ONS coding system

In the United Kingdom, the Office for National Statistics maintains a series of geocodes to represent a wide range of geographical areas of the UK, for use in tabulating census and other statistical data. These codes are referred to as ONS codes or GSS codes referring to the Government Statistical Service of which ONS is part.

The previous hierarchical system of codes has been replaced as from January 2011[1] by a nine-character code for all types of geography, in which there is no relation between the code for a lower-tier area and the corresponding parent area. The older coding system has now been phased out.[2]

Geography of the UK Census

Information from the 2011 Census is published for a wide variety of geographical units. These areas include:

  • Counties in England
  • Districts within English counties, and Unitary Authority areas served by one council providing district and county functions
  • Unitary council areas in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland
  • Civil parishes (communities in Wales)
  • Electoral wards (called electoral divisions in Wales). These are the areas defined for the election of local councillors, but are also widely used for presenting statistics at a smaller scale than the whole district.
  • Census output areas (OA). These are the smallest unit for which census data are published - they were initially generated to support publication of 2001 Census outputs and contain at least 40 households and 100 persons, the target size being 125 households. They were built up from postcode blocks after the census data were available, with the intention of standardising population sizes, geographical shape and social homogeneity (in terms of dwelling types and housing tenure). The OAs generated in 2001 were retained as far as possible for the publication of outputs from the 2011 Census (less than 3% were changed[3]). Before 2001, census data were published for larger Enumeration Districts (ED) which were delineated before the census was conducted and were the organisational units for census data collection.

Neighbourhood Statistics Geography

Super Output Areas (SOAs) are a set of geographical areas developed following the 2001 census, initially to facilitate the calculation of the Indices of Deprivation 2004 and subsequently for a range of additional Neighbourhood Statistics (NeSS). The aim was to produce a set of areas of consistent size, whose boundaries would not change (unlike electoral wards), suitable for the publication of data such as the Indices of Deprivation. They are an aggregation of adjacent Output Areas with similar social characteristics. Lower Layer Super Output Areas] (LSOAs) typically contain 4 to 6 OAs with a population of around 1500. Middle Layer Super Output Areas (MSOAs) on average have a population of 7,200.[4] The hierarchy of Output Areas and the two tiers of Super Output Areas have become known as the Neighbourhood Statistics Geography.

Former hierarchical coding system

The older ONS code was constructed top down:

For example, 12 for Cambridgeshire.

  • A four-character code represented a district, so that the first two characters showed the county in which the district was placed.

For example, 12UB for Cambridge district or 12UD for Fenland.

  • In the case of a unitary authority (including metropolitan and London boroughs) the first two digits were 00.

For example, 00AL for Greenwich (London Borough) or 00EC for Middlesbrough.

  • Local Government wards were given a two-letter code within their local authority.

For example, 12UBGA for Petersfield Ward within Cambridge district.

  • The smallest level, Census OAs were originally given an additional 4 digits within a ward, so that the first output area in Petersfield Ward was coded 12UBGA0001.
  • Civil parishes were also coded using this hierarchical system. Parishes were coded using an additional 3 digits after their local authority. For example, within 12UD for Fenland district, the parish of Tydd St. Giles was coded 12UD010.

Current GSS coding system

The current system replaces these codes with a fixed length code of nine characters. The first three characters indicate the level of geography and the six digits following define the individual unit. For example, the Royal Borough of Greenwich is coded as E09000011, Middlesbrough is E06000002, Cambridge E07000008 and Fenland E07000010.

The meaning of some common three character prefixes is as follows:[5][6]

EnglandWalesScotlandNorthern IrelandOtherStatusEntity
E00W00S00N00-CurrentCensus Output Area (OA); Small Areas (N)
E01W01S01–-CurrentLower layer Super Output Area (LSOA); Data Zone (S)
E02W02S02–-CurrentMiddle layer Super Output Area (MSOA); Intermediate Zone (S)
E04W04S35–-CurrentCivil Parish (E/S); Community (W)
E05W05S13N08-CurrentWard or Electoral Division
E06W06S12–-CurrentUnitary Authority
E07–––-CurrentNon-Metropolitan District (two-tier)
E08–––-CurrentMetropolitan Borough
E09–––-CurrentLondon Borough
E10–––-CurrentCounty
E11–––-CurrentMetropolitan County
E12–––-CurrentEnglish Region
E13–––-CurrentInner and Outer London
E14W07S14N06-CurrentWestminster Parliamentary Constituency
E15W08S15N07-CurrentEuropean Electoral Region
E16----ArchivedPrimary Care Trusts
E17----ArchivedCare Trusts
E18---L00 / M00ArchivedStrategic Health Authorities
E19----ArchivedPan Strategic Health Authorities
E20W12---CurrentCancer Registries
E21W13---ArchivedCancer Networks
E22W14---CurrentCommunity Safety Partnerships
E23W15S23N23-CurrentPolice Force Areas
E24----ArchivedLocal Learning and Skills Councils
E25----CurrentPrimary Urban Areas
E26W18S21--CurrentNational Parks
E27----ArchivedNew Deal for Communities
E28W20---CurrentRegistration Districts
E29W21---CurrentRegistration Sub-District
E30W22S22N12K01CurrentTravel to Work Areas
E31W25S38N31-CurrentFire and Rescue Authorities
E32W09S16–-CurrentLondon Assembly; Welsh Assembly; Scottish parliament constituency
E33W35S34N19-CurrentWorkplace Zones
E34W37--K05CurrentBuilt Up Areas
E35W38--K06CurrentBuilt Up Area Sub-Divisions
E36W39---CurrentCensus Merged Wards
E37----CurrentLocal Enterprise Partnerships
E38----CurrentClinical Commissioning Groups
E39----ArchivedNHS England
E40----CurrentNHS England Regions
E41W40---CurrentMerged Local Authority Districts
E42----CurrentCensus Merged Counties
E43----CurrentNon-Civil Parished Areas
E45----CurrentPublic Health England Centres
E46----CurrentPublic Health England Regions
E47----CurrentCombined Authorities
E48----CurrentLocal Resilience Forums
E49----CurrentEnterprise Zones
E50----CurrentWaste Authorities
E51----CurrentDevelopment Corporations
E52----CurrentLEP - overlapping part
E53----CurrentLEP - non overlapping part
E54----CurrentSustainability and Transformation Partnerships
E55----CurrentStrategic Clinical Networks
E56----CurrentCancer Alliances
E57----ArchivedNational Cancer Vanguards
E58----CurrentCounty Electoral Divisions
E59----CurrentIntegrated Care Systems
E60W43S44N13-CurrentLocal Planning Authorities
E61----CurrentGreater London Authority
E92W92S92N92L93 / M83CurrentCountry
E92W92S92N92-CurrentCountry
----J01CurrentMajor Towns and Cities
----J02Current1961 Census Parishes
----J03Current1961 Census Wards
----J04Current1961 Census Districts
----J05Current1961 Census Counties
----K02CurrentUnited Kingdom
----K03CurrentGreat Britain
----K04CurrentEngland and Wales
----L93 / M83CurrentBritish Crown Dependencies
----M01CurrentPriamry Healthcare Directorate
---N09-CurrentLocal Government Districts
---N10-CurrentDistrict Election Areas
---N11-CurrentSettlement 2015
---N24-CurrentPolice Force Districts
---N32-CurrentNorthern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Areas
---N33-CurrentNorthern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Districts
---N34-CurrentCity Regions
--S03--ArchivedCommunity Health Partnerships
--S04--CurrentRegeneration Outcome Agreement Areas - Scotland
--S05--CurrentRegeneration Outcome Areas - Community Planning Partnerships
--S06--CurrentRegeneration Outcome Areas - Local Areas
--S07--CurrentRegional Transport Partnerships
--S08--CurrentHealth Board areas
--S09--CurrentEnterprise Regions
--S10--CurrentUrban Regeneration Companies
--S11--CurrentStrategic Development Plan Areas
--S12--CurrentCouncil Areas
–W10S17–-CurrentWelsh Assembly; Scottish Parliament Electoral Region
--S19--CurrentLocalities
--S20--CurrentSettlements
--S24--CurrentHighlands and Islands Enterprise
--S25--CurrentCommunity Justice Authorities
--S26--ArchivedCommunity Health Partnerships sub-areas
--S27--CurrentISD Health Board of Treatment
--S28--CurrentCensus Detailed Characteristics
--S29--CurrentCensus Local Characteristics
--S30--CurrentLocal Administrative Units 1
--S31--CurrentLocal Administrative Units 2
--S32--CurrentScottish Police Divisions
--S33--CurrentBroad Rental Market Areas
--S35--CurrentCivil Parish
--S36--CurrentIsland Groups
--S37--CurrentIntegration Authorities
--S39--CurrentScottish Fire and Rescue Local Senior Officer Areas
--S40--CurrentScottish Fire and Rescue Service Delivery Areas
--S41--CurrentScottish Marine Regions
--S42--CurrentScottish Local Resilience Partnerships
--S43--CurrentScottish Regional Resilience Partnerships
-W03-–-CurrentUpper layer Super Output Area (USOA)
-W04-–-CurrentCommunities
-W11-–-CurrentLocal Health Boards
-W16-–-CurrentDepartment for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills
-W19-–-CurrentNational Assembly Economic Regions
-W23-–-CurrentSpatial Plan Areas
-W24-–-CurrentSpatial Plan Sub-areas
-W26-–-CurrentStrategic Regeneration Areas
-W27-–-CurrentStrategic Regeneration Sub-areas
-W28-–-CurrentTransport Consortia Areas
-W29-–-CurrentAgricultural Regions
-W30-–-CurrentAgricultural Small Areas
-W31-–-CurrentNon-National Park Area
-W32-–-CurrentNon-Strategic Regeneration Area
-W33-–-CurrentCommunities First Areas
-W34-–-CurrentNon-Communities First Areas
-W36-–-CurrentFootprint Regions for Public Service Collaboration
-W42-–-CurrentCity Regions

In 2019, the House of Commons Library proposed names instead of numeric codes for MSOAs to make them easier to use.

Nine-character GSS codes

For a full and up-to-date listing of GSS names and codes, please follow the link to ONS Geography's Code History Database, below.

References
  1. "New Geography Codes and Naming Policy implemented 1 January 2011". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  2. "GSS Coding and Naming - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)" (PDF). Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  3. "Output Areas". ONS.
  4. "Super Output Areas". ONS.
  5. "Register of Geographic Codes (RGC)". Coding and Naming for Statistical Geographies. ONS. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  6. "ONS Geography Linked Data". Coding and Naming for Statistical Geographies. ONS. Retrieved 17 June 2017.

See also
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