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Dacorum, in numbers

People and living standards: Dacorum

Dacorum local authority area. Every figure carries its own date.

How the population is changing, who lives here and what living standards look like.

Dacorum local authority area. These are council-area figures. They are not a separate history for every ward or the city centre.

More people? A different age mix?

The population grew from 133,192 in 1991 to 162,316 in 2025.

A growing number of children, working-age adults or older residents can mean different needs for homes, schools, jobs and care.

Population

1996 to 2025

Dacorum council area · people

Reviewed figures: 1991 to 2025. The chart opens on the latest 30 years; choose All history for the full reviewed record.

Shown on this chart: 134,341 people in 1996; 162,316 people in 2025. 20.8% higher between these observations.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Data table and workings

Published annual mid-year population estimates, both sexes. Exact requested ONS area code; source geography vintage retained. Latest revised source series is used throughout; no years are interpolated and no ward values are inferred.

Mid-year estimates, not census counts. Historical revisions and boundaries follow this one published series.

This is the whole stated area, not a ward or necessarily the named city settlement.

The table retains the full reviewed history when the chart is shortened. Preset ranges end at this measure’s latest published period. Yearly windows count published annual periods; monthly windows count months. Gaps are never filled with estimates.

Population — Dacorum council area: full reviewed history
Periodpeople
1991133,192
1992133,768
1993133,734
1994133,755
1995134,076
1996134,341
1997135,514
1998136,751
1999137,013
2000137,322
2001137,843
2002138,118
2003138,413
2004138,403
2005138,633
2006138,973
2007139,527
2008140,802
2009142,205
2010143,651
2011145,298
2012146,826
2013148,057
2014149,380
2015150,906
2016152,462
2017153,282
2018153,982
2019154,367
2020154,815
2021155,211
2022156,239
2023158,612
2024161,139
2025162,316
Source →
People aged 0 to 15

People aged 0 to 15

1996 to 2025

Dacorum council area · people

Reviewed figures: 1991 to 2025. The chart opens on the latest 30 years; choose All history for the full reviewed record.

Shown on this chart: 28,546 people in 1996; 32,219 people in 2025. 12.9% higher between these observations.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Data table and workings

Published annual mid-year population estimates, both sexes. Exact requested ONS area code; source geography vintage retained. Latest revised source series is used throughout; no years are interpolated and no ward values are inferred.

Mid-year estimates, not census counts. Historical revisions and boundaries follow this one published series.

This is the whole stated area, not a ward or necessarily the named city settlement.

The table retains the full reviewed history when the chart is shortened. Preset ranges end at this measure’s latest published period. Yearly windows count published annual periods; monthly windows count months. Gaps are never filled with estimates.

People aged 0 to 15 — Dacorum council area: full reviewed history
Periodpeople
199127,931
199228,206
199328,355
199428,521
199528,594
199628,546
199728,686
199828,968
199929,050
200028,853
200128,890
200228,842
200328,659
200428,493
200528,255
200627,922
200727,760
200827,921
200928,220
201028,485
201128,881
201229,176
201329,384
201429,572
201529,824
201630,231
201730,503
201830,841
201931,038
202031,190
202131,198
202231,577
202331,961
202432,298
202532,219
Source →
People aged 16 to 64

People aged 16 to 64

1996 to 2025

Dacorum council area · people

Reviewed figures: 1991 to 2025. The chart opens on the latest 30 years; choose All history for the full reviewed record.

Shown on this chart: 85,851 people in 1996; 100,807 people in 2025. 17.4% higher between these observations.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Data table and workings

Published annual mid-year population estimates, both sexes. Exact requested ONS area code; source geography vintage retained. Latest revised source series is used throughout; no years are interpolated and no ward values are inferred.

Mid-year estimates, not census counts. Historical revisions and boundaries follow this one published series.

This is the whole stated area, not a ward or necessarily the named city settlement.

The table retains the full reviewed history when the chart is shortened. Preset ranges end at this measure’s latest published period. Yearly windows count published annual periods; monthly windows count months. Gaps are never filled with estimates.

People aged 16 to 64 — Dacorum council area: full reviewed history
Periodpeople
199186,619
199286,623
199386,219
199485,805
199585,783
199685,851
199786,591
199887,266
199987,385
200087,785
200188,085
200288,187
200388,445
200488,394
200588,763
200689,561
200790,197
200891,002
200991,831
201092,593
201193,365
201293,855
201394,392
201495,028
201595,872
201696,653
201796,900
201896,901
201996,775
202096,841
202196,896
202296,943
202398,473
2024100,122
2025100,807
Source →
People aged 65 or over

People aged 65 or over

1996 to 2025

Dacorum council area · people

Reviewed figures: 1991 to 2025. The chart opens on the latest 30 years; choose All history for the full reviewed record.

Shown on this chart: 19,944 people in 1996; 29,290 people in 2025. 46.9% higher between these observations.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Data table and workings

Published annual mid-year population estimates, both sexes. Exact requested ONS area code; source geography vintage retained. Latest revised source series is used throughout; no years are interpolated and no ward values are inferred.

Mid-year estimates, not census counts. Historical revisions and boundaries follow this one published series.

This is the whole stated area, not a ward or necessarily the named city settlement.

The table retains the full reviewed history when the chart is shortened. Preset ranges end at this measure’s latest published period. Yearly windows count published annual periods; monthly windows count months. Gaps are never filled with estimates.

People aged 65 or over — Dacorum council area: full reviewed history
Periodpeople
199118,642
199218,939
199319,160
199419,429
199519,699
199619,944
199720,237
199820,517
199920,578
200020,684
200120,868
200221,089
200321,309
200421,516
200521,615
200621,490
200721,570
200821,879
200922,154
201022,573
201123,052
201223,795
201324,281
201424,780
201525,210
201625,578
201725,879
201826,240
201926,554
202026,784
202127,117
202227,719
202328,178
202428,719
202529,290
Source →

Population growth alone does not show whether services are under pressure. Capacity, location and residents’ needs also matter.

How residents described their ethnic group

These are census snapshots, not annual estimates. Open a year to see both the number of people and their share of the population.

2021 census · 155,081 residents
How this census compares with other years

Census snapshots use the categories and boundaries published for each year. They are not annual estimates. In England and Wales, Chinese moved from Chinese/Other in 2001 to Asian in 2011; mixed categories and later write-in categories also changed. No change is calculated across these categories.

Ethnic group · Dacorum · 2021
Residents’ census answerPeopleShare
Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh8,9485.8%
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African4,4112.8%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups5,2663.4%
White134,60286.8%
Other ethnic group1,8541.2%

Census wording and the available categories can change. The tables retain the categories published for each year; they are not automatically like-for-like trends.

Source and method →
2011 census · 144,847 residents
How this census compares with other years

Census snapshots use the categories and boundaries published for each year. They are not annual estimates. In England and Wales, Chinese moved from Chinese/Other in 2001 to Asian in 2011; mixed categories and later write-in categories also changed. No change is calculated across these categories.

Ethnic group · Dacorum · 2011
Residents’ census answerPeopleShare
White131,53790.8%
Mixed/multiple ethnic groups3,0752.1%
Asian/Asian British6,7704.7%
Black/African/Caribbean/Black British2,9902.1%
Other ethnic group4750.3%

Census wording and the available categories can change. The tables retain the categories published for each year; they are not automatically like-for-like trends.

Source and method →
2001 census · 137,799 residents
How this census compares with other years

Census snapshots use the categories and boundaries published for each year. They are not annual estimates. In England and Wales, Chinese moved from Chinese/Other in 2001 to Asian in 2011; mixed categories and later write-in categories also changed. No change is calculated across these categories.

Ethnic group · Dacorum · 2001
Residents’ census answerPeopleShare
White131,52795.4%
Mixed1,5951.2%
Asian/Asian British2,8282.1%
Black/Black British9870.7%
Chinese/Other8620.6%

Census wording and the available categories can change. The tables retain the categories published for each year; they are not automatically like-for-like trends.

Source and method →

A complete, comparable 30-year ethnicity history is not available for every current area. Missing years have not been estimated.

How comfortable is life here?

Pay, housing costs, health and opportunities tell different parts of the story. An area average can hide large differences between households.

In 2024, average disposable income per person was 22.9% above the UK average.

Money available to spend or save per person

1997 to 2024

Dacorum council area · Cash prices, before allowing for inflation

Reviewed figures: 1997 to 2024. This reviewed record covers fewer than 30 years, so the chart opens on all of it.

Shown on this chart: £12,242 per person in 1997; £31,901 per person in 2024. 160.6% higher between these observations.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Data table and workings

Published ONS table values from one 1997–2024 release, matched by exact source geography code. Table3 per-person values are retained, not recalculated from rounded totals. Source country/region references are the official published totals, not averages of selected councils.

Amounts are in cash prices for each year and include inflation. A rise does not by itself show an increase in purchasing power.

This is an average per resident, including children and retired people, not the income of a typical household, wages or wealth.

These are official statistics in development, combining administrative and survey inputs. The Annual Population Survey contributes to some components; it is not the sole source.

The 2024 estimates are provisional. Earlier years have been revised within this single release; no release editions are spliced.

The UK index compares each year with the UK average in that same year. It is not an inflation-adjusted income index.

Geography as published in the ONS 19 August 2026 release; exact source code retained. The workbook does not specify a separate local-boundary effective date.

The table retains the full reviewed history when the chart is shortened. Preset ranges end at this measure’s latest published period. Yearly windows count published annual periods; monthly windows count months. Gaps are never filled with estimates.

Money available to spend or save per person — Dacorum council area: full reviewed history
Period£ per person, current prices
199712,242
199812,630
199912,961
200013,957
200114,717
200215,088
200315,401
200415,902
200516,488
200617,359
200718,423
200818,858
200919,355
201019,184
201119,198
201219,954
201321,045
201421,951
201523,395
201623,321
201724,003
201824,884
201925,126
202024,883
202126,578
202227,851
202330,068
202431,901
Source →
Has the gap with the UK average changed?

Above zero means income is above the UK average; below zero means it is below. Each year is compared with the UK average for that same year.

Income above or below the UK average

1997 to 2024

Dacorum council area · %

Reviewed figures: 1997 to 2024. This reviewed record covers fewer than 30 years, so the chart opens on all of it.

Shown on this chart: 15.4% in 1997; 22.9% in 2024. 7.5 percentage points higher.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Data table and workings

Published ONS table values from one 1997–2024 release, matched by exact source geography code. Table3 per-person values are retained, not recalculated from rounded totals. Source country/region references are the official published totals, not averages of selected councils. Displayed as the published UK=100 value minus 100, giving the percentage above or below the UK average.

Amounts are in cash prices for each year and include inflation. A rise does not by itself show an increase in purchasing power.

This is an average per resident, including children and retired people, not the income of a typical household, wages or wealth.

These are official statistics in development, combining administrative and survey inputs. The Annual Population Survey contributes to some components; it is not the sole source.

The 2024 estimates are provisional. Earlier years have been revised within this single release; no release editions are spliced.

The UK index compares each year with the UK average in that same year. It is not an inflation-adjusted income index.

Geography as published in the ONS 19 August 2026 release; exact source code retained. The workbook does not specify a separate local-boundary effective date.

The table retains the full reviewed history when the chart is shortened. Preset ranges end at this measure’s latest published period. Yearly windows count published annual periods; monthly windows count months. Gaps are never filled with estimates.

Income above or below the UK average — Dacorum council area: full reviewed history
Period%
199715.4
199816.6
199914.6
200017.3
200119
200219.3
200318.1
200417.2
200517.3
200618.5
200720.1
200819.7
200920.9
201018.8
201117.8
201218.1
201320.1
201421.4
201523
201621.1
201721.8
201821.9
201919.2
202018.5
202121.7
202221.3
202323
202422.9
Source →

Mixed-source official estimates: administrative records and surveys. Income here is the average money per resident available to spend or save after tax and benefits. It is not typical pay or household wealth. Cash figures do not show how much prices changed.

Adults in work

62.4%

21 March 2021 · Dacorum local authority area

Show the workings

All usual residents aged 16 and over

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

Source →

Households facing several disadvantages

14.3%

21 March 2021 · Dacorum local authority area

Show the workings

All households

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Source →

Adults with no qualifications

14.7%

21 March 2021 · Dacorum local authority area

Show the workings

Residents aged 16 and over

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Source →

People reporting bad or very bad health

3.9%

21 March 2021 · Dacorum local authority area

Show the workings

All usual residents; self-reported, not age-standardised

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Source →

Average home price

£459,000

July 2026 · Dacorum local authority area

Show the workings

Homes in the local authority area

Published UK House Price Index average price, all property types and all buyers, not seasonally adjusted. Entire series comes from the 2026-07 official full-file release, preserving its historical revisions and exact area codes. It is a mix-adjusted average, not the median price paid.

Source →

Average monthly private rent

£1,594

August 2026 · Dacorum local authority area

Show the workings

Homes in the local authority area

Official local housing data feed. House prices are provisional, not seasonally adjusted; rents use the Price Index of Private Rents. Local short-term estimates are variable. Country references use only the explicitly country-coded ctry object, never the local place object.

Source →

Deprivation describes several kinds of disadvantage. It is not a measure of household wealth. A change in an area's ranking does not by itself show whether living conditions improved.

See differences between neighbourhoods →

What could the changes mean locally?

Use the age profile alongside school places and care capacity, and look at housing costs alongside pay. Then check whether local plans respond to the needs shown by the evidence.

Read the local action plan →
Which histories are missing or need care?

These histories describe the stated whole area. A consistent historical series for its current wards has not been established.

1991 ethnicity has not been reconstructed to this current area. No annual ethnicity values are inferred between census dates.

These local income figures include inflation. No local inflation-adjusted income series has been substituted or inferred from regional prices.

This series describes the stated council or reference area. A comparable 30-year income history for its current wards has not been established.

The reviewed release starts in 1997. Earlier income values have not been invented or joined from another definition.