Photo: robert wade · CC BY-SA 2.0A lower share of households in flats than 99% of UK towns, at 0.4%
Against a figure of 46% across England’s towns, the share of residents who describe themselves as Christian in Hoddlesden comes in at 68%. Census day 2021: 1,218 residents and 537 households in the village. In Hoddlesden, 6.4% of households have no car or van. On married adults and civil partners, Hoddlesden sits higher than 92% of UK towns: 56%.
What the Census says about Hoddlesden’s people
Older than most towns
Half of Hoddlesden’s residents are under 50.1 and half over, against 44.4 in the typical UK town. 28% are 65 or over, against 18% across England’s towns. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: ONS Census 2021 (output areas summed to the 2022 built-up area).
Hoddlesden ranks below 94% of UK towns on residents aged 15 to 24: 7.8%
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
28% of residents are 65 or over; across England’s towns the figure is 18%. Measured more widely, 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across England’s towns. With a median age of 50.1, Hoddlesden is older than 85% of UK towns.
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 residents who moved in within the year than 84% of UK towns: 7%
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%.
4.7% of adults are full-time students, against 7.9% across England’s towns. On average, just over one in ten residents lived at another address a year earlier across England’s towns.
23% of households have dependent children, fewer than in 87% 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.
The share of shared households of unrelated adults is 2.2%, against 4.3% across England’s towns. Locally, 28% of households are one person living alone. On average, 29% of households have dependent children across England’s towns.
36% of households live in a terraced house, a share 91% of UK towns don’t reach
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
Against a figure of 21% across England’s towns, the share of households in detached houses in Hoddlesden comes in at 36%. The comparison figure for households in terraced houses is 24% across England’s towns.
Fewer residents born outside the UK than 99% of UK towns: 1.6%
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
Against a figure of 90% across England’s towns, the share of residents whose main language is English in Hoddlesden comes in at 100%. The benchmark for residents born outside the UK across England’s towns: 18%. By birthplace, the largest groups from abroad were born in EU countries (1.1%) and in the Middle East and Asia (0.2%).
A higher White British share than 98% of UK towns: 97% 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: 97% of Hoddlesden · Lancashire’s towns 82% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Asked about religion, 25% answered none, against 37% across England’s towns. The benchmark for residents who describe themselves as White British across England’s towns: 73%.
In Hoddlesden, 27% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership, fewer than in 85% 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
Heavy unpaid care, 50 hours a week or more, falls to 25 residents. As a reference point, nearly two in five adults have never married or formed a civil partnership across England’s towns. More unpaid carers than in 60% of UK towns: 9.7%.
35% of adults hold a degree-level qualification
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Degree-level qualifications are held by 35% of Hoddlesden’s adults, against 34% across England’s towns; 14% have no qualification (18%).
Nearby, 1 of 7 towns have older populations than Hoddlesden
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoddlesden | 1,218 | — | 50.1 | 28% | 23% |
| Darwen | 27,897 | 1.4 mi | 40.6 | 18% | 27% |
| Oswaldtwistle | 10,810 | 3.5 mi | 45.3 | 23% | 26% |
| Edgworth | 1,649 | 3.7 mi | 52.9 | 27% | 24% |
| Blackburn | 124,958 | 4.2 mi | 35.5 | 14% | 37% |
| Haslingden | 16,005 | 4.3 mi | 42.7 | 20% | 30% |
| Accrington | 34,897 | 4.7 mi | 36.2 | 15% | 33% |
| Church | 5,030 | 4.8 mi | 37.9 | 16% | 31% |
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 Hoddlesden’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 Hoddlesden’s residents
What is the population of Hoddlesden?
The 2021 Census counted 1,218 people in Hoddlesden’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Hoddlesden?
The median age was 50.1 at the 2021 Census. 7.8% of residents were 15 to 24 and 28% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Hoddlesden?
97% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 82% across Lancashire’s towns. 1.6% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Hoddlesden?
25% said they had no religion and 68% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0.3% were Muslim and 6.3% didn’t answer.
Is Hoddlesden good for families?
23% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Hoddlesden’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.