Photo: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.0Lea is older than 97% of UK towns: a median age of 55.5
Compared with 37% across England’s towns, 27% of residents said they have no religion here. At the 2021 Census Lea was home to 1,006 people in 459 households. Across Lea, 1.5% of households live in a terraced house. Few places have as many households in detached houses: 68% here, more than in 99% of UK towns.
What the Census says about Lea’s people
Older than most towns
Half of Lea’s residents are under 55.5 and half over, against 44.4 in the typical UK town. 34% are 65 or over, against 18% across England’s towns. Ages ↓
Many carers
114 residents gave unpaid care to someone with an illness, disability or old age in 2021, 12% of those 5 and over: more than in 95% of UK towns. Relationships & caring ↓
Written from the data on this page: ONS Census 2021 (output areas summed to the 2022 built-up area).
Only 6.6% of residents are aged 15 to 24 in Lea
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
The biggest five-year age group is 60–64, with 8.7% of residents, 1.6 times the share across England’s towns. On average, 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across England’s towns. Census figures put residents aged 65 and over at 34% in Lea.
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.
Below 99% of UK towns: 3% of adults are full-time students
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%.
With residents who moved in within the year at 5.5%, Lea is behind 99% of UK towns on that count. The wider picture: 7.9% of adults are full-time students across England’s towns.
Below 98% of UK towns: 17% of households have dependent children
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Lincolnshire’s towns and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
Across England’s towns, the share of shared households of unrelated adults is 4.3%; Lea has 2.2%. Households with dependent children make up 29% across England’s towns. On average, 2.1 people share a household.
0.2% of households live in a flat or apartment, fewer than in 99% of UK towns
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
The figure for households without a car or van is 8.5% in Lea and 24% across England’s towns. The share of households in flats across England’s towns is 23%.
Only 4.1% of residents were born outside the UK in Lea
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
Residents born abroad were most often born in EU countries (1.8%), then in Africa (0.9%). Typically, 18% of residents were born outside the UK across England’s towns. Compared with other places, residents whose main language is English are common here: 99%, more than in nearly three quarters of UK towns.
Residents who describe themselves as White British: 97%, a higher share than 97% 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: 97% of Lea · Lincolnshire’s towns 89% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Across England’s towns, the share of residents who describe themselves as Christian is 46%; Lea has 68%. For comparison, 73% of residents describe themselves as White British across England’s towns.
19% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership, fewer than in 99% 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
Here 12% of residents give unpaid care, where the figure across England’s towns is 8.7%. On average, 39% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership across England’s towns. The census found that 56% of adults are married or in a civil partnership in Lea.
31% of adults hold a degree-level qualification
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
31% of Lea’s adults have a degree-level qualification, against 34% across England’s towns; 15% have none (18%).
The towns around Lea are all younger
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lea | 1,006 | — | 55.5 | 34% | 17% |
| Gainsborough | 21,899 | 2.1 mi | 39.6 | 18% | 28% |
| Beckingham | 1,207 | 3.6 mi | 51.3 | 33% | 25% |
| North Leverton with Habblesthorpe | 1,079 | 4.1 mi | 48.2 | 23% | 27% |
| Sturton by Stow | 1,485 | 5.5 mi | 50.2 | 27% | 24% |
| Misterton | 2,191 | 5.9 mi | 49.2 | 23% | 24% |
| Clarborough | 1,220 | 6.6 mi | 55.4 | 34% | 19% |
| Saxilby | 4,432 | 8.1 mi | 50.5 | 28% | 23% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “Lincolnshire’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Lincolnshire (or England), summed the same way as Lea’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 Lea’s residents
What is the population of Lea?
The 2021 Census counted 1,006 people in Lea’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Lea?
The median age was 55.5 at the 2021 Census. 6.6% of residents were 15 to 24 and 34% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Lea?
97% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 89% across Lincolnshire’s towns. 4.1% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Lea?
27% said they had no religion and 68% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0% were Muslim and 4.2% didn’t answer.
Is Lea good for families?
17% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Lea’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.