Photo: Oast House Archive · CC BY-SA 2.0In Goudhurst, 1.7% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home, fewer than in 85% of UK towns
Households without a car or van make up 10%, against 24% across England’s towns. At the 2021 Census Goudhurst was home to 1,104 people in 473 households. The share of households with dependent children stands at 31%. With a median age of 46.3, Goudhurst is older than 64% of UK towns.
Residents aged 65 and over make up 19% in Goudhurst, less than in 69% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
Across England’s towns, just over one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24; in Goudhurst, 10%. As a yardstick, 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
A higher share of full-time students than 87% of UK towns, at 6.3%
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%.
Managerial and professional jobs take in 36% of adults here, routine and semi-routine work 19% (England’s towns: 33% and 24%). Across the comparison, 7.9% of adults are full-time students across England’s towns. Census figures put residents who moved in within the year at 9% in Goudhurst.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.
Goudhurst households average 2.3 people, larger than in 62% of UK towns
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.
One-person households: 31%, above 63% of UK towns.
Goudhurst ranks above 71% of UK towns on households in terraced houses: 26%
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
In Goudhurst, a quarter of households live in a detached house, beside 21% across England’s towns. At the same time, on households in flats, Goudhurst sits higher than 57% of UK towns: 12%. The share of households in terraced houses across England’s towns is 24%.
More residents whose main language is English than 65% of UK towns: 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%
Main language · residents aged 3 and over
Born outside the UK: 5.7% of residents, against 18% across England’s towns. To put it in context, nine in ten residents have English as their main language across England’s towns. By birthplace, the largest groups from abroad were born in EU countries (2.8%) and in the Middle East and Asia (0.8%).
Goudhurst: 43% of residents said they have no religion, above 62% 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
White British, not charted: 93% of Goudhurst · Kent’s towns 82% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Of the other groups, the largest are Other White (4.6%), Mixed or multiple (1.5%) and African (0.1%). Goudhurst has more residents who describe themselves as White British than 60% of UK towns, at 93%. On average, 37% of residents said they have no religion across England’s towns. Where 46% of residents describe themselves as Christian across England’s towns, Goudhurst has 50%.
Adults who have never married make up 31% in Goudhurst, less than in 60% 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
Married people and civil partners make up nearly half of adults, against 44% across England’s towns. Fewer unpaid carers than in 64% of UK towns: 8.9%. Across England’s towns, 39% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership. 19 residents care, unpaid, for at least 50 hours a week.
Adults qualified to degree level or above: 35%
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
At degree level, Goudhurst counts 35% of its adults, against 34% across England’s towns; at the other end, 16% have no qualification (18%). A levels are as far as 16% have gone so far, many of them students midway to a degree.
Nearby, 2 of 7 towns have older populations than Goudhurst
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goudhurst | 1,104 | — | 46.3 | 19% | 31% |
| Horsmonden | 1,580 | 2.2 mi | 45.5 | 22% | 30% |
| Cranbrook | 3,962 | 3.5 mi | 45.3 | 24% | 26% |
| Marden | 3,489 | 4.5 mi | 38.5 | 18% | 32% |
| Ticehurst | 1,464 | 4.9 mi | 47.2 | 30% | 29% |
| Hawkhurst | 3,683 | 5.1 mi | 47 | 24% | 26% |
| Paddock Wood | 7,616 | 5.5 mi | 44.9 | 22% | 28% |
| Staplehurst | 6,181 | 5.5 mi | 44.9 | 22% | 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.
- “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 Goudhurst’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 Goudhurst’s residents
What is the population of Goudhurst?
The 2021 Census counted 1,104 people in Goudhurst’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Goudhurst?
The median age was 46.3 at the 2021 Census. 10% of residents were 15 to 24 and 19% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Goudhurst?
93% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 82% across Kent’s towns. 5.7% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Goudhurst?
43% said they had no religion and 50% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0.1% were Muslim and 6.8% didn’t answer.
Is Goudhurst good for families?
31% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Goudhurst’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.