Cumbria demographics.
Cumbria · Census 2023 · latest available data
A data-driven statistical profile of Cumbria — town populations, census figures, and key demographic indicators drawn from the latest available official data.
Population
67,736,802
World share: 0.84 %
Median age
40.1
Global rank: #21
Urban population
85.5 %
57,900,076 people
Density
280 / km²
People per km²
Fertility rate
1.57
Births per woman
- 01 / Population
Who lives here, and how that is changing.
Headline population counts, density and household structure, with the six-year growth trend.
- Population basics
- Total population
- 67,736,8022023
- Population density
- 280 / km²UK average
- Yearly change
- 0.34 %227,866
- Urban population
- 85.5 %57,900,076
- Net migration
- 165,790Annual net
- World population
- 0.84 %8,045,311,447
- Population trend
Total resident population in thousands. A rising line means net growth from births and inward migration.
- 02 / Age & gender
The shape of the population pyramid.
Age band distribution split by gender, with dependency and vital statistics.
- Age pyramid
Share of the total population in each age band, split by gender - wide middle bands indicate a strong working-age base.
- Vital statistics
- Median age
- 39.4 yrs40.2 yrs
- Dependency ratio
- 58.456.9
- Male
- 49.3%49.0%
- Female
- 50.7%51.0%
- Aged 65+
- 16.4%18.4%
- 03 / Housing & households
Tenure, dwelling type and household composition.
Census 2021 housing indicators for the area, benchmarked against England.
- Tenure & conditions
- Home ownership
- 61.0%62.5%
- Social rented
- 17.0%17.1%
- Private rented
- 22.0%20.4%
- Overcrowded households
- 6.1%8.4%
- No central heating
- 1.3%1.5%
- Property type mix
Composition of the housing stock by build type, as a share of all dwellings.
- Tenure split
How households occupy their homes - the owned versus rented balance drives local market liquidity.
- 04 / Employment & economy
Where the jobs and the output are.
Labour market headlines and the sector composition of local employment.
- Labour market
- Economically active
- 76.2%75.7%
- Unemployed
- 3.4%3.5%
- Full-time employees
- 42.1%41.6%
- Self-employed
- 11.8%12.4%
- Students (economically active)
- 5.6%5.2%
- Retired
- 20.9%21.6%
- Top employment sectors
Share of total employment by industry - a concentrated profile signals exposure to one sector's cycle.
- 05 / Education & qualifications
Attainment and the local skills base.
School performance and the qualification profile of working-age residents.
- Attainment & schools
- Level 4+ qualification
- 40.2%33.9%
- No qualifications
- 16.0%18.1%
- Apprenticeship
- 5.1%5.3%
- Full-time students 16+
- 8.4%7.9%
- Schoolchildren aged 5–15
- 12.6%12.4%
- Qualification levels
Highest qualification held by residents aged 16+. Level 4+ covers degree-level and above.
- 06 / Health & wellbeing
Life expectancy, access and deprivation.
Population health outcomes alongside primary care capacity and deprivation ranking.
- Health indicators
- Very good health
- 48.6%48.5%
- Good health
- 33.1%33.7%
- Bad or very bad health
- 5.8%5.2%
- Disabled (day-to-day limited)
- 18.2%17.3%
- Provides unpaid care
- 9.1%8.9%
- Life expectancy (male)
- 79.1 yrs79.4 yrs
- Life expectancy (female)
- 82.9 yrs83.1 yrs
- Healthy life expectancy
- 62.4 yrs63.1 yrs
- IMD decile
- 5 of 10-
- Deprivation
5
IMD decile out of 10 (1 = most deprived). The United Kingdom shows variation across regions, with pockets of both high affluence and concentrated deprivation.
- 07 / Ethnicity, language & religion
The cultural make-up of the area.
Census-based breakdowns of ethnic group, country of birth, language and religion.
- Ethnic group
Share of residents by broad census ethnic group.
- Religion
Stated religion at the last census, as a share of residents.
- Origin & language
- Born in the UK
- 83.6%83.2%
- Born outside the UK
- 16.4%16.8%
- English as main language
- 94.2%91.1%
- Cannot speak English well
- 1.4%1.9%
- 08 / Transport & commuting
How people move around.
Commuting modes, journey times, car ownership and network connectivity.
- Mode of travel to work
Primary commute mode for working residents, including those who mainly work from home.
- Network & journey times
- Average commute
- 29 min28 min
- No car or van
- 24.0%23.5%
- 2+ cars or vans
- 34.0%33.1%
- Work mainly from home
- 17.0%21.0%
- Car ownership
Households by number of cars or vans available.
— 09 / Political & administrative
Who governs, and how engaged residents are.
Administrative structure, council tax levels, political control and turnout.
— Governance
- Parliamentary constituencies
- 12
- Council type
- Metropolitan / two-tier
- Council tax (Band D)
- £2,148
- Political control
- Labour majority
- General election turnout
- 62.4%
- Local election turnout
- 31.8%
— 10 / Crime & safety
Recorded crime and its composition.
Police.uk recorded offences, normalised per 1,000 residents and split by offence type.
— Headline rates
- Crime rate per 1,000
- 94.689.7
- Police force
- West Yorkshire Police—
- Year-on-year change
- -2.8%-1.4%
— Crime type breakdown
Share of all recorded offences by category over the last 12 months.
— 11 / Environment & climate
Green space, air quality and climate risk.
Environmental quality indicators and exposure to flooding across the area.
— Environmental indicators
- Green space coverage
- 38.4%40.1%
- NO₂ (annual mean)
- 21 µg/m³18 µg/m³
- PM2.5 (annual mean)
- 9.4 µg/m³9.1 µg/m³
- Area at flood risk
- 6.2%8.0%
- Annual rainfall
- 812 mm838 mm
- Sunshine hours
- 1,4101,493
— 12 / UK Cities
Population of major UK cities.
Top 10 UK cities by population, sourced from the latest available census and administrative data.
| # | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | 7,556,900 |
| 2 | Birmingham | 984,333 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 864,122 |
| 4 | Nottingham | 729,977 |
| 5 | Sheffield | 685,368 |
| 6 | Bristol | 617,280 |
| 7 | Glasgow | 591,620 |
| 8 | Leicester | 508,916 |
| 9 | Edinburgh | 464,990 |
| 10 | Leeds | 455,123 |
— 12b / County Towns
Town populations within the county.
Built-up area populations across the 2001, 2011 and 2021 census years.
| # | Town | 2001 | 2011 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlisle | 70,656 | 75,985 | 77,728 |
| 2 | Barrow-in-Furness | 58,943 | 56,516 | 55,251 |
| 3 | Kendal | 26,548 | 27,689 | 28,944 |
| 4 | Whitehaven | 23,924 | 23,926 | 22,942 |
| 5 | Workington | 20,870 | 21,646 | 21,281 |
| 6 | Penrith | 14,471 | 15,181 | 16,701 |
| 7 | Ulverston | 10,927 | 11,037 | 11,221 |
| 8 | Cockermouth | 8,121 | 8,562 | 8,857 |
| 9 | Maryport | 9,043 | 8,948 | 8,518 |
| 10 | Dalton-in-Furness | 8,057 | 7,827 | 7,554 |
| 11 | Cleator Moor | 6,939 | 6,936 | 6,664 |
| 12 | Egremont | 5,996 | 6,222 | 5,788 |
| 13 | Millom | 6,103 | 5,980 | 5,694 |
| 14 | Wigton | 5,011 | 5,391 | 5,401 |
| 15 | Seaton | 4,861 | 5,022 | 5,053 |
| 16 | Windermere | 5,369 | 5,243 | 4,826 |
| 17 | Keswick | 4,984 | 4,821 | 4,466 |
| 18 | Brampton | 3,965 | 4,229 | 4,186 |
| 19 | Grange-over-Sands | 3,826 | 3,927 | 4,047 |
| 20 | Appleby-in-Westmorland | 2,862 | 3,048 | 3,228 |
| 21 | Askam in Furness | 3,423 | 3,274 | 3,169 |
| 22 | Ambleside | 3,064 | 2,529 | 2,627 |
| 23 | Silloth | 2,637 | 2,608 | 2,535 |
| 24 | Dearham | 1,745 | 1,799 | 2,346 |
| 25 | Bowness-on-Windermere | 2,274 | 2,522 | 2,293 |
| 26 | Arnside | 2,301 | 2,334 | 2,233 |
| 27 | Longtown | 2,019 | 2,050 | 2,175 |
| 28 | Aspatria | 2,080 | 2,123 | 2,169 |
| 29 | Stainburn | 1,630 | 1,694 | 2,122 |
| 30 | Kirkby Lonsdale | 1,771 | 1,843 | 1,968 |
| 31 | Kirkby Stephen | 1,832 | 1,822 | 1,895 |
| 32 | Milnthorpe | 1,760 | 1,858 | 1,874 |
| 33 | Scotby | 1,214 | 1,458 | 1,831 |
| 34 | Great Broughton (/ Little Broughton) | 1,727 | 1,704 | 1,766 |
| 35 | Frizington | 1,896 | 1,737 | 1,753 |
| 36 | Flimby | 1,636 | 1,707 | 1,718 |
| 37 | Seascale | 1,747 | 1,754 | 1,709 |
| 38 | High Harrington | 1,342 | 1,352 | 1,574 |
| 39 | Haverigg | 1,791 | 1,849 | 1,546 |
| 40 | Dalston | 1,339 | 1,285 | 1,542 |
| 41 | Houghton | 1,374 | 1,374 | 1,487 |
| 42 | Holme | 1,167 | 1,486 | 1,479 |
| 43 | Staveley | 1,356 | 1,384 | 1,463 |
| 44 | Sedbergh | 1,367 | 1,524 | 1,452 |
| 45 | Distington | 1,446 | 1,445 | 1,373 |
| 46 | Burton-in-Kendal | 1,273 | 1,349 | 1,342 |
| 47 | Warwick Bridge | 1,388 | 1,416 | 1,232 |
| 48 | St Bees | 1,105 | 1,345 | 1,186 |
| 49 | Moresby Parks | 942 | 1,288 | 1,181 |
| 50 | Allithwaite | 1,009 | 1,078 | 1,168 |
| 51 | Wetheral | 1,084 | 1,032 | 1,130 |
| 52 | Alston | 1,128 | 1,105 | 1,075 |
| 53 | Swarthmoor | 1,049 | 1,076 | 1,030 |
| 54 | Levens | 805 | 843 | 1,020 |
| 55 | Burneside | 1,117 | 1,017 | 993 |
| 56 | Thursby | 805 | 846 | 982 |
| 57 | Storth (/ Sandside) | 976 | 978 | 960 |
| 58 | Lazonby | 781 | 787 | 947 |
| 59 | Gosforth | 957 | 961 | 928 |
| 60 | Parton | 924 | 914 | 905 |
| 61 | Shap | 898 | 948 | 902 |
| 62 | Flookburgh | 937 | 972 | 892 |
| 63 | Oxenholme | 893 | 843 | 842 |
| 64 | Thornhill | 903 | 915 | 825 |
| 65 | Brough | 680 | 751 | 822 |
| 66 | Broughton Moor | 726 | 783 | 820 |
| 67 | Lowca | 773 | 888 | 817 |
| 68 | Rheda Park | 685 | 821 | 810 |
| 69 | Moor Row | 780 | 787 | 768 |
| 70 | Kirkby Thore | 731 | 758 | 765 |
| 71 | Abbeytown | 776 | 819 | 757 |
| 72 | Crosby | 771 | 816 | 755 |
| 73 | Stainton | 756 | 770 | 748 |
| 74 | Clifton | 461 | 497 | 739 |
| 75 | Greystoke | 642 | 654 | 687 |
| 76 | Brigham | 451 | 598 | 664 |
| 77 | Arlecdon | 820 | 757 | 660 |
| 78 | Beckermet | 709 | 704 | 652 |
| 79 | Burgh by Sands | 575 | 596 | 635 |
| 80 | Endmoor | 664 | 661 | 629 |
| 81 | Great Clifton | 596 | 600 | 609 |
| 82 | Langwathby | 544 | 643 | 608 |
| 83 | Coniston | 736 | 641 | 594 |
| 84 | Kirkby-in-Furness | 618 | 554 | 580 |
| 85 | Hayton | 388 | 446 | 570 |
| 86 | Broughton in Furness | 542 | 529 | 549 |
| 87 | Lindale | 553 | 579 | 548 |
| 88 | Natland | 525 | 561 | 531 |
| 89 | Cargo | 272 | 500 | 523 |
| 90 | Grasmere | 582 | 566 | 523 |
| 91 | Long Marton | 501 | 522 | 521 |
| 92 | Cumwhinton | 318 | 364 | 512 |
— 13 / English Regions
Regional population comparison.
Population figures for English regions across the 2001, 2011 and 2021 census years.
| Region | 2001 | 2011 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | 4,172,174 | 4,533,222 | 4,880,054 |
| East of England | 5,388,140 | 5,846,965 | 6,335,074 |
| North East England | 2,515,442 | 2,596,886 | 2,647,013 |
| North West England | 6,729,764 | 7,052,177 | 7,417,397 |
| South East England | 8,000,645 | 8,634,750 | 9,278,065 |
| South West England | 4,928,434 | 5,288,935 | 5,701,186 |
| West Midlands | 5,267,308 | 5,601,847 | 5,950,757 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 4,964,833 | 5,283,733 | 5,480,777 |
— Data sources
- ONS — population, age, ethnicity, housing
- Nomis — employment, earnings, qualifications
- Census 2021 (Nomis) — area vs England comparisons
- Police.uk — crime data
- MHCLG — Index of Multiple Deprivation
- Postcodes.io / GeoNames — boundary mapping