Photo: Alexander P Kapp · CC BY-SA 2.0A smaller share of residents aged 15 to 24 than 98% of UK towns: 7.2%
In Higher Wheelton, 23% of residents said they have no religion, beside 37% across England’s towns. The census found that 36% of households live in a terraced house here. Households in flats are rarer here than in 99% of UK towns. There were 112 households here at the 2021 Census, home to 246 residents.
A median age of 50.8: Higher Wheelton is older than 89% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
Set against 18% across England’s towns, 25% of residents are 65 or over in Higher Wheelton. The largest age band is 50–54: 12% of residents, 1.7 times the share across England’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
Full-time students: 3.8%, a lower share than 90% of UK towns
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 account for just over two fifths of Higher Wheelton’s adults, routine and semi-routine work for 17%, against 33% and 24% across England’s towns. For Higher Wheelton, the census puts residents who moved in within the year at 6.9%. Full-time students: 7.9% across England’s towns, for comparison.
In Higher Wheelton, 23% of households have dependent children, fewer than in 84% of UK towns
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Lancashire’s towns and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
Households in Higher Wheelton hold 2.3 people on average (England’s towns: 2.4). To put it in context, 29% of households have dependent children across England’s towns. The share of one-person households stands at 26%. 3.6% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home, a higher share than in 87% of UK towns.
A lower share of households without a car or van than 96% of UK towns, at 6.4%
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 Higher Wheelton, 29% of households live in a detached house. Measured more widely, nearly a quarter of households have no car or van across England’s towns.
Residents born outside the UK make up 4.9% in Higher Wheelton, less than in 66% of UK towns
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
The largest groups were born in EU countries (3.3%) and in the Middle East and Asia (0.8%). To put it in context, 18% of residents were born outside the UK across England’s towns. In Higher Wheelton, 98% of residents have English as their main language, beside 90% across England’s towns.
Residents who describe themselves as Christian: 70%, a higher share than 99% 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: 96% of Higher Wheelton · Lancashire’s towns 82% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
The largest groups after White British are Other White (1.6%), Pakistani (1.2%) and Mixed or multiple (0.4%). Measured more widely, 46% of residents describe themselves as Christian across England’s towns. At 96%, the share of residents who describe themselves as White British is higher than in 87% of UK towns.
More unpaid carers than 99% of UK towns: 14%
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
The number giving 50 or more hours of unpaid care a week is 6. The wider picture: 8.7% of residents give unpaid care across England’s towns. 56% of adults are married or in a civil partnership, more than in 92% of UK towns. Adults who have never married: 25% here and 39% across England’s towns.
Qualified to degree level: 40% of adults
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Against 34% across England’s towns, 40% of adults here have a degree-level qualification, while 13% hold no qualification (18%).
A younger town than 2 of the 7 around it: Higher Wheelton
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higher Wheelton | 246 | — | 50.8 | 25% | 23% |
| Brinscall | 1,332 | 1.1 mi | 49.3 | 26% | 25% |
| Whittle-le-Woods | 4,388 | 2 mi | 45.1 | 17% | 31% |
| Gregson Lane | 2,073 | 2.7 mi | 52.6 | 29% | 24% |
| Coup Green | 1,208 | 3.4 mi | 57.6 | 37% | 17% |
| Chorley | 39,539 | 3.5 mi | 42.2 | 20% | 28% |
| Euxton | 17,519 | 3.5 mi | 37.9 | 15% | 35% |
| Bamber Bridge | 40,359 | 3.6 mi | 43.5 | 20% | 27% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “Lancashire’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Lancashire (or England), summed the same way as Higher Wheelton’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 Higher Wheelton’s residents
What is the population of Higher Wheelton?
The 2021 Census counted 246 people in Higher Wheelton’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Higher Wheelton?
The median age was 50.8 at the 2021 Census. 7.2% of residents were 15 to 24 and 25% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Higher Wheelton?
96% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 82% across Lancashire’s towns. 4.9% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Higher Wheelton?
23% said they had no religion and 70% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 1.6% were Muslim and 4.8% didn’t answer.
Is Higher Wheelton good for families?
23% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Higher Wheelton’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.