Place CheckerOfficial local evidence

Census 2021 neighbourhood · E02003312

Grays Town

Grays Town is a Census neighbourhood of about 9,424 residents in Thurrock. This is a statistical area, not an administrative boundary or a postcode district.

Area evidence brief for Thurrock
9,424

Usual residents

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

3,768

Households

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

8,644.3

Residents per km²

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

39.0%

Households owning their home

ONS Census 2021 · tenure

28.1%

Households with no car or van

ONS Census 2021 · car availability

33.0%

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.

Belvedere & Lessness Heath, Bexley10,231 residents · 49.7% owned · 31.7% no carHolywell, Watford10,296 residents · 38.6% owned · 26.4% no carManor Royal & Northgate, Crawley12,582 residents · 40.3% owned · 31.2% no carYiewsley West, Hillingdon13,293 residents · 41.4% owned · 31.1% no carMerton Church Road & Phipps Bridge, Merton8,661 residents · 35.6% owned · 42.0% no carNewtown, Dartford9,727 residents · 61.5% owned · 22.6% no car

Most similar within Thurrock

The closest matches in the same local authority.

Purfleet, Thurrock6,690 residents · 47.7% owned · 18.3% no carGrays Chafford Gorges & Orsett Road, Thurrock9,304 residents · 56.9% owned · 21.5% no car

Census 2021 · Census neighbourhood (MSOA)

Life in Grays Town

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

Tenure

Owned39%
1,469 households
Private rented36.6%
1,380 households
Social rented23.2%
873 households
Shared ownership1.1%
40 households
Lives rent free0.2%
6 households
Grays Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Accommodation type

In a purpose-built block of flats or tenement64.5%
2,433 households
Terraced19.8%
748 households
Semi-detached9.9%
374 households
Detached4.2%
160 households
Part of a converted or shared house, including bedsits0.8%
31 households
In a commercial building, for example, in an office building, hotel or over a shop0.6%
21 households
Part of another converted building, for example, former school, church or warehouse0.1%
3 households
A caravan or other mobile or temporary structure0%
1 households
Grays Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Car or van availability

1 car or van in household50.8%
1,913 households
No cars or vans in household28.1%
1,057 households
2 cars or vans in household17.6%
665 households
3 or more cars or vans in household3.5%
133 households
Grays Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Number of bedrooms

2 bedrooms50.6%
1,905 households
3 bedrooms24.4%
920 households
1 bedroom21.2%
799 households
4 or more bedrooms3.8%
144 households
Grays Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household composition

Single family household62.9%
2,370 households
One-person household28.2%
1,061 households
Other household types8.9%
335 households
Grays Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household size

2 people in household28.4%
1,070 households
1 person in household28.2%
1,061 households
3 people in household20.7%
779 households
4 people in household14.4%
541 households
5 people in household5.8%
217 households
6 people in household2%
76 households
7 people in household0.4%
15 households
8 or more people in household0.2%
8 households
0 people in household0%
0 households
Grays Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Age

Under 1525.4%
2,397 residents
15–2919%
1,790 residents
30–4429.8%
2,808 residents
45–6420.4%
1,919 residents
65 and over5.5%
515 residents
Grays Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Ethnic group

White63.3%
5,970 residents
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African16.8%
1,584 residents
Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh12.8%
1,202 residents
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups4.1%
387 residents
Other ethnic group3%
282 residents
Grays Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Highest qualification

Level 4 qualifications or above33%
2,291 residents aged 16 and over
No qualifications19.8%
1,373 residents aged 16 and over
Level 3 qualifications14.5%
1,006 residents aged 16 and over
Level 2 qualifications12.8%
885 residents aged 16 and over
Level 1 and entry level qualifications11.1%
768 residents aged 16 and over
Apprenticeship4.5%
314 residents aged 16 and over
Other qualifications4.3%
297 residents aged 16 and over
Grays Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Economic activity

Economically active (excluding full-time students)71%
4,924 residents aged 16 and over
Economically inactive25.6%
1,773 residents aged 16 and over
Economically active and a full-time student3.4%
238 residents aged 16 and over
Grays Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Occupational class (NS-SeC)

L13 Routine occupations20.1%
1,397 residents aged 16 and over
L4, L5 and L6 Lower managerial, administrative and professional occupations15.2%
1,056 residents aged 16 and over
L12 Semi-routine occupations13%
905 residents aged 16 and over
L8 and L9 Small employers and own account workers11%
764 residents aged 16 and over
L7 Intermediate occupations10.5%
730 residents aged 16 and over
L14.1 and L14.2 Never worked and long-term unemployed9.1%
634 residents aged 16 and over
L15 Full-time students7.6%
530 residents aged 16 and over
L1, L2 and L3 Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations7.4%
512 residents aged 16 and over
L10 and L11 Lower supervisory and technical occupations5.9%
407 residents aged 16 and over
Grays Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

General health

Very good health53.2%
5,014 residents
Good health34%
3,206 residents
Fair health9.3%
872 residents
Bad health2.6%
247 residents
Very bad health0.9%
85 residents
Grays Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Disability

Not disabled under the Equality Act88.7%
8,359 residents
Disabled under the Equality Act11.3%
1,065 residents
Grays Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household deprivation

Household is not deprived in any dimension44.3%
1,671 households
Household is deprived in one dimension35.8%
1,348 households
Household is deprived in two dimensions15%
567 households
Household is deprived in three dimensions4.4%
164 households
Household is deprived in four dimensions0.5%
18 households
Grays 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 Thurrock

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.