Place CheckerOfficial local evidence

Census 2021 neighbourhood · E02001922

Selly Oak

Selly Oak is a Census neighbourhood of about 15,987 residents in Birmingham. This is a statistical area, not an administrative boundary or a postcode district.

Area evidence brief for Birmingham
15,987

Usual residents

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

3,502

Households

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

11,272.7

Residents per km²

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

15.2%

Households owning their home

ONS Census 2021 · tenure

45.7%

Households with no car or van

ONS Census 2021 · car availability

19.9%

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.

Hyde Park, Leeds8,131 residents · 11.3% owned · 43.2% no carLenton & Dunkirk, Nottingham10,990 residents · 18.3% owned · 41.8% no carFallowfield Central, Manchester11,275 residents · 25.8% owned · 40.3% no carCathays North, Cardiff9,568 residents · 27.9% owned · 32.0% no carCathays South & Bute Park, Cardiff12,253 residents · 15.4% owned · 49.1% no carDurham City, County Durham12,666 residents · 28.3% owned · 44.0% no car

Census 2021 · Census neighbourhood (MSOA)

Life in Selly Oak

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

Tenure

Private rented69.8%
2,446 households
Owned15.2%
531 households
Social rented13.1%
460 households
Shared ownership1.7%
59 households
Lives rent free0.2%
6 households
Selly Oak · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Accommodation type

Terraced60%
2,101 households
Semi-detached18.2%
639 households
In a purpose-built block of flats or tenement11.3%
394 households
Detached5.1%
179 households
Part of a converted or shared house, including bedsits2.5%
89 households
In a commercial building, for example, in an office building, hotel or over a shop2.1%
75 households
Part of another converted building, for example, former school, church or warehouse0.6%
22 households
A caravan or other mobile or temporary structure0.1%
3 households
Selly Oak · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Car or van availability

No cars or vans in household45.7%
1,601 households
1 car or van in household29.7%
1,041 households
2 cars or vans in household14.4%
506 households
3 or more cars or vans in household10.1%
354 households
Selly Oak · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Number of bedrooms

4 or more bedrooms55.9%
1,958 households
3 bedrooms19.5%
683 households
2 bedrooms16.3%
572 households
1 bedroom8.3%
291 households
Selly Oak · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household composition

Other household types61.5%
2,152 households
Single family household20.8%
728 households
One-person household17.7%
621 households
Selly Oak · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household size

1 person in household17.7%
621 households
2 people in household15.7%
550 households
5 people in household14.6%
510 households
4 people in household14.1%
495 households
6 people in household13.5%
473 households
3 people in household12.6%
441 households
7 people in household7%
245 households
8 or more people in household4.8%
167 households
0 people in household0%
0 households
Selly Oak · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Age

Under 154.4%
706 residents
15–2982.5%
13,195 residents
30–446.7%
1,075 residents
45–644.3%
685 residents
65 and over2%
326 residents
Selly Oak · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Ethnic group

White66.6%
10,642 residents
Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh17.7%
2,822 residents
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African7%
1,121 residents
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups5.6%
889 residents
Other ethnic group3.2%
514 residents
Selly Oak · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Highest qualification

Level 3 qualifications67.6%
10,296 residents aged 16 and over
Level 4 qualifications or above19.9%
3,025 residents aged 16 and over
No qualifications5.4%
817 residents aged 16 and over
Level 2 qualifications3.1%
478 residents aged 16 and over
Level 1 and entry level qualifications1.8%
271 residents aged 16 and over
Other qualifications1.4%
216 residents aged 16 and over
Apprenticeship0.9%
132 residents aged 16 and over
Selly Oak · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Economic activity

Economically inactive71.3%
10,854 residents aged 16 and over
Economically active and a full-time student17.7%
2,691 residents aged 16 and over
Economically active (excluding full-time students)11.1%
1,685 residents aged 16 and over
Selly Oak · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Occupational class (NS-SeC)

L15 Full-time students81.5%
12,417 residents aged 16 and over
L14.1 and L14.2 Never worked and long-term unemployed4.3%
650 residents aged 16 and over
L4, L5 and L6 Lower managerial, administrative and professional occupations3%
454 residents aged 16 and over
L1, L2 and L3 Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations2.8%
431 residents aged 16 and over
L12 Semi-routine occupations2.2%
341 residents aged 16 and over
L13 Routine occupations2.1%
325 residents aged 16 and over
L7 Intermediate occupations1.7%
261 residents aged 16 and over
L8 and L9 Small employers and own account workers1.5%
225 residents aged 16 and over
L10 and L11 Lower supervisory and technical occupations0.8%
129 residents aged 16 and over
Selly Oak · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

General health

Very good health58.2%
9,305 residents
Good health32.5%
5,193 residents
Fair health7.2%
1,154 residents
Bad health1.7%
277 residents
Very bad health0.4%
59 residents
Selly Oak · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Disability

Not disabled under the Equality Act84.9%
13,576 residents
Disabled under the Equality Act15.1%
2,412 residents
Selly Oak · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household deprivation

Household is deprived in one dimension40.3%
1,414 households
Household is not deprived in any dimension39.1%
1,372 households
Household is deprived in two dimensions17.2%
603 households
Household is deprived in three dimensions3.1%
108 households
Household is deprived in four dimensions0.2%
8 households
Selly Oak · 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.

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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.