Postcode level Census Data - Ethnic groups and services

FOI REF: FOI-2023-1202

You asked

1. Ethnicity-Wise Data of Population by Postcode: I am interested in obtaining demographic data that provides an ethnicity breakdown of the population within each postcode in the UK. This information would be immensely helpful for research purposes and understanding the ethnic composition at a granular level.
2. Crime Data by Postcode: I would like to request comprehensive crime data, including the number and types of reported crimes, for each postcode in the UK. This data will aid in conducting analysis, identifying trends, and contributing to research related to crime and security.
3. Number of Restaurants by Postcode: Please provide the total count of registered restaurants, categorized by cuisine types or any other relevant classification, for each postcode in the UK. This data will assist in studying the culinary landscape and exploring trends in dining establishments across different areas.
4. Number of Primary and Secondary Schools by Postcode: I am seeking information regarding the total number of primary and secondary schools within each postcode in the UK. This data will be instrumental in understanding the educational infrastructure and analyzing educational opportunities available in various regions.
5. Number of Universities by Postcode: Please provide the count of universities within each postcode in the UK. This data will contribute to research on higher education accessibility, regional development, and educational opportunities for students in different areas.
6. Number of Parking Spaces Available by Postcode: I would like to request information on the number of parking spaces, both public and private, available within each postcode in the UK. This data will help evaluate parking infrastructure and assist in assessing parking availability in different regions.
7. Number of Banks by Postcode: Please provide the count of banks operating within each postcode in the UK. This data will aid in understanding the accessibility of financial services and analyzing the banking landscape across different areas.
8. Number of Libraries by Postcode: I am seeking information on the number of libraries within each postcode in the UK. This data will contribute to research on library accessibility, educational resources, and community development in different regions.
9. Number of Bus Stations by Postcode: Please provide the count of bus stations within each postcode in the UK. This data will assist in studying public transportation infrastructure, connectivity, and accessibility across different areas.
10. Number of Train Stations by Postcode: I kindly request information regarding the count of train stations within each postcode in the UK. This data will help analyze transportation networks, connectivity, and accessibility in various regions.

We said

Thank you for your freedom of information request. 

1. Ethnicity by Postcode

We produce two types of Census data relevant to your request.

• Headcount only data by (full) unit postcode which is a simple count of the number of persons living in an area.
• Population data for postal geographies which contains the head count along with other variables such as usual residents, sex etc.

Census 2021 population data for postal geographies is not yet available. When available, Census data will be released down to Postcode Sector level, but will not be available for (full) unit postcodes. 

Postcodes are structured hierarchically, supporting four levels of geographic unit. For example: 

PO Postcode Area of which there are 124;  

PO15 Postcode District of which there are 3,118;  

PO15 5 Postcode Sector of which there are 12,446  

There are currently approximately 1.77 million (live) Unit Postcodes (e.g. PO15 5RR) 

The most up to date population data for unit postcodes is from the 2011 Census: 

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/postcode_headcounts_and_household_estimates 

This release contains 2011 Census estimates of usual residents broken down by sex and an estimate of the number of households with one or more usual residents - for unit postcodes in England and Wales.  

The postcode headcount datasets are supplied in CSV format. The two datasets have been split into four files each to make manipulation of the data easier.  

Census 2021 headcounts are expected to be released as part of Phase 3 (summer 2023).  

You can receive updates about Census 2021 outputs, products, release plans and dissemination methods by subscribing to the free GovDelivery bulletins as follows:  

• Clicking on this link to register for GovDelivery updates 

• Entering your email address in the field provided 

• Under the section titled 'Census', selecting the option to subscribe to '2021 Census outputs' 

• Pressing submit at the bottom of the page. 

Should you have any queries feel free to contact the census customer services team at census.customerservices@ons.gov.uk.

2. Crime Data by postcode.

Unfortunately, this data is not held. The lowest geographical level we publish crime statistics for is Community Safety Partnership (CSP), which in the majority of cases equates to local authority. The police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables produced by the Home Office have a more detailed version of this data going back to 2003.  

You may find Home | data.police.uk useful in your research. The website allows you to search for and download crime information.

3. Restaurants

We are unable to provide this information down to postcode level. The lowest level of geography which we are able to release would be  Middle Super Output Area (MSOA) due to disclosure controls.

Our data for restaurants is held under 3 five digit Standard Industrial Classification codes. These codes are not further broken down by cuisine, so we do not hold this information.

SIC 56101 - Licensed Restaurants

SIC 56102 - Unlicensed Restaurants

SIC 56103 - Take Away Food Shops and Mobile Food Stands

The relevant codes for banks are:

 SIC 64191 : Banks

SIC 64192 Building societies

UK Business: activity, size and location can be manipulated further using a dissemination tool on Nomis web. The data are available from 2010 to 2022 and can be split by classification, geographies, and size-bands. 

To explore the data we have available, please see the following instructions for our NOMIS webservice: 

• Click on the link Nomis web which takes you to the UK business counts page. 
• Select Industry from the menu on the left-hand side 
• Then select 5-digit subclasses. 
• From the list - select class 56 - Food and beverage service activities and class 64 Financial Service activities
• Select the categories you require by clicking the check boxes - 56.101 Licensed restaurants and 56.102 Unlicensed restaurants.
• Select Geography from the menu on the left-hand side and confirm how you would like your data split e.g UK 
• Finally, select download data. 

4 & 5. Schools and Universities

We do not hold this information. The Department for Education may be better placed to assist they produce Education and training statistics for the UK, Reporting year 2022 - Explore education statistics - GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk) Their FOI team can be contacted at Contact the Department for Education - DFE Online Forms

6. Parking spaces

We do not hold this information.

8. Libraries

We do not hold this information, however the information is contained in this dataset Public libraries in England: basic dataset - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

9&10.  Bus stations and Train Stations.

We do not hold this information. We would suggest contacting Department for Transport who may be better placed to assist. Their FOI team can be contacted at foi-advice-team-dft@dft.gov.uk.

The Office of Rail and Road data portal may also be useful in your research FOI and ad-hoc data requests | ORR Data Portal. 

You may also find the following article useful in your research Postcode checker: how has your High Street changed since 2020? - BBC News the data used was provided by the Ordnance Survey who may be better placed to assist with this element of your enquiry. Their FOI team can be contacted at Request Information | Freedom of Information Requests (ordnancesurvey.co.uk)