Royal Mail commissioned the Centre for Economic and Business Research (Cebr) to conduct analysis of characteristics of the UK through the lens of the postcode to mark the 40th anniversary of the allocation of postcodes to every town in Britain. The research was conducted by reviewing a number of data sources at the local level, including the 2011 Census, the Department for Communities and Local Government’s Indices of Multiple Deprivation, several releases from the Office for National Statistics.
- To mark the 40th anniversary of the allocation of postcodes to every town in Britain, Royal Mail has commissioned a study into characteristics of the UK through the lens of the postcode
- The study gives a unique insight across five features of everyday life in 2014 in communities the length and breadth of the UK
- Health and wellbeing: London has the five healthiest areas by postcode sector in the England. The healthiest postcode sectors in Scotland are Langholm (DG13) and Gretna (DG16). In Wales it is Cynderwen in Dyfed (SA66) and in Northern Ireland it is Hillsbrough (BT26). The Suffolk coastal town of Aldeburgh (IP15) has the highest average age in the UK
- Work matters: Somerton and Frome in the West Country have the lowest unemployment rates in the UK. Birmingham has the top ranked postcode sector outside of London for highest qualified residents
- The cost of living: London and Surrey are the areas with highest outstanding mortgages in the UK. Postcode sectors in the City of London, Coldstream in Northumberland and the Isle of Islay, Scotland, have some highest average personal loan values in the UK
- Safe and secure: Northumberland and West Cumbria have the lowest crime rates in England. In Scotland it is Shetland (ZE2), in Wales it is Clarbeston Road in Dyfed (SA63) and in Northern Ireland it is Craigavon (BT67)
- In the home: Poole has the postcode sector with the highest proportion of married couples. Canterbury has the postcode sector with the lowest birth rate
Royal Mail has commissioned a study into characteristics of the UK through the lens of the postcode to mark the 40th anniversary of the allocation of postcodes to every town in Britain.
The study gives a unique insight into life in communities the length and breadth of the UK. It is focused on five features of everyday life in 2014, exploring the differences between towns and cities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Health and wellbeing
London has the five healthiest areas by postcode sector in the England. Outside of London, Hampshire has the two healthiest postcode areas – Fleet (GU52) and Hook (RG27).
In Scotland, the top three healthiest postcode sectors are in Dumfries and Galloway. They are Langholm (DG13), Gretna (DG16) and Canonbie (DG14), followed by Edinburgh (EH9) and then the PA72 postcode sector representing Argyll and Bute. In Wales, Cynderwen (SA66) is the healthiest postcode sector. In Northern Ireland it is Hillsbrough (BT26).
The Suffolk coastal town Aldeburgh (IP15) has the highest average age of population at just over 55 years old. The Isle of Anglesey (LL73) in Wales is in second place. Fife (KY9), has the fifth highest average age population in the UK at just under 54 years old. It is the highest placed postcode sector in Scotland.
Birmingham’s B4 postcode has the lowest mean age at around 23 years old. This is followed by S1 in Sheffield at around 24 and Leeds (LS2), which has a population with an average age of 25 years old.
Work matters
Somerton and Frome have the postcode sectors (BA2-BA11 and TA10-12) with the lowest rate of unemployment in the UK, at just over one per cent. This is followed by Chesham and Amersham (HP5-9 and 15-16). In third place is South Northamptonshire (NN4-7 and NN11-13).
The postcode sector with the highest proportion of people employed in construction is Maghera in Northern Ireland. Twenty per cent of workers in Marghera’s BT46 postcode sector are employed in construction. The Scottish Highlands postcode of KW11 in Kirkwall is second and Ballymena (BT44) in Northern Ireland third.
Moray in Aberdeenshire has the greatest proportion of people employed in manufacturing. Almost 26 per cent of workers living in AB38 are employed in manufacturing. Corby (NN17) is second and Craven (BB18) third. Birmingham (B4) has the highest proportion of people employed in wholesale/retail jobs at more than 30 per cent. This is followed by Welwyn and Hatfield (AL10) and Mendip (BA16) in third.
Nine of the top ten areas with the highest qualified residents – those with degree or professional qualification – are in London. The top postcode sector is EC4Y, where 80 per cent of residents have those qualifications. The single top ten entry outside of London is the Birmingham postcode sector B3, where around 66 per cent of residents have a degree or professional qualification.
In the home
Poole has the postcode (BH18) with the highest proportion of married couples at around 65 per cent of the total population. This is followed by Worcester (WR7) in second place and then TR22 postcode sector representing the Isles of Scilly.
The cathedral city of Canterbury has the postcode sectors (CT1-CT6) with the lowest birth rate – just under 44 per 1,000 women aged 16 to 44 years old. This is followed by Stirling in Scotland (FK7-FK9 and FK15-FK17) with just over 44 births per 1,000 women. The Cambridge postcode sectors (CB1-CB5) are third lowest (47). Barking (RM5 – RM10) has the highest number of births per 1,000 women (90). This is followed by Forest Heath in West Suffolk (IP27-IP28 and CB8) and Peterborough (PE1-PE6) in second and third position with around 84 births per 1,000 women aged 16-44 years old.
The cost of living
People living in the City of London’s EC4A postcode have the highest average outstanding mortgage at £112,000 per capita, the study found. This is followed by the South West London postcode sectors of SW1H and SW1A. Outside of London, people living in Surrey’s Virginia Water (GU25), Esher (KT25) and Cobham (KT11) have the highest outstanding mortgages on average at around £50,000 per capita. Outside of these areas follows Birmingham’s B2 postcode sector.
The City of London also leads the table with the postcode sector (EC1A) with the highest average personal loan per population (£1,500). This is followed by Coldstream, Northumberland, (TD12) with an average personal loan of around £1,200 and the Isle of Islay (PA46) at just under £1,000.
Safe and secure
The rural areas of the north of England are the top locations for people wanting the best chance of a crime free life. People living in the TD12 postcode sector in Coldstream, Northumberland, have the lowest rate of crime in England. This is based on the number of reported incidents violent crimes, burglaries, thefts and criminal damage incidents per 1,000 population. The West Cumbria postcodes of LA17 and CA20 have the second and third lowest crime rates.
In Scotland, the postcode sector with the least crime is Shetland (ZE2) while in Wales it is Clarbeston Road (SA63). Craigavon (BT67) is the postcode sector with the lowest crime in Northern Ireland.
And finally…..wheels in motion
Worcester (WR7) has the highest number of cars by household – 1.95 – in the UK. Marginally lower at 1.93 is neighbouring WR6 on the Hereford and Worcester border. In third place is Solihull (B94) with approximately 1.92 vehicles per household.
The Isles of Scilly (TR24) has the fewest numbers of cars per household in the UK. In fact there is only around one car per ten homes. This is followed by Birmingham (B2) which has a marginally higher proportion. In third place is Camden (WC1H) where there is on average one car for every five households.