Place CheckerOfficial local evidence

Census 2021 neighbourhood · E02003541

Somers Town

Somers Town is a Census neighbourhood of about 10,937 residents in Portsmouth. This is a statistical area, not an administrative boundary or a postcode district.

Area evidence brief for Portsmouth
10,937

Usual residents

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

4,227

Households

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

15,869.1

Residents per km²

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

20.5%

Households owning their home

ONS Census 2021 · tenure

52.1%

Households with no car or van

ONS Census 2021 · car availability

25.3%

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.

Canterbury Barracks, Canterbury9,728 residents · 26.5% owned · 41.2% no carGreenstead, Colchester11,349 residents · 27.0% owned · 40.6% no carAdamsdown, Cardiff11,609 residents · 30.1% owned · 48.1% no carSt George's, Preston6,374 residents · 32.5% owned · 51.3% no carArthur's Hill, Newcastle upon Tyne7,531 residents · 16.5% owned · 64.7% no carCromwell Road & Broad Street, Salford9,504 residents · 27.0% owned · 47.5% no car

Census 2021 · Census neighbourhood (MSOA)

Life in Somers Town

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

Tenure

Social rented45.8%
1,935 households
Private rented32.2%
1,363 households
Owned20.5%
867 households
Lives rent free0.7%
31 households
Shared ownership0.7%
31 households
Somers Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Accommodation type

In a purpose-built block of flats or tenement60.9%
2,573 households
Terraced19.4%
818 households
Part of a converted or shared house, including bedsits10.8%
457 households
Semi-detached5.2%
218 households
In a commercial building, for example, in an office building, hotel or over a shop1.3%
54 households
Detached1.2%
51 households
Part of another converted building, for example, former school, church or warehouse1.2%
49 households
A caravan or other mobile or temporary structure0.1%
4 households
Somers Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Car or van availability

No cars or vans in household52.1%
2,203 households
1 car or van in household34.6%
1,461 households
2 cars or vans in household10.7%
451 households
3 or more cars or vans in household2.6%
111 households
Somers Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Number of bedrooms

1 bedroom31.1%
1,313 households
2 bedrooms27%
1,143 households
3 bedrooms25.8%
1,092 households
4 or more bedrooms16%
678 households
Somers Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household composition

Single family household42.8%
1,810 households
One-person household38.4%
1,624 households
Other household types18.7%
791 households
Somers Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household size

1 person in household38.4%
1,624 households
2 people in household23.7%
1,002 households
3 people in household12.6%
532 households
4 people in household11.3%
479 households
5 people in household7.4%
312 households
6 people in household4.1%
174 households
7 people in household1.8%
77 households
8 or more people in household0.6%
26 households
0 people in household0%
0 households
Somers Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Age

Under 1516.9%
1,844 residents
15–2939.3%
4,293 residents
30–4416.9%
1,844 residents
45–6416.1%
1,755 residents
65 and over11%
1,198 residents
Somers Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Ethnic group

White69.2%
7,573 residents
Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh15.9%
1,739 residents
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African6.8%
740 residents
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups4.1%
443 residents
Other ethnic group4%
441 residents
Somers Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Highest qualification

Level 3 qualifications32.2%
2,892 residents aged 16 and over
Level 4 qualifications or above25.3%
2,276 residents aged 16 and over
No qualifications17.8%
1,600 residents aged 16 and over
Level 2 qualifications9.9%
893 residents aged 16 and over
Level 1 and entry level qualifications8.3%
743 residents aged 16 and over
Apprenticeship3.5%
318 residents aged 16 and over
Other qualifications2.9%
258 residents aged 16 and over
Somers Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Economic activity

Economically inactive53%
4,755 residents aged 16 and over
Economically active (excluding full-time students)36.5%
3,278 residents aged 16 and over
Economically active and a full-time student10.5%
946 residents aged 16 and over
Somers Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Occupational class (NS-SeC)

L15 Full-time students34.2%
3,069 residents aged 16 and over
L13 Routine occupations11.4%
1,027 residents aged 16 and over
L14.1 and L14.2 Never worked and long-term unemployed11.2%
1,006 residents aged 16 and over
L4, L5 and L6 Lower managerial, administrative and professional occupations10.6%
951 residents aged 16 and over
L12 Semi-routine occupations10%
902 residents aged 16 and over
L7 Intermediate occupations6.9%
622 residents aged 16 and over
L8 and L9 Small employers and own account workers5.9%
531 residents aged 16 and over
L1, L2 and L3 Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations5%
451 residents aged 16 and over
L10 and L11 Lower supervisory and technical occupations4.7%
422 residents aged 16 and over
Somers Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

General health

Very good health46.6%
5,098 residents
Good health33.3%
3,639 residents
Fair health13.6%
1,483 residents
Bad health5.1%
557 residents
Very bad health1.5%
160 residents
Somers Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Disability

Not disabled under the Equality Act79.6%
8,704 residents
Disabled under the Equality Act20.4%
2,233 residents
Somers Town · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household deprivation

Household is not deprived in any dimension34.7%
1,465 households
Household is deprived in one dimension34.1%
1,442 households
Household is deprived in two dimensions23.1%
976 households
Household is deprived in three dimensions7.4%
313 households
Household is deprived in four dimensions0.7%
30 households
Somers 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 Portsmouth

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.