Census information has been published at various geographical levels, ranging from postcodes to National statistics.
Postcodes – There is a headcount of four variables for each postcode – total population, males, females, and number of households.
Output Areas – These are the equivalent of the Enumeration Districts of the 1991 Census, though, unlike the ED's, they were not determined in advance, but have been assembled from the results of the Census. They have an average size of 125 households, a minimum size of 100 people and 40 households, nest within wards, and normally comprise whole unit postcodes.
Super Output Areas – A new geography, the 'Super Output Area' (SOA), has also been introduced. This comprises a hierarchy of three geographic units. Lower Layer SOAs are formed from groups of entire Output Areas, nest within wards, have a minimum size of 1,000 residents and 400 households, but average 1,500 residents. Middle Layer SOAs have a minimum size of 5,000 residents and 2,000 households, average 7,200 residents, and are formed from entire Lower Layer SOAs. A third layer, the Higher Layer SOA, will eventually also be published formed from entire Middle Layer SOAs. The intention in releasing this new SOA geography is to provide stable geographic units for the collection and publication of small area statistics, avoiding the problems inherent in ward-based systems which suffer from the dual disadvantages that wards vary greatly in size and are subject to frequent boundary changes.
Parishes – Parishes which are smaller than 50 people and 20 households have been amalgamated with a neighbouring parish as they were in 1991. This affects five Bedfordshre parishes. Parishes with 50-100 people and 20-40 households have only a limited number of details published; only one parish in Bedfordshire has been affected.
Wards – Ward boundaries in Bedfordshire were revised in 2001-2003 and Census data has been published on the basis of these 'new' wards, commonly referred to as '2003 wards'. Wards are composed of groups of entire Output Areas.
Districts, Unitary Authorities, Counties, Regions, Countries – Data has been published for all Local Authorities, regions and countries, so is available for Bedfordshire, the districts of Bedford Borough, Mid Bedfordshire and South Bedfordshire, and for the East of England region.
A detailed discussion of the output geography employed in the 2001 Census is available here
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