Photo: G Laird · CC BY-SA 2.0A median age of 55.6: Otterburn is older than 97% of UK towns
Set against 73% across England’s towns, 98% of residents describe themselves as White British in Otterburn. Households with dependent children account for 17%. Higher than in 91% of UK towns: 51% of households live in a detached house. 582 residents in 280 households: that is Otterburn at the 2021 Census.
34% of residents are 65 or over, a share 96% of UK towns don’t reach
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
8.4% of residents are aged 15 to 24; across England’s towns the figure is 12%. Against that, 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
Full-time students: 2.4%, a lower share than 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%.
Compared with 11% across England’s towns, nearly one in ten residents lived at another address a year earlier here. For comparison, 7.9% of adults are full-time students across England’s towns.
2.1 people per household, fewer than in 95% of UK towns
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Northumberland’s towns and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
At 4.3%, the share of shared households of unrelated adults is in line with the figure across England’s towns. In Otterburn, 29% of households are one person living alone.
Households in flats make up 5.1% in Otterburn, less than in 83% 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
Nearly a fifth of households live in a terraced house, against 24% across England’s towns. Households without a car or van: 13% of the total. Against that, 23% of households live in a flat or apartment across England’s towns.
Fewer residents born abroad than 95% of UK towns: 2.6%
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
In Otterburn, 99% of residents have English as their main language, beside 90% across England’s towns. Residents born abroad were most often born in EU countries (1.7%), then in Africa (0.3%). For residents born outside the UK, the comparison across England’s towns is 18%.
Otterburn: 62% of residents describe themselves as Christian, above 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: 98% of Otterburn · Northumberland’s towns 96% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Here 30% of residents said they have no religion, where the figure across England’s towns is 37%. Residents who describe themselves as Christian make up 46% across England’s towns.
More married adults and civil partners than 86% of UK towns: 54%
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 adults who have never married is 27% in Otterburn and 39% across England’s towns. The share of unpaid carers stands at 10%. Set beside that, 44% of adults are married or in a civil partnership across England’s towns.
Degree-level qualifications: 31% of adults
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
With 31% of its adults qualified to degree level, Otterburn compares with 34% across England’s towns; another 22% hold no qualification (18%).
The places around Otterburn
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otterburn | 582 | — | 55.6 | 34% | 17% |
| Bellingham | 1,031 | 6.9 mi | 52 | 30% | 24% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “Northumberland’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Northumberland (or England), summed the same way as Otterburn’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 Otterburn’s residents
What is the population of Otterburn?
The 2021 Census counted 582 people in Otterburn’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Otterburn?
The median age was 55.6 at the 2021 Census. 8.4% of residents were 15 to 24 and 34% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Otterburn?
98% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 96% across Northumberland’s towns. 2.6% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Otterburn?
30% said they had no religion and 62% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0% were Muslim and 6.9% didn’t answer.
Is Otterburn good for families?
17% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Otterburn’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.