How are Output Areas defined?

OAs aim to:

• be of a size that exceeds population and households thresholds as may be imposed for the purposes of data publication
• be assembled from complete unit postcodes wherever possible
• have uniformity of geographical area and shape
• social homogeneity
• have uniformity of population size
• .

You can find out much more about Output Areas for 2001 from Martin, 2002 and from CHCC Unit 8: 2001 Census Output Areas. [Note: This link opens in a new window]