Photo: Martin Pearman · CC BY-SA 2.03% of households live in a terraced house, fewer than in 99% of UK towns
97% of residents describe themselves as White British, against 73% across England’s towns. The 2021 Census counted 981 residents in 401 households. On the census count, 1% of households live in a flat or apartment. The median age in West Walton is 51.2, higher than in 90% of UK towns.
More residents aged 65 and over than 82% of UK towns: 27%
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
50–54 is the most common age band: nearly one in ten residents, 1.4 times the share across England’s towns. For West Walton, the census puts residents aged 15 to 24 at 9.2%. Elsewhere, 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About 105 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
Below 98% of UK towns: 3.2% 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%.
The figure for residents who moved in within the year is 5.8% in West Walton and 11% across England’s towns. The usual figure: 7.9% of adults are full-time students across England’s towns.
Below 84% of UK towns: 23% of households have dependent children
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.
On shared households of unrelated adults, 3.7% here is much the same as across England’s towns. By way of comparison, 29% of households have dependent children across England’s towns. Just over a quarter of households are one person living alone.
Above 98% of UK towns: 65% of households live in a detached house
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
Across England’s towns, the share of households without a car or van is 24%; West Walton has 7.6%. Still, 1% of households live in a flat, less than in 99% of UK towns; 65% in a detached house, against 21% across England’s towns.
99% of residents have English as their main language, a share 98% of UK towns don’t reach
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 EU countries (2%) and in Africa (0.6%). Residents born outside the UK are rarer here than in 85% of UK towns. As a reference point, 90% of residents have English as their main language across England’s towns.
A higher share of residents who describe themselves as Christian than 75% of UK towns, at 54%
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 West Walton · Norfolk’s towns 88% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Behind White British, the largest groups are Other White (1.8%), Mixed or multiple (0.7%) and Indian (0.1%). Across England’s towns, residents who describe themselves as Christian come to 46%. Compared with other places, residents with no religion are scarce here: 39%, fewer than in 60% of UK towns.
Unpaid carers make up 12% in West Walton, more than in 98% 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
The figure for married adults and civil partners is 51% in West Walton and 44% across England’s towns. At the same time, on adults who have never married, West Walton sits lower than 87% of UK towns: 27%. Elsewhere, 8.7% of residents give unpaid care across England’s towns.
18% of adults hold a degree-level qualification
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Degree-level qualifications cover 18% of adults in West Walton, 34% across England’s towns; 26% have no qualification, against 18%.
Every neighbour of West Walton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Walton | 981 | — | 51.2 | 27% | 23% |
| Wisbech | 26,800 | 2 mi | 41.7 | 20% | 28% |
| Leverington | 1,694 | 2.2 mi | 47.2 | 29% | 25% |
| Walpole St Peter and Walpole St Andrew | 1,574 | 2.8 mi | 46.9 | 21% | 29% |
| Marshland St James | 1,025 | 3.7 mi | 49.6 | 27% | 24% |
| Gorefield | 1,070 | 3.7 mi | 50.2 | 29% | 24% |
| Elm and Emneth | 4,555 | 3.7 mi | 47.8 | 25% | 25% |
| Tilney St Lawrence | 1,504 | 4.2 mi | 46.7 | 26% | 24% |
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 West Walton’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 West Walton’s residents
What is the population of West Walton?
The 2021 Census counted 981 people in West Walton’s built-up area.
What is the average age in West Walton?
The median age was 51.2 at the 2021 Census. 9.2% of residents were 15 to 24 and 27% were 65 or over.
How diverse is West Walton?
97% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 88% across Norfolk’s towns. 3.4% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in West Walton?
39% said they had no religion and 54% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0% were Muslim and 6.3% didn’t answer.
Is West Walton good for families?
23% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on West Walton’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.