Photo: The original uploader was Edward at English Wikipedia . · Public domainOne-person households make up 21% in Backwell, less than in 97% of UK towns
Against a figure of 39% across England’s towns, the share of adults who have never married in Backwell comes in at 23%. The census found that 3.8% of households live in a flat or apartment here. The town has more households in detached houses than 92% of UK towns, at 54%. At the 2021 Census Backwell was home to 4,347 people in 1,694 households.
+10% since 2011, a pace 62% of UK towns didn’t match
ONS mid-year estimates, each year indexed to mid-2011 = 100. Backwell’s figure is the small areas (2021 LSOAs) that make up the town.
People, mid-2011 = 100
Change by age, 2011 to 2024
About 4,500 people in 2011; 4,900 in 2024.
The 0 to 15 age group changed most (+15%) and the 16 to 29 least (+5%). Between mid-2021 and mid-2022 the population rose by 110, its biggest one-year gain.
Half of Backwell is over 46.7, older than 66% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
Nearly one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24, against 12% across England’s towns. By contrast, residents aged 65 and over are more common here than in two thirds of UK towns.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Backwell, 46.7. The typical town is 44.4.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 94 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.
Full-time students: 5.3%, a higher share than 70% 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%.
Managerial and professional jobs account for 49% of Backwell’s adults, routine and semi-routine work for 14%, against 33% and 24% across England’s towns. Across England’s towns, 7.9% of adults are full-time students. On the census count, nearly one in ten residents lived at another address a year earlier.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.
A larger share of households with dependent children than 91% of UK towns: 34%
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Somerset’s towns and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
2.8% of households are unrelated adults living together, against 4.3% across England’s towns. By way of comparison, 29% of households have dependent children across England’s towns. On average, 2.6 people share a household.
Backwell sits below 94% of UK towns for households without a car or van (7.3%)
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
One in ten households live in a terraced house, against 24% across England’s towns.
7.1% of residents were born outside the UK, more than in 57% 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%
When those born abroad arrived
Main language · residents aged 3 and over
Most residents from abroad were born in EU countries (3.4%) or in the Middle East and Asia (1.2%). The usual figure: 18% of residents were born outside the UK across England’s towns. 98% of residents have English as their main language, more than in 57% of UK towns. Across England’s towns, 21% of those born abroad arrived in 2017 or later; here, 14%.
Above 70% of UK towns: 44% of residents said they have no religion
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: 91% of Backwell · Somerset’s towns 89% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
The figure for residents who describe themselves as Christian is 47% in Backwell and 46% across England’s towns. On top of that, just over nine in ten residents describe themselves as White British, fewer than in 55% of UK towns. By way of comparison, 37% of residents said they have no religion across England’s towns. Besides White British, the main groups are Other White (4.6%), Mixed or multiple (1.7%) and Indian (0.8%).
62% of adults are married or in a civil partnership, a share 99% 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
Unpaid care given · share of residents 5 and over
Unpaid carers giving 50 hours or more a week: 97. The usual figure: 44% of adults are married or in a civil partnership across England’s towns. At 9.2%, the share of unpaid carers is lower than in 56% of UK towns.
Adults with a degree-level qualification: 49%
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
At degree level, Backwell counts 49% of its adults, against 34% across England’s towns; at the other end, 9.3% have no qualification (18%).
338th oldest of 695 UK towns of 3,000 to 6,000 people
Median age, Census 2021. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
At the ends of the range sit Bailrigg (18.9), the youngest, and Sutton on Sea and Trusthorpe (64.7), the oldest. Nearest to Backwell in age: Cosby (46.7), Linton (46.7), Hadlow (46.7) and Bramley and Wonersh (46.7).
Backwell and its 7 nearest towns: 4 of them are older
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backwell | 4,347 | — | 46.7 | 24% | 34% |
| Nailsea | 15,919 | 1.4 mi | 50.9 | 30% | 24% |
| Long Ashton | 5,184 | 3.5 mi | 42.6 | 19% | 37% |
| Yatton | 7,704 | 3.9 mi | 44.8 | 22% | 29% |
| Wrington | 1,997 | 3.9 mi | 49.5 | 27% | 26% |
| Congresbury | 2,795 | 4.3 mi | 49.2 | 28% | 25% |
| Portishead | 26,351 | 5 mi | 45.2 | 23% | 29% |
| Clevedon | 21,084 | 5.1 mi | 48.3 | 27% | 24% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The Census was taken in a lockdown, in term time. 21 March 2021 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.
- “Somerset’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Somerset (or England), summed the same way as Backwell’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. Backwell’s trend uses the small areas (2021 LSOAs) with most of their people inside it: 4,715 people in 2021, against 4,347 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 Backwell’s residents
What is the population of Backwell?
The 2021 Census counted 4,347 people in Backwell’s built-up area. The ONS estimates the same small areas held 4,900 people in mid-2024, 10% more than in 2011.
What is the average age in Backwell?
The median age was 46.7 at the 2021 Census, older than 66% of UK towns. 9.2% of residents were 15 to 24 and 24% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Backwell?
91% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 89% across Somerset’s towns. 7.1% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Backwell?
44% said they had no religion and 47% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0.3% were Muslim and 7% didn’t answer.
Is Backwell good for families?
34% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Backwell’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.