Photo: Steven Brown · CC BY-SA 2.048% of households live in a terraced house, more than in 97% of UK towns
Residents with no religion are more common here than in 90% of UK towns. The 2022 Census counted 3,200 residents in 1,461 households. In Caol, nearly a quarter of households have no car or van. At 2.2 people, the average household compares with 2.1 across Scotland’s towns.
Caol sits above 81% of UK towns for residents aged 15 to 24 (11%)
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2022.
21% of residents are 65 or over, against 19% across Scotland’s towns. Against that, 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across Scotland’s towns. The median age in Caol is 44.8, higher than in 52% of UK towns.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Caol, 44.8. The typical town is 44.4.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across Scotland, 51% of residents are women.
A smaller share of full-time students than 62% of UK towns: 4.6%
What adults did at the 2022 Census (the NS-SEC classes).
Adults by occupation class · residents 16 and over
Managerial and professional jobs account for nearly a quarter of Caol’s adults, routine and semi-routine work for 40%, against 33% and 25% across Scotland’s towns. The share of full-time students across Scotland’s towns is 9.4%.
A higher share of one-person households than 94% of UK towns, at 37%
Household make-up at the 2022 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Highland’s towns and Scotland’s towns
People per household
Scotland’s towns.
Here 2% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home, where the figure across Scotland’s towns is 3.5%. On average, 38% of households are one person living alone across Scotland’s towns. Locally, 25% of households have dependent children.
6.9% of households live in a flat or apartment, below 72% of UK towns
Accommodation type and cars or vans per household, Census 2022. Owning and renting are on Cost of living.
Type of home
Cars or vans · share of households
Set against 18% across Scotland’s towns, 16% of households live in a detached house in Caol. The wider picture: nearly two in five households live in a flat or apartment across Scotland’s towns.
4.7% of residents were born outside the UK, fewer than in 68% of UK towns
Country of birth, year of arrival and main language, Census 2022.
Born outside the UK, by region · share of all residents; the bar runs to 15%
When those born abroad arrived
Main language · residents aged 3 and over
Where 34% of those born abroad across Scotland’s towns arrived in 2017 or later, here the share is 19%. Across Scotland’s towns, 11% of residents were born outside the UK. Most residents from abroad were born in EU countries (3.2%) or in the Middle East and Asia (0.7%). Few places have so few residents whose main language is English: 97% here, fewer than in 58% of UK towns.
Residents who describe themselves as Christian: 43%, a lower share than 86% of UK towns
How residents described themselves at the 2022 Census. Lines join the lowest and highest of the three figures.
Ethnic groups other than White British · all residents
White British, not charted: 94% of Caol · Highland’s towns 90% · Scotland’s towns 86%.
Religion · all residents
The largest groups after White British are Other White (4.5%), Mixed or multiple (0.6%) and Bangladeshi (0.3%). More residents who describe themselves as White British than in 65% of UK towns: 94%. Set beside that, nearly two in five residents describe themselves as Christian across Scotland’s towns.
A larger share of adults who have never married than 77% of UK towns: 37%
Legal partnership status (residents 16 and over) and unpaid care (residents 3 and over), Census 2022.
Partnership status · residents 16 and over
Unpaid care given · share of residents 3 and over
Across Scotland’s towns, 42% of adults are married or in a civil partnership; in Caol, 43%. On average, 40% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership across Scotland’s towns. For Caol, the census puts unpaid carers at 12%.
17% of adults have qualifications at degree level
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2022.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
In Caol, 17% of adults hold a degree-level qualification, against 32% across Scotland’s towns, while 27% have no qualification at all (17%).
165th lowest median age among 515 UK towns of 2,500 to 4,000
Median age, Census 2022. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
At the ends of the range sit Keele (20.6), the youngest, and West Chiltington (63.1), the oldest. Nearest to Caol in age: Spilsby (44.8), Cwm (44.8), Pilsley and Lower Pilsley (44.9) and Willaston (Cheshire East) (44.9).
The places around Caol
Nearby towns coloured by median age, Census 2022. Tap a town for its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Homes with children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caol | 3,200 | — | 44.8 | 21% | 25% |
| Fort William | 5,766 | 1.5 mi | 41 | 18% | 23% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “Highland’s towns” and “Scotland’s towns” mean their towns. Census comparisons pool every locality in Highland (or Scotland), summed the same way as Caol’s figures, so households in open countryside are left out.
- Small counts are blurred. National Records of Scotland adjusts small 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 Caol’s residents
What is the population of Caol?
The 2022 Census counted 3,200 people in Caol’s locality.
What is the average age in Caol?
The median age was 44.8 at the 2022 Census, older than 52% of UK towns. 11% of residents were 15 to 24 and 21% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Caol?
94% of residents described themselves as White British in 2022, against 86% across Scotland’s towns and 90% across Highland’s towns. 4.7% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Caol?
48% said they had no religion and 43% that they were Christian at the 2022 Census; 0.6% were Muslim and 7.3% didn’t answer.
Is Caol good for families?
25% of households had dependent children in 2022, against 24% across Scotland’s towns. Schools are on Caol’s schools page.
Sources: Scotland’s Census 2022 (National Records of Scotland), output areas summed to the NRS 2022 locality (UV101b, UV103, UV104, UV113, UV201, UV204b, UV205, UV212, UV301, UV402, UV405, UV406, UV501, UV607, UV801). 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.