Place CheckerOfficial local evidence

Census 2021 neighbourhood · E02003571

City Centre & The Polygon

City Centre & The Polygon is a Census neighbourhood of about 8,966 residents in Southampton. This is a statistical area, not an administrative boundary or a postcode district.

Area evidence brief for Southampton
8,966

Usual residents

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

3,215

Households

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

5,674

Residents per km²

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

23.1%

Households owning their home

ONS Census 2021 · tenure

46.4%

Households with no car or van

ONS Census 2021 · car availability

39.6%

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.

Lancaster Central, Lancaster9,086 residents · 35.9% owned · 46.9% no carSharrow, Sheffield9,579 residents · 20.6% owned · 49.0% no carChester City & Garden Quarter, Cheshire West and Chester10,245 residents · 40.5% owned · 35.7% no carWest End & Westcotes, Leicester13,815 residents · 25.0% owned · 47.2% no carPlasnewydd, Cardiff10,761 residents · 26.5% owned · 48.3% no carCentral Exeter, Exeter11,622 residents · 26.2% owned · 53.9% no car

Most similar within Southampton

The closest matches in the same local authority.

Bevois Town, Southampton6,759 residents · 24.8% owned · 38.0% no carSt Denys, Southampton7,923 residents · 33.8% owned · 33.8% no carSt Mary's, Southampton8,742 residents · 15.2% owned · 51.6% no car

Census 2021 · Census neighbourhood (MSOA)

Life in City Centre & The Polygon

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

Tenure

Private rented54%
1,735 households
Owned23.1%
744 households
Social rented21.2%
680 households
Shared ownership1.7%
54 households
Lives rent free0.1%
2 households
City Centre & The Polygon · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Accommodation type

In a purpose-built block of flats or tenement59.6%
1,915 households
Semi-detached13.2%
423 households
Terraced11.4%
367 households
Part of a converted or shared house, including bedsits7.7%
247 households
Detached3%
97 households
In a commercial building, for example, in an office building, hotel or over a shop2.6%
84 households
Part of another converted building, for example, former school, church or warehouse2.5%
79 households
A caravan or other mobile or temporary structure0.1%
3 households
City Centre & The Polygon · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Car or van availability

No cars or vans in household46.4%
1,492 households
1 car or van in household41.2%
1,324 households
2 cars or vans in household9.3%
300 households
3 or more cars or vans in household3.1%
99 households
City Centre & The Polygon · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Number of bedrooms

2 bedrooms36.8%
1,185 households
1 bedroom33.9%
1,091 households
4 or more bedrooms18.9%
609 households
3 bedrooms10.3%
331 households
City Centre & The Polygon · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household composition

One-person household39.9%
1,281 households
Single family household36.5%
1,172 households
Other household types23.6%
759 households
City Centre & The Polygon · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household size

1 person in household39.8%
1,281 households
2 people in household29%
934 households
3 people in household12.9%
415 households
4 people in household9.5%
306 households
5 people in household5.8%
187 households
6 people in household2.1%
68 households
7 people in household0.5%
16 households
8 or more people in household0.4%
12 households
0 people in household0%
0 households
City Centre & The Polygon · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Age

Under 157.8%
703 residents
15–2956.1%
5,033 residents
30–4418.2%
1,636 residents
45–6410.2%
918 residents
65 and over7.5%
676 residents
City Centre & The Polygon · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Ethnic group

White70.9%
6,353 residents
Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh16.7%
1,501 residents
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups4.7%
421 residents
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African4.4%
397 residents
Other ethnic group3.3%
294 residents
City Centre & The Polygon · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Highest qualification

Level 4 qualifications or above39.6%
3,258 residents aged 16 and over
Level 3 qualifications32.4%
2,671 residents aged 16 and over
No qualifications10.2%
844 residents aged 16 and over
Level 2 qualifications7.4%
611 residents aged 16 and over
Level 1 and entry level qualifications4.5%
370 residents aged 16 and over
Other qualifications3.1%
258 residents aged 16 and over
Apprenticeship2.7%
225 residents aged 16 and over
City Centre & The Polygon · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Economic activity

Economically inactive45.6%
3,755 residents aged 16 and over
Economically active (excluding full-time students)42.1%
3,472 residents aged 16 and over
Economically active and a full-time student12.3%
1,012 residents aged 16 and over
City Centre & The Polygon · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Occupational class (NS-SeC)

L15 Full-time students42.7%
3,518 residents aged 16 and over
L4, L5 and L6 Lower managerial, administrative and professional occupations12.5%
1,031 residents aged 16 and over
L13 Routine occupations9.2%
759 residents aged 16 and over
L1, L2 and L3 Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations8.6%
712 residents aged 16 and over
L12 Semi-routine occupations7.4%
609 residents aged 16 and over
L7 Intermediate occupations6.7%
553 residents aged 16 and over
L14.1 and L14.2 Never worked and long-term unemployed4.8%
398 residents aged 16 and over
L8 and L9 Small employers and own account workers4.8%
396 residents aged 16 and over
L10 and L11 Lower supervisory and technical occupations3.2%
261 residents aged 16 and over
City Centre & The Polygon · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

General health

Very good health50.6%
4,538 residents
Good health35.2%
3,160 residents
Fair health9.8%
881 residents
Bad health3.2%
286 residents
Very bad health1.1%
101 residents
City Centre & The Polygon · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Disability

Not disabled under the Equality Act84%
7,528 residents
Disabled under the Equality Act16%
1,438 residents
City Centre & The Polygon · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household deprivation

Household is not deprived in any dimension46.1%
1,482 households
Household is deprived in one dimension34.8%
1,119 households
Household is deprived in two dimensions14.9%
480 households
Household is deprived in three dimensions3.8%
123 households
Household is deprived in four dimensions0.4%
13 households
City Centre & The Polygon · 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 Southampton

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.