Photo: Small-town hero · Public domain

53.3Median age

Who lives here · ONS Census 2021

Holmeswood is older than 94% of UK towns: a median age of 53.3

Residents who describe themselves as White British: 99% here and 73% across England’s towns. In 2021, the Census found 350 residents in Holmeswood, living in 147 households. Across Holmeswood, 2% of households live in a terraced house. 8.2% of households have no car or van, fewer than in 91% of UK towns.

27%aged 65 or over 2.3%born abroad 147households

Ages

Residents aged 65 and over: 27%, a higher share than 82% of UK towns

Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.

HolmeswoodEngland’s towns

0–410–1420–2430–3440–4450–5460–6470–7480–84

11% of residents are aged 15 to 24 (England’s towns: 12%). Across the comparison, 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns.

Broad ages · share of residents

Under 1511%

15 to 2411%

25 to 4416%

45 to 6435%

65 and over27%

HolmeswoodLancashire’s townsEngland’s towns

Women and men · all residents

48% women, 52% men

Holmeswood

England

WomenMen

About 108 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.

Students & newcomers

In Holmeswood, 6% of residents lived at another address a year earlier, fewer than in 97% 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

Full-time students6.1%

Higher managerial and professional13%

Lower managerial and professional21%

Intermediate9.4%

Small employers and self-employed18%

Supervisory and technical5.5%

Semi-routine11%

Routine8.7%

Never worked or long-term unemployed7.4%

HolmeswoodLancashire’s townsEngland’s towns

Address a year before the Census

Residents who lived somewhere else a year earlier. The bar runs to 25%.

Holmeswood

6.3%

England’s towns

11%

Moved within the UKTerm-time addressMoved from abroad

Moved in within a year

residents, 6%; England’s towns 11%

Of them from abroad

0.3× England’s share

Full-time students make up 6.1%, against 7.9% across England’s towns. To put it in context, 11% of residents lived at another address a year earlier across England’s towns.

The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.

Households

Households with dependent children make up 22% in Holmeswood, less than in 90% of UK towns

Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.

Living alone, 66+ 12%Living alone, under 66 11%Families with dependent children 22%Couples and families, no young children 51%Shared houses and other 4.1%

Against Lancashire’s towns and England’s towns

Holmeswood

Lancashire’s towns

England’s towns

People per household

1 person25%

2 people42%

3 people14%

4 people15%

5 or more5.3%

England’s towns.

The average household has 2.4 people, against 2.4 across England’s towns. Locally, 23% of households are one person living alone. On shared households of unrelated adults, Holmeswood sits higher than 93% of UK towns: 4.1%. Elsewhere, 29% of households have dependent children across England’s towns.

Homes & cars

Holmeswood: 55% of households live in a detached house, above 93% of UK towns

Accommodation type and cars or vans per household, Census 2021. Owning and renting are on Cost of living.

Type of home

Holmeswood

Lancashire’s towns

England’s towns

DetachedSemi-detachedTerracedFlat or maisonetteCaravan or other

Cars or vans · share of households

No car or van8.2%

One30%

Two35%

Three or more27%

HolmeswoodLancashire’s townsEngland’s towns

Across England’s towns, nearly a quarter of households live in a flat or apartment; in Holmeswood, 4.1%. Against that, just over a fifth of households live in a detached house across England’s towns.

Where people were born

Fewer residents born outside the UK than 98% of UK towns: 2.3%

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%

Holmeswood

2.3%

Lancashire’s towns

10%

England’s towns

18%

EU countriesRest of EuropeMiddle East and AsiaAfricaAmericas, Oceania, other

Main language · residents aged 3 and over

English is main language100%

Another main language, speaks English very well or well0%

Another main language, little or no English0%

HolmeswoodLancashire’s townsEngland’s towns

Across England’s towns, 90% of residents have English as their main language; in Holmeswood, 100%. As a reference point, 18% of residents were born outside the UK across England’s towns. The two biggest birthplaces abroad are in the Americas, Oceania and elsewhere (0.9%) and in EU countries (0.6%).

Ethnicity & religion

Below 98% of UK towns: 24% of residents said they have no religion

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

HolmeswoodLancashire’s townsEngland’s towns

Other White0.3%

Asian0.9%

Mixed0%

Black0.3%

Other0%

0%7%14%

White British, not charted: 99% of Holmeswood · Lancashire’s towns 82% · England’s towns 73%.

Religion · all residents

HolmeswoodLancashire’s townsEngland’s towns

No religion24%

Christian71%

Muslim0%

Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, Buddhist0.3%

Other religion0%

Didn’t answer5.4%

0%40%80%

Here 71% of residents describe themselves as Christian, where the figure across England’s towns is 46%. Across England’s towns, the share of residents with no religion is 37%.

Relationships & caring

A higher share of unpaid carers than 99% of UK towns, at 14%

Legal partnership status (residents 16 and over) and unpaid care (residents 5 and over), Census 2021.

Partnership status · residents 16 and over

Never married or in a civil partnership28%

Married or civil partnership55%

Separated2.3%

Divorced8.7%

Widowed5.8%

HolmeswoodLancashire’s townsEngland’s towns

48residents give unpaid care to someone with an illness, disability or old age: 14%, against 8.7% in England’s towns

Unpaid care given · share of residents 5 and over

Up to 19 hours a week7%

20 to 49 hours2.4%

50 hours or more4.7%

55% of adults are married or in a civil partnership (England’s towns: 44%). Adults who have never married are rarer here than in 78% of UK towns. The share of unpaid carers across England’s towns is 8.7%.

Qualifications

34% of adults are qualified to degree level

Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.

Highest qualification · residents 16 and over

No qualifications15%

Apprenticeship6.5%

A levels or similar17%

Degree level34%

HolmeswoodLancashire’s townsEngland’s towns

34% of Holmeswood’s adults have a degree-level qualification, against 34% across England’s towns; 15% have none (18%). Many of the 17% whose highest qualification is A levels are students working towards a degree.

Neighbours

Every neighbour of Holmeswood has a younger population

Nearby built-up areas coloured by median age, Census 2021. Tap a town for its page.

RuffordBurscoughBanksTarleton and Hesketh BankCrostonWymottParboldHolmeswood

under 3838–4444–5050–5656+

Town	People	Away	Median age	65+	Homes with children
Holmeswood	350	—	53.3	27%	22%
Rufford	1,562	1.7 mi	52.4	28%	23%
Burscough	8,773	3.2 mi	44.8	22%	28%
Banks	4,439	3.3 mi	50.6	26%	22%
Tarleton and Hesketh Bank	8,756	3.6 mi	48.7	26%	26%
Croston	2,793	3.7 mi	47.4	24%	29%
Wymott	2,092	5.1 mi	39.2	8.4%	30%
Parbold	2,409	5.2 mi	53.2	31%	24%

More about Holmeswood’s residents

Health, work and homes have their own pages

HealthLife expectancy, early deaths and Census health, adjusted for age Work & commuteIncome, the claimant count, jobs and how people get to work Cost of livingOwners and renters, prices, rents and council tax SchoolsEvery primary and secondary, with results and inspections

How to read these numbers

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.
“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 Holmeswood’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 Holmeswood’s residents

What is the population of Holmeswood?

The 2021 Census counted 350 people in Holmeswood’s built-up area.

What is the average age in Holmeswood?

The median age was 53.3 at the 2021 Census. 11% of residents were 15 to 24 and 27% were 65 or over.

How diverse is Holmeswood?

99% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 82% across Lancashire’s towns. 2.3% were born outside the UK.

What religion are people in Holmeswood?

24% said they had no religion and 71% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0% were Muslim and 5.4% didn’t answer.

Is Holmeswood good for families?

22% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Holmeswood’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.