Photo: Christine Johnstone · CC BY-SA 2.0

40.7Median age

Who lives here · ONS Census 2021

A larger share of households in terraced houses than 98% of UK towns: 54%

Half of Summit’s residents are under 40.7, younger than in 77% of UK towns. The village counted 1,728 residents and 741 households at the 2021 Census. Across Summit, 2.8% of households live in a flat or apartment. By its share of married adults and civil partners (39%), Summit is below 92% of UK towns.

17%aged 65 or over 4.2%born abroad 741households

Ages

A lower share of residents aged 15 to 24 than 66% of UK towns, at 9.3%

Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.

SummitEngland’s towns

0–410–1420–2430–3440–4450–5460–6470–7480–84

The largest age band is 50–54: 8.2% of residents. Elsewhere, 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across England’s towns. At 17%, the share of residents aged 65 and over is lower than in 84% of UK towns. In High Lane, the oldest of Greater Manchester’s towns by this measure, it is 37%.

Broad ages · share of residents

Under 1519%

15 to 249.3%

25 to 4427%

45 to 6428%

65 and over17%

SummitGreater Manchester’s townsEngland’s towns

Women and men · all residents

51% women, 49% men

Summit

England

WomenMen

About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.

Students & newcomers

A lower share of residents who moved in within the year than 93% of UK towns, at 6.5%

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

Full-time students5.3%

Higher managerial and professional11%

Lower managerial and professional21%

Intermediate9.9%

Small employers and self-employed12%

Supervisory and technical6.6%

Semi-routine11%

Routine16%

Never worked or long-term unemployed7.1%

SummitGreater Manchester’s townsEngland’s towns

Address a year before the Census

Residents who lived somewhere else a year earlier. The bar runs to 25%.

Summit

6.5%

England’s towns

11%

Moved within the UKTerm-time addressMoved from abroad

Moved in within a year

110

residents, 6.5%; England’s towns 11%

Of them from abroad

0.2× England’s share

Full-time students make up 5.3%, against 7.9% across England’s towns. The wider picture: 11% of residents lived at another address a year earlier across England’s towns.

The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.

Households

31% of households have dependent children, a share 81% of UK towns don’t reach

Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.

Living alone, 66+ 11%Living alone, under 66 17%Families with dependent children 31%Couples and families, no young children 38%Shared houses and other 2.7%

Against Greater Manchester’s towns and England’s towns

Summit

Greater Manchester’s towns

England’s towns

People per household

1 person28%

2 people38%

3 people17%

4 people13%

5 or more4.6%

England’s towns.

Households in Summit hold 2.3 people on average (England’s towns: 2.4). Across England’s towns, 29% of households have dependent children. Census figures put one-person households at 28% here. Higher than in 67% of UK towns: 2.7% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home.

Homes & cars

Only 19% of households in Summit live in a detached house

Accommodation type and cars or vans per household, Census 2021. Owning and renting are on Cost of living.

Type of home

Summit

Greater Manchester’s towns

England’s towns

DetachedSemi-detachedTerracedFlat or maisonetteCaravan or other

Cars or vans · share of households

No car or van17%

One45%

Two30%

Three or more7.5%

SummitGreater Manchester’s townsEngland’s towns

Across England’s towns, the share of households without a car or van is 24%; Summit has 17%. By contrast, 2.8% of households live in a flat, less than in 94% of UK towns; 19% in a detached house, against 21% across England’s towns.

Where people were born

Summit sits below 75% of UK towns for residents born outside the UK (4.2%)

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%

Summit

4.2%

Greater Manchester’s towns

17%

England’s towns

18%

EU countriesRest of EuropeMiddle East and AsiaAfricaAmericas, Oceania, other

Main language · residents aged 3 and over

English is main language99%

Another main language, speaks English very well or well1.1%

Another main language, little or no English0.3%

SummitGreater Manchester’s townsEngland’s towns

By birthplace, the largest groups from abroad were born in EU countries (2.9%) and in Africa (0.5%). The benchmark for residents born outside the UK across England’s towns: 18%. Few places have as many residents whose main language is English: 99% here, more than in three quarters of UK towns.

Ethnicity & religion

45% said they have no religion, more than in 74% 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

SummitGreater Manchester’s townsEngland’s towns

Other White3.1%

Asian0.7%

Mixed1.5%

Black0.3%

Other0%

0%8%16%

White British, not charted: 94% of Summit · Greater Manchester’s towns 71% · England’s towns 73%.

Religion · all residents

SummitGreater Manchester’s townsEngland’s towns

No religion45%

Christian47%

Muslim0.3%

Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, Buddhist0.5%

Other religion0.4%

Didn’t answer6.8%

0%30%60%

Of the other groups, the largest are Other White (3.1%), Mixed or multiple (1.5%) and Pakistani (0.4%). Measured more widely, 37% of residents said they have no religion across England’s towns. Compared with other places, residents who describe themselves as White British are common here: 94%, more than in 71% of UK towns. 47% of residents describe themselves as Christian (England’s towns: 46%).

Relationships & caring

41% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership, more than in 91% 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

Never married or in a civil partnership41%

Married or civil partnership39%

Separated3.2%

Divorced12%

Widowed5.1%

SummitGreater Manchester’s townsEngland’s towns

163residents give unpaid care to someone with an illness, disability or old age: 10%, against 8.7% in England’s towns

Unpaid care given · share of residents 5 and over

Up to 19 hours a week5.1%

20 to 49 hours1.8%

50 hours or more3.2%

Unpaid carers make up 10% of residents, against 8.7% across England’s towns. Across England’s towns, the share of adults who have never married is 39%. For 52 residents, unpaid care runs to 50 hours or more a week.

Qualifications

A degree-level qualification for 27% of adults

Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.

Highest qualification · residents 16 and over

No qualifications20%

Apprenticeship6.6%

A levels or similar22%

Degree level27%

SummitGreater Manchester’s townsEngland’s towns

Summit’s adults: 27% with a degree-level qualification and 20% with none, against 34% and 18% across England’s towns.

Neighbours

Summit sits below 6 of its 7 closest neighbours on median age

Nearby built-up areas coloured by median age, Census 2021. Tap a town for its page.

LittleboroughWardleMilnrowWhitworthTodmordenNewheyRochdaleSummit

under 3838–4444–5050–5656+

Town	People	Away	Median age	65+	Homes with children
Summit	1,728	—	40.7	17%	31%
Littleborough	12,164	1.3 mi	46.4	23%	26%
Wardle	2,112	2 mi	45.2	22%	28%
Milnrow	9,237	3.4 mi	44.4	22%	27%
Whitworth	6,713	3.6 mi	45	20%	27%
Todmorden	12,971	3.7 mi	43.4	20%	26%
Newhey	2,711	4 mi	43.3	19%	29%
Rochdale	111,258	4.2 mi	36.2	15%	36%

More about Summit’s residents

Health, work and homes have their own pages

Health C⁻Life expectancy, early deaths and Census health, adjusted for age Work & commute DIncome, the claimant count, jobs and how people get to work Cost of living C⁻Owners and renters, prices, rents and council tax Schools C⁺Every primary and secondary, with results and inspections

How to read these numbers

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.
“Greater Manchester’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Greater Manchester (or England), summed the same way as Summit’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 Summit’s residents

What is the population of Summit?

The 2021 Census counted 1,728 people in Summit’s built-up area.

What is the average age in Summit?

The median age was 40.7 at the 2021 Census. 9.3% of residents were 15 to 24 and 17% were 65 or over.

How diverse is Summit?

94% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 71% across Greater Manchester’s towns. 4.2% were born outside the UK.

What religion are people in Summit?

45% said they had no religion and 47% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0.3% were Muslim and 6.8% didn’t answer.

Is Summit good for families?

31% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Summit’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.