A note to users

We have produced granular GVA data for Lower-layer Super Output Area (LSOA, in England and Wales), Data Zone (DZ, in Scotland) and Super Output Area (SOA, in Northern Ireland) levels, which we call “building blocks”. These building blocks can be aggregated to build larger geographical areas for analysis and comparison. The building blocks data are consistent with our latest Regional economic activity by gross domestic product, UK release. 

This additional dataset contains aggregate estimates of GVA constructed from those building blocks. We provided a range of additional geographic areas in common use across the UK and its constituent countries, as a service to avoid many users having to do this for themselves. We have also included some selected bespoke areas used in development of these data, to illustrate the flexibility of the building block method. For additional value to users, we have also provided labour productivity estimates (GVA per job filled) for towns, cities, and travel to work areas. These productivity estimates are consistent with our latest Regional and subregional labour productivity, UK bulletin. 

In some cases, it has not been possible to perfectly match the boundaries of the area required. A “best fit” approach has been used to aggregate all the building blocks whose centroid lies within the target area. For larger areas, the relatively small inaccuracies tend to balance out, leaving results that are still generally reliable. For smaller aggregate areas, like wards, these approximations can result in considerable GVA activity being assigned to the wrong ward. We advise additional caution in interpreting the results for wards included in this publication.

We welcome feedback from users on this dataset. Please contact Regional Accounts at regionalaccounts@ons.gov.uk.