On March 21, the national census will take place, asking residents from Frodsham, Helsby and every other settlement in the UK to share a snapshot of their household situation on that day.

This helps central and local government to understand finer details about our society and informs decisions on public service funding and planning.

With the big day fast approaching, we took a look back through Frodsham's census data from previous years to see what it said about the history of the town.

Back in 1881, the population of Frodsham Lordship, which covered Overton, Netherton, Five Crosses, Beacon Hill, Crowmere and Dunsdale, was reportedly 1,087, having grown from just 301 in 1801.

In all of Frodsham sub-district, including the villages of Alvanley, Manley, Aston, Great Budworth, Helsby, Kingsley, Norley and Sutton, there were 7,927 people at this time, compared to over 20,000 today.

The number of town residents remained fairly stable for several decades, before rising rapidly in the years after the Second World War, when thousands of people arrived in Frodsham and Helsby to work for companies such as BICC Electronic Cables, which employed up to 5,000 people at its peak.

Traces of this influx can be seen in our local housing, much of which is in a 1950s or 1960s style.

In 2011, the population of Frodsham town was recorded as 9,077, spread across 4,025 households. Meanwhile, Helsby had 4,972 residents, up from 4,701 in 2001.

Population Type

As has been the trend across the whole country in the last 100 or so years, between 1881 and 2011 Frodsham's population gradually aged.

This is of course due to improving health care and healthier lifestyles, both of which contribute to a higher life expectancy and a decline in the birth rate.

In 1881, nearly 40 per cent of the Frodsham sub district population were aged under-15, with only 5 per cent of people being 65 or over, an age distribution mirrored across much of the country in the late Victorian era.

However, during the 20th century, the percentage of British over-65s more than tripled, meaning that in 2001, 19 per cent of Frodsham people belonged to this age group.

By 2011, 17 per cent of residents were 15 or under, while over a quarter of the town population were over 65.

At this time, the proportion of retirees (21 per cent) was significantly higher than the national average of 14 per cent.

Employment

In 1881, around half of adult men worked in agriculture, while, predictably, most women worked either in domestic service or not at all.

Fast forward to 2011, and we find 59 per cent of adult women in part or full-time employment, with about 20 per cent being employed in higher managerial, administrative or professional occupations.

At the time of this census, male residents were most commonly employed in manufacturing, retail or professional, scientific and technical services, with only 17 working-age men now employed in agriculture.

Meanwhile, women were more likely to be working in education or healthcare, sectors which made up nearly 38 per cent of recorded professions.

In 2011, 38 per cent of Frodsham's over-16s had a Level 4 qualification, that is, a degree, higher diploma, professional qualification or similar.

This proportion was higher than the Cheshire West average of 29 per cent and the national average of 27 per cent.

With 2011 feeling like a very long time ago now, it will be interesting to see what this year's census tells us about the last decade of life in Frodsham.