% of UK towns: 2.9% of households
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.
At 2.3 people, the average household compares with 2.4 across England’s towns. Measured more widely, 4.3% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home across England’s towns. The census found that 28% of households are one person living alone in Rowhedge.
More households in terraced houses than 68% of UK towns: 25%
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 detached houses: 21%, near enough the figure across England’s towns. On average, 24% of households live in a terraced house across England’s towns.
Rowhedge ranks below 61% of UK towns on residents whose main language is English: 97%
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
Among those born abroad, the share arriving in 2017 or later is 7.7% (England’s towns: 21%). Typically, nine in ten residents have English as their main language across England’s towns. Most residents from abroad were born in EU countries (3.2%) or in the Middle East and Asia (1.4%).
A smaller share of residents who describe themselves as Christian than 86% of UK towns: 43%
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: 90% of Rowhedge · Essex’s towns 83% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Where 73% of residents describe themselves as White British across England’s towns, Rowhedge has 90%. Typically, 46% of residents describe themselves as Christian across England’s towns. After White British, the largest groups are Mixed or multiple (3.3%), Other White (3.3%) and African (0.8%).
More adults who have never married than 74% of UK towns: 36%
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
Nearly one in ten residents give unpaid care, about the same as across England’s towns. At 45%, the share of married adults and civil partners is lower than in 71% of UK towns. Elsewhere, 39% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership across England’s towns.
34% of adults have a degree-level qualification
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Across England’s towns, 18% of adults have no qualification; in Rowhedge, 12%, while 34% hold one at degree level (34%).
Nearby, 5 of 7 towns have older populations than Rowhedge
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rowhedge | 2,492 | — | 40.5 | 18% | 27% |
| Wivenhoe | 7,354 | 0.8 mi | 47.1 | 25% | 25% |
| Berechurch | 7,702 | 1.8 mi | 35.7 | 13% | 35% |
| Langenhoe and Abberton | 1,010 | 2.3 mi | 53.4 | 31% | 22% |
| Alresford | 2,462 | 2.3 mi | 46.2 | 27% | 26% |
| Elmstead Market | 1,767 | 2.7 mi | 48.4 | 26% | 25% |
| Colchester | 130,259 | 3.1 mi | 35.9 | 15% | 31% |
| Layer-de-la-Haye | 1,338 | 3.8 mi | 49.1 | 26% | 31% |
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 Rowhedge’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 Rowhedge’s residents
What is the population of Rowhedge?
The 2021 Census counted 2,492 people in Rowhedge’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Rowhedge?
The median age was 40.5 at the 2021 Census. 9% of residents were 15 to 24 and 18% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Rowhedge?
90% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 83% across Essex’s towns. 6.8% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Rowhedge?
49% said they had no religion and 43% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 1% were Muslim and 5.5% didn’t answer.
Is Rowhedge good for families?
27% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Rowhedge’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.