Saltwood Castle · Photo: Edgepedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Saltwood is older than 93% of UK towns: a median age of 52.3
Across England’s towns, 24% of households have no car or van; in Saltwood, 7.9%. At the 2021 Census Saltwood was home to 857 people in 360 households. For Saltwood, the census puts households in detached houses at 44%. A third of residents said they have no religion, fewer than in 87% of UK towns.
32% of residents are 65 or over, more than in 94% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
The biggest five-year age group is 70–74, with 7.8% of residents, 1.6 times the share across England’s towns. Locally, one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24. Measured more widely, 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
About 90 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.
More residents who moved in within the year than 91% of UK towns: 12%
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 43% of adults here, routine and semi-routine work 15% (England’s towns: 33% and 24%). As a yardstick, 11% of residents lived at another address a year earlier across England’s towns. In Saltwood, 5% of adults are full-time students.
Saltwood ranks below 86% of UK towns on one-person households: 25%
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.
Little separates the share of shared households of unrelated adults here, 3.9%, from the figure across England’s towns. One-person households: 30% across England’s towns, for comparison. On the census count, 26% of households have dependent children.
Saltwood ranks below 93% of UK towns on households in flats: 3.1%
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
At 24%, households in terraced houses sit close to the figure across England’s towns. Against that, 23% of households live in a flat or apartment across England’s towns.
99% of residents have English as their main language, a share 73% of UK towns don’t reach
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
Compared with 18% across England’s towns, nearly one in ten residents were born outside the UK here. On average, 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 (4.3%) and in Africa (1.4%).
A higher share of residents who describe themselves as Christian than 93% of UK towns, at 59%
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 Saltwood · Kent’s towns 82% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Across England’s towns, the share of residents who describe themselves as White British is 73%; Saltwood has 93%. For comparison, 46% of residents describe themselves as Christian across England’s towns. Leading the other groups after White British: Other White (3.9%), Indian (1.4%) and Mixed or multiple (1.1%).
A lower share of adults who have never married than 88% of UK towns, at 26%
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
With married adults and civil partners at 52%, Saltwood is ahead of 77% of UK towns on that count. Measured more widely, nearly two in five adults have never married or formed a civil partnership across England’s towns. The number giving 50 or more hours of unpaid care a week is 23.
42% 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 Saltwood, 14%, while 42% hold one at degree level (34%).
Saltwood sits below 4 of its 7 closest neighbours on median age
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saltwood | 857 | — | 52.3 | 32% | 26% |
| Hythe | 14,613 | 0.7 mi | 55.5 | 35% | 19% |
| Lympne | 1,074 | 2.2 mi | 52.7 | 28% | 22% |
| Lyminge | 1,918 | 3.3 mi | 55.1 | 37% | 21% |
| Folkestone | 51,987 | 3.9 mi | 41.3 | 19% | 27% |
| Hawkinge | 8,499 | 4.4 mi | 41.1 | 18% | 37% |
| Dymchurch | 3,097 | 4.6 mi | 59.2 | 39% | 15% |
| Brabourne Lees | 1,479 | 5.4 mi | 51.2 | 29% | 24% |
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 Saltwood’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 Saltwood’s residents
What is the population of Saltwood?
The 2021 Census counted 857 people in Saltwood’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Saltwood?
The median age was 52.3 at the 2021 Census. 9.7% of residents were 15 to 24 and 32% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Saltwood?
93% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 82% across Kent’s towns. 8.3% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Saltwood?
33% said they had no religion and 59% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0% were Muslim and 5.6% didn’t answer.
Is Saltwood good for families?
26% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Saltwood’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.