Mostly people who have finished climbing the ladder and are now sitting at the top of it. Three in four own their home. The typical resident is in their early fifties. Fewer than one in five are aged 25 to 44. The Pulborough area is where careers end up, not where they begin.
Every figure on this page comes from the 2021 census unless stated otherwise, and covers Pulborough and the villages around it, not only the village itself. About 76% of households own their home. Private renting accounts for about 12% and social renting about 11%, so tenants here are outnumbered by homeowners more than three to one. The neighbours will generally still be there in ten years, whether you want them to be or not.
The median age is 53. People aged 25 to 44, the years when most people buy a first home, have children and change jobs, make up about 17% of residents. That leaves a place built around people in their fifties and older, and anyone younger will stand out at the parish council meeting.
Median household income was about £64,600 before tax in the financial year to March 2023. That is a modelled gross figure for the area, not a snapshot of anyone's payslip today. It points to comfortable, established households, and it matches the driveways.
About 27% of households are one person living alone, and within that about 16% are a single pensioner. Couples with dependent children make up about 17% of households and lone parents about 7%. The streets are quiet mainly because so few households have young children. There are fewer school-run cars than you'd expect, and more people at home in the daytime.
About 37% of residents hold a degree-level qualification, about 14% have no qualifications, and full-time students make up about 1%. There are well-read retirees, tradespeople who built the extensions, and almost no one in student digs.
The people here are settled, comfortable and in no hurry to move. It is a good crowd to live among if you want quiet neighbours, and a lonely one if you wanted someone your own age to share the school run with.