Skip to content
Carlisle Counts — Carlisle, in numbers.Local help →

Carlisle · England

People and living standards

Cumberland council area. Every figure carries its own date.

Cumberland

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

Cumberland 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 268,838 in 1991 to 282,343 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

Cumberland 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: 266,929 people in 1996; 282,343 people in 2025. 5.8% 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 — Cumberland council area: full reviewed history
Periodpeople
1991268,838
1992269,504
1993268,527
1994268,350
1995267,882
1996266,929
1997266,997
1998266,628
1999265,127
2000263,908
2001263,559
2002264,632
2003266,609
2004269,008
2005270,496
2006272,315
2007273,850
2008274,153
2009274,005
2010273,915
2011274,546
2012274,285
2013274,032
2014274,139
2015274,195
2016274,192
2017273,458
2018273,256
2019273,009
2020272,444
2021273,788
2022275,274
2023277,799
2024280,014
2025282,343
Source →
People aged 0 to 15

People aged 0 to 15

1996 to 2025

Cumberland 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: 53,050 people in 1996; 45,757 people in 2025. 13.7% lower 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 — Cumberland council area: full reviewed history
Periodpeople
199153,387
199253,827
199353,913
199453,948
199553,693
199653,050
199752,788
199852,203
199951,737
200050,913
200150,108
200249,551
200349,502
200449,357
200548,877
200648,588
200748,054
200847,601
200947,158
201046,704
201146,645
201246,433
201346,122
201446,077
201546,086
201646,188
201746,207
201846,064
201945,771
202045,472
202145,433
202245,556
202345,887
202445,993
202545,757
Source →
People aged 16 to 64

People aged 16 to 64

1996 to 2025

Cumberland 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: 168,536 people in 1996; 167,548 people in 2025. 0.6% lower 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 — Cumberland council area: full reviewed history
Periodpeople
1991171,215
1992171,075
1993169,769
1994169,394
1995168,968
1996168,536
1997168,596
1998168,589
1999167,445
2000166,810
2001166,848
2002167,994
2003169,502
2004171,548
2005172,925
2006174,545
2007175,889
2008175,687
2009175,042
2010174,566
2011174,317
2012172,323
2013171,054
2014169,877
2015169,022
2016167,849
2017166,583
2018165,755
2019164,865
2020164,089
2021164,668
2022164,866
2023165,794
2024166,505
2025167,548
Source →
People aged 65 or over

People aged 65 or over

1996 to 2025

Cumberland 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: 45,343 people in 1996; 69,038 people in 2025. 52.3% 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 — Cumberland council area: full reviewed history
Periodpeople
199144,236
199244,602
199344,845
199445,008
199545,221
199645,343
199745,613
199845,836
199945,945
200046,185
200146,603
200247,087
200347,605
200448,103
200548,694
200649,182
200749,907
200850,865
200951,805
201052,645
201153,584
201255,529
201356,856
201458,185
201559,087
201660,155
201760,668
201861,437
201962,373
202062,883
202163,687
202264,852
202366,118
202467,516
202569,038
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 · 273,254 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 · Cumberland · 2021
Residents’ census answerPeopleShare
Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh2,7151%
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African6060.2%
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups2,0500.8%
White266,88997.7%
Other ethnic group9940.4%

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 12.6% below the UK average.

Money available to spend or save per person

1997 to 2024

Cumberland 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: £9,212 per person in 1997; £22,684 per person in 2024. 146.2% 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 — Cumberland council area: full reviewed history
Period£ per person, current prices
19979,212
19989,577
19999,895
200010,391
200111,031
200211,139
200311,589
200412,099
200512,445
200612,946
200713,562
200813,764
200914,423
201014,764
201114,833
201215,505
201315,940
201416,412
201517,090
201617,264
201717,590
201817,883
201918,364
202018,625
202119,063
202219,806
202321,177
202422,684
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

Cumberland 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: -13.2% in 1997; -12.6% in 2024. 0.6 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 — Cumberland council area: full reviewed history
Period%
1997-13.2
1998-11.5
1999-12.5
2000-12.7
2001-10.8
2002-12
2003-11.1
2004-10.9
2005-11.5
2006-11.6
2007-11.6
2008-12.6
2009-9.9
2010-8.6
2011-9
2012-8.2
2013-9
2014-9.2
2015-10.2
2016-10.4
2017-10.7
2018-12.4
2019-12.8
2020-11.3
2021-12.7
2022-13.8
2023-13.4
2024-12.6
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.

Households facing several disadvantages

18.2%

21 March 2021 · Cumberland local authority area

Show the workings

All households

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Source →

Adults with no qualifications

20.5%

21 March 2021 · Cumberland 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

6.1%

21 March 2021 · Cumberland 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

£171,000

July 2026 · Cumberland 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

£681

August 2026 · Cumberland 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?

No counts returned for this exact present-day area code in the 2001 census table. Older boundaries have not been reassigned by name or population share.

No counts returned for this exact present-day area code in the 2011 census table. Older boundaries have not been reassigned by name or population share.

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.