Photo: Mat Fascione · CC BY-SA 2.0Thornton sits below 99% of UK towns for households in flats (0.7%)
Across England’s towns, the share of shared households of unrelated adults is 4.3%; Thornton has 1.2%. In 2021, the Census found 1,030 residents in the village, living in 410 households. For Thornton, the census puts households without a car or van at 9.1%. Nearly a quarter of households are one person living alone, fewer than in 93% of UK towns.
A smaller share of residents aged 15 to 24 than 71% of UK towns: 9.1%
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
The median age in Thornton is 46.5, higher than in 65% of UK towns. Across England’s towns, 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24. In Markfield, the oldest of Leicestershire’s towns by this measure, it is 30%.
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.
Thornton sits below 99% of UK towns for residents who moved in within the year (5.4%)
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 40% of Thornton’s adults, routine and semi-routine work for 21%, against 33% and 24% across England’s towns. The share of residents who moved in within the year across England’s towns is 11%. In Thornton, 6% of adults are full-time students.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.
Larger households than 88% of UK towns: 2.5 people on average
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Leicestershire’s towns and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
By its share of households with dependent children (28%), Thornton is above three fifths of UK towns.
A higher share of households in detached houses than 76% of UK towns, at 40%
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. 0.7% of households live in a flat, less than in 99% of UK towns; 40% in a detached house, against 21% across England’s towns.
4% born outside the UK, fewer than in 78% 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
Most residents from abroad were born in EU countries (2.7%) or in the Middle East and Asia (0.6%). Measured more widely, 18% of residents were born outside the UK across England’s towns. Set against 90% across England’s towns, 98% of residents have English as their main language in Thornton.
Residents who describe themselves as White British make up 93% in Thornton, more than in 59% 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 Thornton · Leicestershire’s towns 66% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Besides White British, the main groups are Other White (4.3%), Indian (1.2%) and Mixed or multiple (1%). To put it in context, 73% of residents describe themselves as White British across England’s towns. 37% of residents said they have no religion across England’s towns, against 42% in Thornton.
Married adults and civil partners make up 53% in Thornton, more than in 81% 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
28% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership, against 39% across England’s towns. Across the comparison, 44% of adults are married or in a civil partnership across England’s towns. Unpaid carers account for 11%.
Adults with a degree-level qualification: 32%
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
In Thornton, 32% of adults hold a degree-level qualification, against 34% across England’s towns, while 16% have no qualification at all (18%).
Around Thornton, 3 of 7 towns have a higher 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thornton | 1,030 | — | 46.5 | 22% | 28% |
| Bagworth | 1,869 | 1.8 mi | 35.7 | 12% | 42% |
| Markfield | 4,761 | 2.2 mi | 51.1 | 30% | 21% |
| Newbold Verdon | 3,097 | 2.7 mi | 48.2 | 28% | 25% |
| Desford | 3,817 | 2.8 mi | 43.4 | 23% | 33% |
| Barlestone | 2,563 | 2.8 mi | 47.6 | 24% | 25% |
| Ratby | 4,262 | 3 mi | 42.9 | 20% | 29% |
| Ellistown | 2,971 | 3.4 mi | 39.3 | 16% | 33% |
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.
- “Leicestershire’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Leicestershire (or England), summed the same way as Thornton’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 Thornton’s residents
What is the population of Thornton?
The 2021 Census counted 1,030 people in Thornton’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Thornton?
The median age was 46.5 at the 2021 Census. 9.1% of residents were 15 to 24 and 22% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Thornton?
93% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 66% across Leicestershire’s towns. 4% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Thornton?
42% said they had no religion and 50% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0% were Muslim and 6.4% didn’t answer.
Is Thornton good for families?
28% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Thornton’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.