Key Statistics (KS)

  • 2001 Equivalent: Key statistics

  • Description: Key Statistics provide summary figures covering the full range of census topics, often derived from more than one variable on the census form.

  • Lowest geography: Output area (OA). Minimum OA size is 40 resident households and 100 resident people; the average population in an OA has increased from 297 in 2001 to 309 in 2011.

  • View Key and Quick Statistics in our catalogue

Quick Statistics (QS)

  • 2001 Equivalent: Univariate statistics (UV)

  • Description: Quick statistics provide the most detailed information available from the census about a single topic. The detail is provided by using the full, expanded versions of the classifications which have the most categories.

  • Lowest geography: Output area (OA). Minimum OA size is 40 resident households and 100 resident people; the average population in an OA has increased from 297 in 2001 to 309 in 2011.

  • View Key and Quick Statistics in our catalogue

Detailed Characteristics (DC)

  • 2001 Equivalent: Standard tables (S)

  • Description: Detailed Characteristics cross tabulate two or more topics from the 2011 Census. The combination of classifications and the number of categories used for the topics in this series are carefully chosen to maintain confidentiality. DCs are more detailed than their LC equivalents, but are not available for small areas.

  • Lowest geography: Generally produced only for middle layer super output areas (MSOAs) and areas with at least 1,000 usual residents and 400 households. Minimum MSOA size is 2,000 households and 5,000 people; there were 7,801 MSOAs in England and Wales in 2011 with an average size of 2995 households and 7188 people. A small number of this series use a more detailed classification for some topics and are only available down to local authority level.

  • View Detailed Characteristics statistics in our catalogue

Local Characteristics (LC)

  • 2001 Equivalent: Census area statistics (CAS)

  • Description: Local Characteristics provide the most detailed results possible for OAs, and contain two or more variables such as sex and occupation by age. Because of the small area thresholds, LCs are not as detailed as their DC equivalents.

  • Lowest geography: Output areas (OA). Minimum OA size is 40 resident households and 100 resident people; the average population in an OA has increased from 297 in 2001 to 309 in 2011.

  • View Local Characteristics statistics in our catalogue