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53.5Median age

Who lives here · ONS Census 2021 & mid-year estimates

A median age of 53.5: Rainford is older than 94% of UK towns

The share of residents with no religion trails 99% of UK towns: 21%. Rainford is home to 5,573 residents in 2,485 households, by the 2021 Census. Census figures put shared households of unrelated adults at 1.3% locally. Just over a fifth of households have dependent children, a lower share than in 88% of UK towns.

+4%people since 2011 33%aged 65 or over 2.8%born abroad 2,485households

What stands out · In brief

What the Census says about Rainford’s people

53.5median age, older than 94% of UK towns, the oldest of Merseyside’s 25 towns of 2,500+12%of residents give unpaid care; England’s towns 8.7%

Older than most towns

Half of Rainford’s residents are under 53.5 and half over, against 44.4 in the typical UK town. 33% are 65 or over, against 18% across England’s towns. Ages ↓

Many carers

652 residents gave unpaid care to someone with an illness, disability or old age in 2021, 12% of those 5 and over: more than in 97% of UK towns. Relationships & caring ↓

Written from the data on this page: ONS Census 2021 (output areas summed to the 2022 built-up area) and ONS mid-year population estimates.

Population since 2011

Slower growth than 68% of UK towns: Rainford changed by +4% since 2011

ONS mid-year estimates, each year indexed to mid-2011 = 100. Rainford’s figure is the small areas (2021 LSOAs) that make up the town.

People, mid-2011 = 100

RainfordEnglandAll of Merseyside

Change by age, 2011 to 2024

RainfordEngland

0 to 15+5%

16 to 29−5%

30 to 44±0%

45 to 64−8%

65 and over+22%

About 5,200 people in 2011; 5,400 in 2024.

By age, the 65 and over group changed most (+22%) and the 45 to 64 group least (−8%). The biggest jump came in the year to mid-2014: 90 more people.

Ages

Residents aged 65 and over make up 33% in Rainford, more than in 95% of UK towns

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

RainfordEngland’s towns

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

70–74 is the most common age band: nearly one in ten residents, 1.9 times the share across England’s towns. The usual figure: 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns. In Rainford, 8.4% of residents are aged 15 to 24.

Median age of UK towns of 2,500+

2535455565

■ Rainford, 53.5. The typical town is 44.4.

Broad ages · share of residents

Under 1513%

15 to 248.4%

25 to 4417%

45 to 6428%

65 and over33%

RainfordMerseyside’s townsEngland’s towns

Women and men · all residents

52% women, 48% men

Rainford

England

WomenMen

About 92 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.

Students & newcomers

5.9% of residents lived at another address a year earlier, below 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 students4.3%

Higher managerial and professional15%

Lower managerial and professional26%

Intermediate13%

Small employers and self-employed8.2%

Supervisory and technical5.4%

Semi-routine11%

Routine9.8%

Never worked or long-term unemployed6.7%

RainfordMerseyside’s townsEngland’s towns

Address a year before the Census

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

Rainford

6.1%

England’s towns

11%

Moved within the UKTerm-time addressMoved from abroad

Moved in within a year

328

residents, 5.9%; England’s towns 11%

Of them from abroad

0.1× England’s share

4.3% of adults are full-time students (England’s towns: 7.9%). For residents who moved in within the year, the comparison across England’s towns is 11%.

Households

Households here average 2.2 people, below 67% of UK towns

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

Living alone, 66+ 20%Living alone, under 66 9.1%Families with dependent children 22%Couples and families, no young children 47%Shared houses and other 1.3%

Against Merseyside’s towns and England’s towns

Rainford

Merseyside’s towns

England’s towns

People per household

1 person29%

2 people39%

3 people16%

4 people11%

5 or more4.4%

England’s towns.

Compared with other places, one-person households are scarce here: 29%, fewer than in 54% of UK towns.

Homes & cars

Only 2.7% of households live in a flat or apartment in Rainford

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

Type of home

Rainford

Merseyside’s towns

England’s towns

DetachedSemi-detachedTerracedFlat or maisonetteCaravan or other

Cars or vans · share of households

No car or van12%

One41%

Two36%

Three or more11%

RainfordMerseyside’s townsEngland’s towns

Across England’s towns, just over a fifth of households live in a detached house; in Rainford, 26%. The share of households in flats across England’s towns is 23%. Households in terraced houses account for 14%. On households without a car or van, Rainford sits lower than 71% of UK towns: 12%.

Where people were born

2.8% of residents were born outside the UK, fewer than in 94% 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%

Rainford

2.8%

Merseyside’s towns

8.8%

England’s towns

18%

EU countriesRest of EuropeMiddle East and AsiaAfricaAmericas, Oceania, other

When those born abroad arrived

RainfordEngland’s towns

Before 19711971–801981–901991–20002001–102011–132014–162017–192020–21

Main language · residents aged 3 and over

English is main language99%

Another main language, speaks English very well or well0.6%

Another main language, little or no English0.1%

RainfordMerseyside’s townsEngland’s towns

Residents born abroad were most often born in EU countries (1.3%), then in the Middle East and Asia (0.5%). For comparison, 18% of residents were born outside the UK across England’s towns. Rainford has more residents whose main language is English than 96% of UK towns, at 99%. The newest arrivals, from 2017 or later, are 16% of those born abroad (against 21% across England’s towns).

Ethnicity & religion

Rainford sits above 99% of UK towns for residents who describe themselves as Christian (74%)

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

RainfordMerseyside’s townsEngland’s towns

Other White1.8%

Asian0.8%

Mixed1%

Black0.2%

Other0.1%

0%6%12%

White British, not charted: 96% of Rainford · Merseyside’s towns 87% · England’s towns 73%.

Religion · all residents

RainfordMerseyside’s townsEngland’s towns

No religion21%

Christian74%

Muslim0.3%

Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, Buddhist0.4%

Other religion0.3%

Didn’t answer4.3%

0%45%90%

Set against 73% across England’s towns, 96% of residents describe themselves as White British in Rainford. Across England’s towns, the share of residents who describe themselves as Christian is 46%. The largest groups after White British are Other White (1.8%), Mixed or multiple (1%) and Chinese (0.2%).

Relationships & caring

12% of residents give unpaid care, a share 97% of UK towns don’t reach

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 partnership24%

Married or civil partnership55%

Separated1.8%

Divorced8.5%

Widowed10%

RainfordMerseyside’s townsEngland’s towns

652residents give unpaid care to someone with an illness, disability or old age: 12%, against 8.7% in England’s towns

Unpaid care given · share of residents 5 and over

Up to 19 hours a week6.5%

20 to 49 hours2.3%

50 hours or more3.3%

55% of adults are married or in a civil partnership (England’s towns: 44%). As a reference point, nearly one in ten residents give unpaid care across England’s towns. Here, 24% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership.

Qualifications

Degree-level qualifications: 37% of adults

Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.

Highest qualification · residents 16 and over

No qualifications16%

Apprenticeship6.3%

A levels or similar16%

Degree level37%

RainfordMerseyside’s townsEngland’s towns

Against 34% across England’s towns, 37% of adults here have a degree-level qualification, while 16% hold no qualification (18%).

Towns its size

624 UK towns of 4,000 to 8,000 people: this is the 53rd oldest

Median age, Census 2021. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.

Rainford 53.5

BailriggBarton on SeaBrayton

174267

Bailrigg is the youngest (18.9); Barton on Sea the oldest (65.3). Nearest to Rainford in age: Billinge (53.3), Saltburn-by-the-Sea (53.5), Waltham (53.6) and Fremington (53.6).

Neighbours

Every nearby town is younger than Rainford

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

BillingeSkelmersdaleOrrellSt HelensKirkbyKnowsleyHaydockRainford

under 3838–4444–5050–5656+

Town	People	Away	Median age	65+	Homes with children
Rainford	5,573	—	53.5	33%	22%
Billinge	4,963	3.2 mi	53.3	34%	22%
Skelmersdale	34,921	3.5 mi	38.4	16%	31%
Orrell	23,412	3.7 mi	45.9	22%	28%
St Helens	107,684	4.2 mi	41.7	19%	28%
Kirkby	45,559	4.4 mi	37.9	15%	32%
Knowsley	2,345	4.4 mi	46.8	23%	24%
Haydock	16,143	5.2 mi	45.9	23%	26%

More about Rainford’s residents

Health, work and homes have their own pages

Health B⁻Life expectancy, early deaths and Census health, adjusted for age Work & commute B⁻Income, the claimant count, jobs and how people get to work Cost of living DOwners and renters, prices, rents and council tax Schools B⁻Every primary and secondary, with results and inspections

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

“Merseyside’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Merseyside (or England), summed the same way as Rainford’s figures, so households in open countryside are left out. The population trend compares with the whole county and nation.
Estimates since 2021 are modelled. The ONS builds mid-year estimates from the Census, births, deaths and migration records. Rainford’s trend uses the small areas (2021 LSOAs) with most of their people inside it: 5,294 people in 2021, against 5,573 in the built-up area.
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 Rainford’s residents

What is the population of Rainford?

The 2021 Census counted 5,573 people in Rainford’s built-up area. The ONS estimates the same small areas held 5,400 people in mid-2024, 4% more than in 2011.

What is the average age in Rainford?

The median age was 53.5 at the 2021 Census, older than 94% of UK towns. 8.4% of residents were 15 to 24 and 33% were 65 or over.

How diverse is Rainford?

96% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 87% across Merseyside’s towns. 2.8% were born outside the UK.

What religion are people in Rainford?

21% said they had no religion and 74% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0.3% were Muslim and 4.3% didn’t answer.

Is Rainford good for families?

22% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Rainford’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) · ONS mid-year population estimates for 2021 LSOAs, mid-2011 to mid-2024. 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.