Photo: Kim Traynor · CC BY-SA 3.0No religion: 58% of residents, a higher share than 99% of UK towns
Where 29% of households have no car or van across Scotland’s towns, Dalkeith has 24%. Meanwhile, with a median age of 41.2, Dalkeith is younger than nearly three quarters of UK towns. At the 2022 Census, 15,125 people lived locally, in 6,596 households. Households in flats: 31% of the total.
A lower share of residents aged 15 to 24 than 65% of UK towns, at 9.3%
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2022.
19% of residents are 65 or over, about the same as across Scotland’s towns. Across Scotland’s towns, 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24. More residents are 30–34 than any other five-year age: 7.9% of residents.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Dalkeith, 41.2. The typical town is 44.4.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across Scotland, 51% of residents are women.
Dalkeith: 5.1% of adults are full-time students, above 60% of UK towns
What adults did at the 2022 Census (the NS-SEC classes).
Adults by occupation class · residents 16 and over
By class, 36% of adults are in managerial and professional jobs and 25% in routine and semi-routine work (Scotland’s towns: 33% and 25%). Full-time students: 9.4% across Scotland’s towns, for comparison.
The Census was taken on 20 March 2022, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.
A larger share of households with dependent children than 59% of UK towns: 28%
Household make-up at the 2022 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Midlothian’s towns and Scotland’s towns
People per household
Scotland’s towns.
In Dalkeith the average household is 2.3 people, beside 2.1 across Scotland’s towns. Across Dalkeith, 31% of households are one person living alone. Higher than in 76% of UK towns: 3% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home. Households with dependent children: 24% across Scotland’s towns, for comparison.
Fewer detached houses than 63% of UK towns: 25% of households
Accommodation type and cars or vans per household, Census 2022. Owning and renting are on Cost of living.
Type of home
Cars or vans · share of households
By its share of households in terraced houses (23%), Dalkeith is above 61% of UK towns. The usual figure: 18% of households live in a detached house across Scotland’s towns.
Above 76% of UK towns: 11% of residents were born outside the UK
Country of birth, year of arrival and main language, Census 2022.
Born outside the UK, by region · share of all residents; the bar runs to 15%
When those born abroad arrived
Main language · residents aged 3 and over
There is little gap on residents whose main language is English: 94%, about the same as across Scotland’s towns. By birthplace, the largest groups from abroad were born in EU countries (5.8%) and in the Middle East and Asia (2.3%).
Dalkeith ranks below 98% of UK towns on residents who describe themselves as Christian: 33%
How residents described themselves at the 2022 Census. Lines join the lowest and highest of the three figures.
Ethnic groups other than White British · all residents
White British, not charted: 87% of Dalkeith · Midlothian’s towns 90% · Scotland’s towns 86%.
Religion · all residents
87% of residents describe themselves as White British; across Scotland’s towns the figure is 86%. Leading the other groups after White British: Other White (7.4%), Mixed or multiple (1.2%) and African (1%). By way of comparison, 39% of residents describe themselves as Christian across Scotland’s towns.
A higher share of unpaid carers than 95% of UK towns, at 12%
Legal partnership status (residents 16 and over) and unpaid care (residents 3 and over), Census 2022.
Partnership status · residents 16 and over
Unpaid care given · share of residents 3 and over
49% of adults are married or in a civil partnership, against 42% across Scotland’s towns. The share of adults who have never married stands at 34%.
The share of adults with a degree-level qualification: 32%
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2022.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Across Scotland’s towns, 32% of adults have a degree-level qualification; in Dalkeith, 32%, and 16% have none, against 17%.
Of 334 UK towns its size (11,000 to 20,000 people), the 75th youngest
Median age, Census 2022. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
The youngest is Aberystwyth (25) and the oldest Sidmouth (60.4). Nearest to Dalkeith in age: Leicester Forest East and Kirby Muxloe (41.2), Mountain Ash (41.2), Keynsham (41.3) and Farncombe (41.3).
Dalkeith is younger than 3 of its 7 nearest neighbours
Nearby towns coloured by median age, Census 2022. Tap a town for its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Homes with children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalkeith | 15,125 | — | 41.2 | 19% | 28% |
| Mayfield | 14,259 | 1.5 mi | 40.4 | 17% | 29% |
| Bonnyrigg | 18,088 | 2.3 mi | 42.4 | 19% | 31% |
| Danderhall | 3,389 | 2.4 mi | 39.6 | 18% | 29% |
| Musselburgh | 21,476 | 3.3 mi | 41.6 | 19% | 23% |
| Gorebridge | 8,900 | 3.3 mi | 36.1 | 13% | 35% |
| Wallyford | 4,493 | 3.6 mi | 35.9 | 13% | 34% |
| Loanhead | 7,007 | 3.9 mi | 46 | 23% | 24% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The Census was taken in term time. 20 March 2022 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.
- “Midlothian’s towns” and “Scotland’s towns” mean their towns. Census comparisons pool every locality in Midlothian (or Scotland), summed the same way as Dalkeith’s figures, so households in open countryside are left out.
- Small counts are blurred. National Records of Scotland adjusts small 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 Dalkeith’s residents
What is the population of Dalkeith?
The 2022 Census counted 15,125 people in Dalkeith’s locality.
What is the average age in Dalkeith?
The median age was 41.2 at the 2022 Census, younger than 74% of UK towns. 9.3% of residents were 15 to 24 and 19% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Dalkeith?
87% of residents described themselves as White British in 2022, against 86% across Scotland’s towns and 90% across Midlothian’s towns. 11% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Dalkeith?
58% said they had no religion and 33% that they were Christian at the 2022 Census; 1.6% were Muslim and 5.4% didn’t answer.
Is Dalkeith good for families?
28% of households had dependent children in 2022, against 24% across Scotland’s towns. Schools are on Dalkeith’s schools page.
Sources: Scotland’s Census 2022 (National Records of Scotland), output areas summed to the NRS 2022 locality (UV101b, UV103, UV104, UV113, UV201, UV204b, UV205, UV212, UV301, UV402, UV405, UV406, UV501, UV607, UV801). 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.