Photo: Marathon · CC BY-SA 2.0A median age of 52: Cowden is older than 92% of UK towns
45% of households live in a terraced house; across England’s towns the figure is 24%. In 2021, the Census found 222 residents in Cowden, living in 104 households. Census figures put households with dependent children at 19% in the village. Lower than in 94% of UK towns: 10% of households live in a detached house.
Cowden: 28% of residents are 65 or over, above 87% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
The largest age band is 55–59: nearly one in ten residents, 1.4 times the share across England’s towns. On average, 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns. Locally, 9.9% of residents are aged 15 to 24.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
A smaller share of full-time students than 98% of UK towns: 3.2%
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 11% of residents lived at another address a year earlier across England’s towns, Cowden has 7.7%. Against that, 7.9% of adults are full-time students across England’s towns.
Smaller households than 84% of UK towns: 2.2 people on average
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Kent’s towns and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
The share of one-person households is 34%, against 30% across England’s towns. Locally, 2.9% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home.
Fewer flats than 93% of UK towns: 3% of households
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 without a car or van make up 8.7%, against 24% across England’s towns. For households in flats, the comparison across England’s towns is 23%.
A lower share of residents born outside the UK than 71% of UK towns, at 4.5%
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%
Main language · residents aged 3 and over
Among residents born abroad, the largest groups were born in EU countries (1.8%) and in Africa (1.8%). On residents whose main language is English, Cowden sits higher than three quarters of UK towns: 99%. The comparison figure for residents born outside the UK is 18% across England’s towns.
A higher White British share than 63% of UK towns: 94% of residents
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: 94% of Cowden · Kent’s towns 82% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
37% of residents said they have no religion across England’s towns, against 43% in Cowden. Lower than in 62% of UK towns: 48% of residents describe themselves as Christian. Residents who describe themselves as White British make up 73% across England’s towns.
Cowden sits below 96% of UK towns for married adults and civil partners (37%)
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
Across England’s towns, the share of adults who have never married is 39%; Cowden has 38%. At 50 hours or more a week, 11 people give unpaid care. Married adults and civil partners: 44% across England’s towns, for comparison.
25% of adults have a degree-level qualification
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
In Cowden, 25% of adults hold a degree-level qualification, against 34% across England’s towns, while 26% have no qualification at all (18%).
The towns around Cowden are all younger
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowden | 222 | — | 52 | 28% | 19% |
| Ashurst Wood | 1,508 | 3.8 mi | 45.8 | 24% | 27% |
| Dormansland | 2,300 | 3.9 mi | 47.4 | 22% | 27% |
| Edenbridge | 7,903 | 4.1 mi | 39.2 | 18% | 33% |
| Forest Row | 3,881 | 4.3 mi | 48.5 | 25% | 29% |
| Groombridge | 1,077 | 4.6 mi | 47.7 | 25% | 29% |
| East Grinstead | 26,350 | 4.7 mi | 44.4 | 21% | 28% |
| Marlpit Hill | 1,271 | 4.8 mi | 47.6 | 25% | 30% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “Kent’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Kent (or England), summed the same way as Cowden’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 Cowden’s residents
What is the population of Cowden?
The 2021 Census counted 222 people in Cowden’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Cowden?
The median age was 52 at the 2021 Census. 9.9% of residents were 15 to 24 and 28% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Cowden?
94% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 82% across Kent’s towns. 4.5% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Cowden?
43% said they had no religion and 48% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0% were Muslim and 9.5% didn’t answer.
Is Cowden good for families?
19% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Cowden’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.