Place CheckerOfficial local evidence

Census 2021 neighbourhood · E02000869

Columbia Road

Columbia Road is a Census neighbourhood of about 5,931 residents in Tower Hamlets. This is a statistical area, not an administrative boundary or a postcode district.

Area evidence brief for Tower Hamlets
5,931

Usual residents

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

2,524

Households

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

18,453.6

Residents per km²

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

24.8%

Households owning their home

ONS Census 2021 · tenure

65.9%

Households with no car or van

ONS Census 2021 · car availability

51.4%

Adults with a degree or above

ONS Census 2021 · qualifications

Neighbourhoods most like this one

Closest matches elsewhere in England and Wales, across 14 Census themes. Similarity is statistical, not a recommendation, and says nothing about how anywhere feels to live in.

Chalk Farm, Camden8,488 residents · 24.9% owned · 64.6% no carHammersmith Broadway, Hammersmith and Fulham8,267 residents · 21.9% owned · 67.8% no carIslington East & Arlington, Islington8,922 residents · 25.1% owned · 68.8% no carSouth Bermondsey Central, Southwark9,610 residents · 23.4% owned · 62.3% no carIslington North & Canonbury West, Islington9,939 residents · 25.4% owned · 65.6% no carCamden Road South, Camden7,879 residents · 26.7% owned · 66.7% no car

Most similar within Tower Hamlets

The closest matches in the same local authority.

Bethnal Green North East, Tower Hamlets7,961 residents · 18.3% owned · 67.1% no carBrick Lane North, Tower Hamlets8,145 residents · 19.2% owned · 72.7% no carBethnal Green East, Tower Hamlets6,371 residents · 24.0% owned · 62.1% no carBethnal Green South, Tower Hamlets7,274 residents · 21.0% owned · 71.3% no car

Census 2021 · Census neighbourhood (MSOA)

Life in Columbia Road

People, households and homes at the stated Census geography. These describe the 2021 population, not the occupants of a particular home.

Tenure

Social rented45%
1,135 households
Private rented28.5%
720 households
Owned24.8%
626 households
Shared ownership1.2%
31 households
Lives rent free0.5%
12 households
Columbia Road · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Accommodation type

In a purpose-built block of flats or tenement72.7%
1,835 households
Terraced16.4%
413 households
Semi-detached2.7%
69 households
In a commercial building, for example, in an office building, hotel or over a shop2.6%
66 households
Part of a converted or shared house, including bedsits2.5%
64 households
Part of another converted building, for example, former school, church or warehouse2.5%
64 households
Detached0.5%
13 households
A caravan or other mobile or temporary structure0%
1 households
Columbia Road · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Car or van availability

No cars or vans in household65.9%
1,663 households
1 car or van in household29.7%
749 households
2 cars or vans in household3.7%
93 households
3 or more cars or vans in household0.7%
18 households
Columbia Road · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Number of bedrooms

2 bedrooms39.3%
992 households
1 bedroom32.8%
828 households
3 bedrooms20.4%
514 households
4 or more bedrooms7.6%
191 households
Columbia Road · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household composition

Single family household45.1%
1,141 households
One-person household37.6%
952 households
Other household types17.3%
439 households
Columbia Road · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household size

1 person in household37.7%
952 households
2 people in household27.7%
699 households
3 people in household16.3%
410 households
4 people in household8%
202 households
5 people in household5.6%
142 households
6 people in household2.8%
70 households
8 or more people in household1%
25 households
7 people in household0.9%
23 households
0 people in household0%
0 households
Columbia Road · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Age

Under 1516.5%
981 residents
15–2925.7%
1,525 residents
30–4428.9%
1,714 residents
45–6420.5%
1,218 residents
65 and over8.4%
497 residents
Columbia Road · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Ethnic group

White50.4%
2,990 residents
Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh33%
1,956 residents
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African7.5%
442 residents
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups5.5%
325 residents
Other ethnic group3.7%
218 residents
Columbia Road · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Highest qualification

Level 4 qualifications or above51.4%
2,513 residents aged 16 and over
No qualifications16.8%
820 residents aged 16 and over
Level 3 qualifications12%
588 residents aged 16 and over
Level 2 qualifications8%
392 residents aged 16 and over
Level 1 and entry level qualifications6.9%
336 residents aged 16 and over
Apprenticeship2.5%
121 residents aged 16 and over
Other qualifications2.4%
116 residents aged 16 and over
Columbia Road · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Economic activity

Economically active (excluding full-time students)63.6%
3,109 residents aged 16 and over
Economically inactive33.7%
1,644 residents aged 16 and over
Economically active and a full-time student2.7%
132 residents aged 16 and over
Columbia Road · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Occupational class (NS-SeC)

L4, L5 and L6 Lower managerial, administrative and professional occupations21.6%
1,057 residents aged 16 and over
L1, L2 and L3 Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations20.2%
985 residents aged 16 and over
L14.1 and L14.2 Never worked and long-term unemployed13.4%
656 residents aged 16 and over
L8 and L9 Small employers and own account workers9.5%
465 residents aged 16 and over
L15 Full-time students9.2%
451 residents aged 16 and over
L13 Routine occupations7.9%
386 residents aged 16 and over
L12 Semi-routine occupations7.4%
363 residents aged 16 and over
L7 Intermediate occupations7.3%
359 residents aged 16 and over
L10 and L11 Lower supervisory and technical occupations3.4%
164 residents aged 16 and over
Columbia Road · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

General health

Very good health52%
3,086 residents
Good health31.3%
1,854 residents
Fair health10.5%
622 residents
Bad health4.6%
273 residents
Very bad health1.6%
96 residents
Columbia Road · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Disability

Not disabled under the Equality Act84.7%
5,026 residents
Disabled under the Equality Act15.3%
905 residents
Columbia Road · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household deprivation

Household is not deprived in any dimension43.8%
1,106 households
Household is deprived in one dimension31.6%
797 households
Household is deprived in two dimensions16.2%
408 households
Household is deprived in three dimensions7.6%
193 households
Household is deprived in four dimensions0.8%
20 households
Columbia Road · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Each percentage uses its Census table’s own total. Rounding and source categories can affect totals. ONS Census data · OGL v3.0.

How the similarity is worked out

Alike on the Census, which is not the same as alike to live in.

Every neighbourhood is described by its shares across the Census themes above — tenure, housing, cars, household make-up, age, ethnic group, qualifications, work, health and deprivation — each theme weighted equally, which is the approach ONS takes in its own Output Area Classification. The neighbourhoods listed are the closest on those numbers, published in full rather than folded into a score. Nothing here measures schools, crime, prices or what a place is like to be in, and a close match is a statistical fact rather than a suggestion to move.

Browse every neighbourhood in Tower Hamlets

Evidence ledger

Source and date are part of the record.

Shared catalogue checked 2026-08-28: 88 candidate data layers listed. Catalogue presence is not publication approval; only separately approved public projections may be shown.