England and Wales Census 2021 - RM097: Occupancy rating (bedrooms) by ethnic group of Household Reference Person

This dataset provides Census 2021 estimates that classify Household Reference Persons in England and Wales by occupancy rating (bedrooms) and by ethnic group. The estimates are as at Census Day, 21 March 2021.

Area type

Census 2021 statistics are published for a number of different geographies. These can be large, for example the whole of England, or small, for example an output area (OA), the lowest level of geography for which statistics are produced.

For higher levels of geography, more detailed statistics can be produced. When a lower level of geography is used, such as output areas (which have a minimum of 100 persons), the statistics produced have less detail. This is to protect the confidentiality of people and ensure that individuals or their characteristics cannot be identified.

Lower tier local authorities

Lower tier local authorities provide a range of local services. There are 309 lower tier local authorities in England made up of 181 non-metropolitan districts, 59 unitary authorities, 36 metropolitan districts and 33 London boroughs (including City of London). In Wales there are 22 local authorities made up of 22 unitary authorities.

Coverage

Census 2021 statistics are published for the whole of England and Wales. However, you can choose to filter areas by:

  • country - for example, Wales
  • region - for example, London
  • local authority - for example, Cornwall
  • health area – for example, Clinical Commissioning Group
  • statistical area - for example, MSOA or LSOA

Occupancy rating for bedrooms

Whether a household's accommodation is overcrowded, ideally occupied or under-occupied. This is calculated by comparing the number of bedrooms the household requires to the number of available bedrooms.

The number of bedrooms the household requires is calculated according to the Bedroom Standard, where the following should have their own bedroom:

  1. adult couple
  2. any remaining adult (aged 21 years or over)
  3. two males (aged 10 to 20 years)
  4. one male (aged 10 to 20 years) and one male (aged 9 years or under), if there are an odd number of males aged 10-20
  5. one male aged 10-20 if there are no males aged 0-9 to pair with him.
  6. repeat steps 3-5 for females
  7. two children (aged 9 years or under) regardless of sex
  8. any remaining child (aged 9 years or under)

An occupancy rating of:

  • -1 or less implies that a household’s accommodation has fewer bedrooms than required (overcrowded)
  • +1 or more implies that a household’s accommodation has more bedrooms than required (under-occupied)
  • 0 suggests that a household’s accommodation has an ideal number of bedrooms

Ethnic group

The ethnic group that the person completing the census feels they belong to. This could be based on their culture, family background, identity or physical appearance.

Respondents could choose one out of 19 tick-box response categories, including write-in response options.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Last Updated April 17, 2023, 12:28 (BST)
Created April 17, 2023, 12:28 (BST)
Visibility Public
Year 2021
Topics Accommodation and housing
Ethnicity
Units Persons
Geographic Layer Census Electoral Divisions
Census Wards
Countries
Integrated Care Boards
Local Health Boards
Lower Super Output Areas
Lower Tier Local Authorities
Middle Super Output Areas
NHS England Regions
Output Areas
Regions
Sub Integrated Care Board Locations
Upper Tier Local Authorities
Westminster Parliamentary Constituencies
Frequency Decennial
DOI https://doi.org/10.5257/census/aggregate-2021-1
Citation Office for National Statistics; National Records of Scotland; Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency; UK Data Service. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5257/census/aggregate-2021-1
Geographical Coverage Location England and Wales
Granularity Country down to output areas
Geographic Spatial data {"geo_type": "polygon", "lat": "52.4036", "lon": "-1.93872", "left": "-6.53687", "top": "55.8275", "right": "1.98853", "bottom": "49.6694", "srid": null, "accuracy": null, "source": null}