Photo: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.0Households in flats make up 43% in Dumbarton, more than in 99% of UK towns
Households in detached houses make up 13%, against 18% across Scotland’s towns. Higher than in 84% of UK towns: 38% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership. Dumbarton had 21,027 residents and 9,946 households at the 2022 Census, with a median age of 43.4 (younger than 58% of UK towns). Here, 1.6% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home.
Half of Dumbarton is under 43.4, younger than 58% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2022.
People aged 65 and over make up a fifth of residents, against 19% across Scotland’s towns. Few places have as many residents aged 15 to 24: 11% here, more than in three quarters of UK towns. The largest age band is 55–59: 7.9% of residents.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Dumbarton, 43.4. 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.
5.7% of adults are full-time students, a share 80% of UK towns don’t reach
What adults did at the 2022 Census (the NS-SEC classes).
Adults by occupation class · residents 16 and over
Managerial and professional jobs take in nearly a third of adults here, routine and semi-routine work 27% (Scotland’s towns: 33% and 25%). Typically, nearly one in ten adults are full-time students across Scotland’s towns.
The Census was taken on 20 March 2022, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.
2.1 people per household, fewer than in 91% of UK towns
Household make-up at the 2022 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against West Dunbartonshire’s towns and Scotland’s towns
People per household
Scotland’s towns.
On households with dependent children, 24% here is much the same as across Scotland’s towns. Census figures put one-person households at 39% in Dumbarton.
28% of households have no car or van, a share 93% of UK towns don’t reach
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
Across Scotland’s towns, the share of households in terraced houses is 19%; Dumbarton has 18%. One household in 4 has no car or van.
Residents born outside the UK make up 4.1% in Dumbarton, less than in 76% of UK towns
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
The two biggest birthplaces abroad are in EU countries (1.8%) and in the Middle East and Asia (1%). More residents whose main language is English than in 73% of UK towns: 99%. The benchmark for residents born outside the UK across Scotland’s towns: 11%. Recent arrivals (2017 or later) make up 22% of those born abroad (Scotland’s towns: 34%).
54% of residents describe themselves as Christian, more than in 74% of UK towns
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: 94% of Dumbarton · West Dunbartonshire’s towns 94% · Scotland’s towns 86%.
Religion · all residents
Set against 86% across Scotland’s towns, 94% of residents describe themselves as White British in Dumbarton. Fewer residents with no religion than in 60% of UK towns: 39%. The next-largest groups, after White British, are Other White (3%), Mixed or multiple (0.8%) and Pakistani (0.5%).
13% of residents give unpaid care, a share 99% of UK towns don’t reach
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
The share of married adults and civil partners is 43%, against 42% across Scotland’s towns. At 50 hours or more a week, 623 people give unpaid care.
Adults qualified to degree level or above: 26%
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2022.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Dumbarton’s adults: 26% with a degree-level qualification and 19% with none, against 32% and 17% across Scotland’s towns.
134th lowest median age among 274 UK towns of 15,000 to 28,000
Median age, Census 2022. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
The youngest is Bangor (26.4) and the oldest South Hayling (57.2). Nearest to Dumbarton in age: St Ives (43.3), Ashby-de-la-Zouch (43.4), Golborne (43.5) and Gorleston-on-Sea (43.5).
Older than Dumbarton: 5 of the 7 towns nearby
Nearby towns coloured by median age, Census 2022. Tap a town for its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Homes with children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbarton | 21,027 | — | 43.4 | 20% | 24% |
| Bonhill | 8,608 | 2.3 mi | 41.8 | 16% | 27% |
| Alexandria | 6,260 | 3.2 mi | 50 | 25% | 19% |
| Bishopton | 10,048 | 3.7 mi | 38.2 | 16% | 35% |
| Balloch and Haldane | 6,000 | 3.8 mi | 48.6 | 23% | 24% |
| Bowling and Old Kilpatrick | 4,761 | 4.4 mi | 50.6 | 22% | 19% |
| Port Glasgow | 14,260 | 4.4 mi | 45.1 | 22% | 24% |
| Kilmacolm | 3,876 | 4.6 mi | 53.3 | 31% | 23% |
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.
- “West Dunbartonshire’s towns” and “Scotland’s towns” mean their towns. Census comparisons pool every locality in West Dunbartonshire (or Scotland), summed the same way as Dumbarton’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 Dumbarton’s residents
What is the population of Dumbarton?
The 2022 Census counted 21,027 people in Dumbarton’s locality.
What is the average age in Dumbarton?
The median age was 43.4 at the 2022 Census, younger than 58% of UK towns. 11% of residents were 15 to 24 and 20% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Dumbarton?
94% of residents described themselves as White British in 2022, against 86% across Scotland’s towns and 94% across West Dunbartonshire’s towns. 4.1% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Dumbarton?
39% said they had no religion and 54% that they were Christian at the 2022 Census; 0.5% were Muslim and 5.8% didn’t answer.
Is Dumbarton good for families?
24% of households had dependent children in 2022, against 24% across Scotland’s towns. Schools are on Dumbarton’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.