Photo: Geographer · CC BY-SA 2.0A median age of 52.7: Swardeston is older than 93% of UK towns
Households in terraced houses make up 5.6%, against 24% across England’s towns. There were 289 households in Swardeston at the 2021 Census, home to 639 residents. Census figures put households with dependent children at 22% here. The village has more married adults and civil partners than 92% of UK towns, at 57%.
Residents aged 15 to 24: 7.1%, a lower share than 99% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
The biggest five-year age group is 65–69, with 9.2% of residents, 1.9 times the share across England’s towns. Measured more widely, 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across England’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
About 85 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.
Residents who moved in within the year make up 5.2% in Swardeston, less than in 99% 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
Address a year before the Census
Residents who lived somewhere else a year earlier. The bar runs to 25%.
Across England’s towns, a third of adults are in managerial and professional jobs and 24% in routine or semi-routine work; Swardeston has 38% and 17%. Set beside that, just over one in ten residents lived at another address a year earlier across England’s towns. 4.5% of adults are full-time students.
Households here average 2.2 people, below 71% of UK towns
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
Here 28% of households are one person living alone, where the figure across England’s towns is 30%. On top of that, fewer shared households of unrelated adults than in 65% of UK towns: 2.1%.
More households in detached houses than 97% of UK towns: 62%
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 share of households without a car or van is 9.8%, against 24% across England’s towns. Typically, 21% of households live in a detached house across England’s towns. Here, 5.6% of households live in a flat or apartment.
Below 66% of UK towns: 4.9% of residents were born outside the UK
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
The two biggest birthplaces abroad are in the Middle East and Asia (1.9%) and in EU countries (1.7%). 98% of residents have English as their main language, more than in 54% of UK towns. Typically, 18% of residents were born outside the UK across England’s towns.
54% of residents describe themselves as Christian, a share 76% of UK towns don’t reach
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 Swardeston · Norfolk’s towns 88% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
93% of residents describe themselves as White British (England’s towns: 73%). For Swardeston, the census puts residents with no religion at 38%. To put it in context, 46% of residents describe themselves as Christian across England’s towns.
Below 93% of UK towns: 25% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership
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
By its share of unpaid carers (11%), Swardeston is above 90% of UK towns. Across the comparison, 39% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership across England’s towns.
35% of adults are qualified to degree level
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Across England’s towns, 34% of adults have a degree-level qualification; in Swardeston, 35%, and 16% have none, against 18%.
Every neighbour of Swardeston has a younger population
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swardeston | 639 | — | 52.7 | 32% | 22% |
| Mulbarton | 3,807 | 1.5 mi | 42.7 | 21% | 30% |
| Cringleford | 4,686 | 2.1 mi | 40.4 | 20% | 36% |
| Stoke Holy Cross | 1,237 | 2.4 mi | 42.8 | 18% | 33% |
| Newton Flotman | 1,418 | 2.7 mi | 47.2 | 25% | 27% |
| Hethersett | 7,018 | 3.4 mi | 42.5 | 24% | 29% |
| Little Melton | 1,049 | 3.7 mi | 48.9 | 25% | 27% |
| Poringland | 7,105 | 4.1 mi | 45.6 | 24% | 27% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “Norfolk’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Norfolk (or England), summed the same way as Swardeston’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 Swardeston’s residents
What is the population of Swardeston?
The 2021 Census counted 639 people in Swardeston’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Swardeston?
The median age was 52.7 at the 2021 Census. 7.1% of residents were 15 to 24 and 32% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Swardeston?
93% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 88% across Norfolk’s towns. 4.9% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Swardeston?
38% said they had no religion and 54% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0% were Muslim and 5.6% didn’t answer.
Is Swardeston good for families?
22% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Swardeston’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.