The 2011 rural-urban classification was released in August 2013. It is a revised version of the classification produced after the 2001 Census, but with additional detail in the urban domain. The product was sponsored by a cross-Government working group comprising Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Department of the Communities and Local Government, Office for National Statistics and the Welsh Government.
The data is available at three geographical levels:
Output Area
Output areas are treated as ‘urban’ if they were allocated to a 2011 built-up area with a population of 10,000 or more. The urban domain is then further sub-divided into three broad morphological types based on the predominant settlement component. As with the previous version of the classification, the remaining ‘rural’ output areas are grouped into three broad morphological types based on the predominant settlement component.
The classification also categorises output areas based on context – i.e. whether the wider surrounding area of a given output area is sparsely populated or less sparsely populated.
Urban: Major Conurbation (A1)
Urban: Minor Conurbation (B1)
Urban: City and Town (C1)
Urban: City and Town in a Sparse Setting (C2)
Rural: Town and Fringe (D1)
Rural: Town and Fringe in a Sparse Setting (D2)
Rural: Village (E1)
Rural: Village in a Sparse Setting (E2)
Rural: Hamlets and Isolated Dwellings (F1)
Rural: Hamlets and Isolated Dwellings in a Sparse Setting (F2)
Lower Layer Super Output Areas (LSOA)
The 2011 rural-urban classification of lower layer super output areas was released in August 2013. It is a revised version of the classification produced after the 2001 Census, but with additional detail in the urban domain. This product was sponsored by a cross-Government working group comprising Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Department of the Communities and Local Government, Office for National Statistics and the Welsh Government.
The classification at LSOA level is built from the RUC at OA level (the most detailed version of the classification). Assignments of LSOA to urban or rural categories are made by reference to the category to which the majority of their constituent OA are assigned.
In the RUC at OA level, output areas are treated as ‘urban’ if they were allocated to a 2011 built-up area with a population of 10,000 or more. The urban domain is then further sub-divided into three broad morphological types based on the predominant settlement component. As with the previous version of the classification, the remaining ‘rural’ output areas are grouped into three broad morphological types based on the predominant settlement component. At the LSOA scale settlement form is less homogenous than at OA level and so there are just two rural settlement types.
The classification also categorises output areas based on context – i.e. whether the wider surrounding area of a given output area is sparsely populated or less sparsely populated.
Urban: Major Conurbation (A1)
Urban: Minor Conurbation (B1)
Urban: City and Town (C1)
Urban: City and Town in a Sparse Setting (C2)
Rural Town and Fringe (D1)
Rural Town and Fringe in a Sparse Setting (D2)
Rural Village and Dispersed (E1)
Rural Village and Dispersed in a Sparse Setting (E2)
Middle Layer Super Output Areas (MSOA)
The 2011 rural-urban classification of middle layer super output areas was released in August 2013. It is a revised version of the classification produced after the 2001 Census, but with additional detail in the urban domain. This product was sponsored by a cross-Government working group comprising Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Department of the Communities and Local Government, Office for National Statistics and the Welsh Government.
The classification at MSOA level is built from the RUC at OA level (the most detailed version of the classification). Assignments of MSOA to urban or rural categories are made by reference to the category to which the majority of their constituent OA are assigned.
In the RUC at OA level, output areas are treated as ‘urban’ if they were allocated to a 2011 built-up area with a population of 10,000 or more. The urban domain is then further sub-divided into three broad morphological types based on the predominant settlement component. As with the previous version of the classification, the remaining ‘rural’ output areas are grouped into three broad morphological types based on the predominant settlement component. At the MSOA scale settlement form is less homogenous than at OA level and so there are just two rural settlement types.
The classification also categorises output areas based on context – i.e. whether the wider surrounding area of a given output area is sparsely populated or less sparsely populated.
Urban: Major Conurbation (A1)
Urban: Minor Conurbation (B1)
Urban: City and Town (C1)
Urban: City and Town in a Sparse Setting (C2)
Rural Town and Fringe (D1)
Rural Town and Fringe in a Sparse Setting (D2)
Rural Village and Dispersed (E1)
Rural Village and Dispersed in a Sparse Setting (E2)