Place CheckerOfficial local evidence

Census 2021 neighbourhood · E02001824

Houghton Town

Houghton Town is a Census neighbourhood of about 8,539 residents in Sunderland. This is a statistical area, not an administrative boundary or a postcode district.

Area evidence brief for Sunderland
8,539

Usual residents

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

3,900

Households

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

2,677.5

Residents per km²

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

61.7%

Households owning their home

ONS Census 2021 · tenure

28.5%

Households with no car or van

ONS Census 2021 · car availability

25.0%

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.

Birtley South, Gateshead8,274 residents · 60.7% owned · 29.5% no carHorsley Hill, South Tyneside6,194 residents · 55.9% owned · 33.4% no carBredbury Green, Stockport7,522 residents · 63.3% owned · 24.1% no carSwinton North, Rotherham8,546 residents · 67.2% owned · 23.4% no carHaughton Le Skerne, Darlington5,549 residents · 61.6% owned · 24.7% no carMeadowhead, Blackburn with Darwen7,278 residents · 60.5% owned · 29.6% no car

Most similar within Sunderland

The closest matches in the same local authority.

Grangetown, Sunderland6,172 residents · 61.3% owned · 30.1% no car

Census 2021 · Census neighbourhood (MSOA)

Life in Houghton Town

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

Tenure

Owned61.7%
2,408 households
Social rented26.4%
1,031 households
Private rented11.4%
444 households
Shared ownership0.4%
15 households
Lives rent free0.1%
2 households
Houghton Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Accommodation type

Semi-detached49.6%
1,936 households
Terraced29.5%
1,149 households
Detached14.6%
569 households
In a purpose-built block of flats or tenement4.9%
192 households
Part of a converted or shared house, including bedsits0.5%
20 households
Part of another converted building, for example, former school, church or warehouse0.5%
18 households
In a commercial building, for example, in an office building, hotel or over a shop0.4%
15 households
A caravan or other mobile or temporary structure0%
1 households
Houghton Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Car or van availability

1 car or van in household41.5%
1,618 households
No cars or vans in household28.5%
1,112 households
2 cars or vans in household23.4%
912 households
3 or more cars or vans in household6.6%
258 households
Houghton Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Number of bedrooms

3 bedrooms49.4%
1,925 households
2 bedrooms29.3%
1,144 households
4 or more bedrooms13.1%
512 households
1 bedroom8.2%
319 households
Houghton Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household composition

Single family household64%
2,496 households
One-person household33.2%
1,294 households
Other household types2.9%
113 households
Houghton Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household size

2 people in household36.2%
1,411 households
1 person in household33.2%
1,294 households
3 people in household15.8%
617 households
4 people in household10.4%
407 households
5 people in household3.4%
132 households
6 people in household0.8%
32 households
7 people in household0.2%
6 households
8 or more people in household0%
1 households
0 people in household0%
0 households
Houghton Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Age

Under 1517.1%
1,462 residents
15–2915.2%
1,298 residents
30–4417.3%
1,475 residents
45–6426.6%
2,271 residents
65 and over23.8%
2,033 residents
Houghton Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Ethnic group

White97.2%
8,302 residents
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups0.9%
75 residents
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African0.9%
74 residents
Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh0.8%
65 residents
Other ethnic group0.3%
24 residents
Houghton Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Highest qualification

Level 4 qualifications or above25%
1,753 residents aged 16 and over
No qualifications21.8%
1,527 residents aged 16 and over
Level 3 qualifications16.5%
1,154 residents aged 16 and over
Level 2 qualifications14.4%
1,007 residents aged 16 and over
Level 1 and entry level qualifications11.7%
820 residents aged 16 and over
Apprenticeship8.4%
589 residents aged 16 and over
Other qualifications2.2%
156 residents aged 16 and over
Houghton Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Economic activity

Economically active (excluding full-time students)52%
3,645 residents aged 16 and over
Economically inactive46.6%
3,262 residents aged 16 and over
Economically active and a full-time student1.4%
96 residents aged 16 and over
Houghton Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Occupational class (NS-SeC)

L4, L5 and L6 Lower managerial, administrative and professional occupations18.3%
1,279 residents aged 16 and over
L12 Semi-routine occupations14.2%
996 residents aged 16 and over
L7 Intermediate occupations14%
984 residents aged 16 and over
L13 Routine occupations13.5%
946 residents aged 16 and over
L14.1 and L14.2 Never worked and long-term unemployed12.8%
898 residents aged 16 and over
L1, L2 and L3 Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations8.4%
589 residents aged 16 and over
L10 and L11 Lower supervisory and technical occupations7%
490 residents aged 16 and over
L8 and L9 Small employers and own account workers6.8%
475 residents aged 16 and over
L15 Full-time students5%
347 residents aged 16 and over
Houghton Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

General health

Very good health41.3%
3,523 residents
Good health34.1%
2,914 residents
Fair health16.9%
1,439 residents
Bad health6.1%
520 residents
Very bad health1.7%
143 residents
Houghton Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Disability

Not disabled under the Equality Act75.4%
6,443 residents
Disabled under the Equality Act24.6%
2,097 residents
Houghton Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household deprivation

Household is not deprived in any dimension41.9%
1,633 households
Household is deprived in one dimension34.2%
1,333 households
Household is deprived in two dimensions19.4%
757 households
Household is deprived in three dimensions4.4%
170 households
Household is deprived in four dimensions0.2%
7 households
Houghton Town · 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 Sunderland

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.