Place CheckerOfficial local evidence

Census 2021 neighbourhood · E02004921

Hitchin Highbury

Hitchin Highbury is a Census neighbourhood of about 7,868 residents in North Hertfordshire. This is a statistical area, not an administrative boundary or a postcode district.

7,868

Usual residents

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

3,307

Households

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

4,303.7

Residents per km²

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

74.3%

Households owning their home

ONS Census 2021 · tenure

14.3%

Households with no car or van

ONS Census 2021 · car availability

52.5%

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.

Caversham Balmore Park, Reading8,588 residents · 77.0% owned · 16.4% no carSale East, Trafford8,024 residents · 78.9% owned · 14.5% no carHeaton Mersey, Stockport7,905 residents · 79.6% owned · 13.8% no carRickmansworth West, Three Rivers9,025 residents · 67.8% owned · 13.8% no carBuckhurst Hill, Epping Forest11,752 residents · 72.2% owned · 15.6% no carAbbey Field, Colchester8,081 residents · 63.9% owned · 16.5% no car

Census 2021 · Census neighbourhood (MSOA)

Life in Hitchin Highbury

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

Tenure

Owned74.3%
2,456 households
Private rented18%
595 households
Social rented7.5%
247 households
Shared ownership0.3%
9 households
Lives rent free0%
0 households
Hitchin Highbury · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Accommodation type

Semi-detached37.6%
1,244 households
Detached23.5%
776 households
In a purpose-built block of flats or tenement20.1%
666 households
Terraced15.7%
519 households
Part of a converted or shared house, including bedsits1.5%
51 households
Part of another converted building, for example, former school, church or warehouse0.8%
27 households
In a commercial building, for example, in an office building, hotel or over a shop0.6%
21 households
A caravan or other mobile or temporary structure0.1%
4 households
Hitchin Highbury · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Car or van availability

1 car or van in household47.6%
1,573 households
2 cars or vans in household29.7%
981 households
No cars or vans in household14.3%
473 households
3 or more cars or vans in household8.4%
279 households
Hitchin Highbury · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Number of bedrooms

3 bedrooms37.3%
1,234 households
4 or more bedrooms28.8%
952 households
2 bedrooms24.3%
805 households
1 bedroom9.6%
317 households
Hitchin Highbury · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household composition

Single family household66.7%
2,207 households
One-person household29.7%
982 households
Other household types3.6%
119 households
Hitchin Highbury · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household size

2 people in household32.8%
1,084 households
1 person in household29.7%
982 households
4 people in household17.1%
565 households
3 people in household15.5%
514 households
5 people in household4%
132 households
6 people in household0.7%
23 households
7 people in household0.2%
5 households
8 or more people in household0.1%
3 households
0 people in household0%
0 households
Hitchin Highbury · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Age

Under 1519.3%
1,518 residents
15–2913.6%
1,074 residents
30–4421.4%
1,685 residents
45–6426.8%
2,110 residents
65 and over18.8%
1,482 residents
Hitchin Highbury · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Ethnic group

White84.4%
6,642 residents
Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh7.6%
598 residents
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups4.3%
339 residents
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African2.1%
165 residents
Other ethnic group1.6%
126 residents
Hitchin Highbury · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Highest qualification

Level 4 qualifications or above52.5%
3,289 residents aged 16 and over
Level 3 qualifications13.7%
857 residents aged 16 and over
Level 2 qualifications11.8%
739 residents aged 16 and over
No qualifications9.8%
615 residents aged 16 and over
Level 1 and entry level qualifications6.7%
421 residents aged 16 and over
Apprenticeship3.8%
236 residents aged 16 and over
Other qualifications1.6%
102 residents aged 16 and over
Hitchin Highbury · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Economic activity

Economically active (excluding full-time students)64.7%
4,050 residents aged 16 and over
Economically inactive33.8%
2,113 residents aged 16 and over
Economically active and a full-time student1.5%
95 residents aged 16 and over
Hitchin Highbury · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Occupational class (NS-SeC)

L4, L5 and L6 Lower managerial, administrative and professional occupations27.8%
1,737 residents aged 16 and over
L1, L2 and L3 Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations25.8%
1,614 residents aged 16 and over
L7 Intermediate occupations11.5%
719 residents aged 16 and over
L8 and L9 Small employers and own account workers8.8%
548 residents aged 16 and over
L12 Semi-routine occupations7.8%
485 residents aged 16 and over
L13 Routine occupations5.8%
362 residents aged 16 and over
L15 Full-time students5.4%
337 residents aged 16 and over
L14.1 and L14.2 Never worked and long-term unemployed3.9%
246 residents aged 16 and over
L10 and L11 Lower supervisory and technical occupations3.3%
209 residents aged 16 and over
Hitchin Highbury · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

General health

Very good health56%
4,408 residents
Good health31.6%
2,483 residents
Fair health9.9%
781 residents
Bad health2%
158 residents
Very bad health0.5%
37 residents
Hitchin Highbury · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Disability

Not disabled under the Equality Act86.4%
6,797 residents
Disabled under the Equality Act13.6%
1,072 residents
Hitchin Highbury · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household deprivation

Household is not deprived in any dimension61.6%
2,039 households
Household is deprived in one dimension29.2%
968 households
Household is deprived in two dimensions7.5%
248 households
Household is deprived in three dimensions1.5%
49 households
Household is deprived in four dimensions0.2%
6 households
Hitchin Highbury · 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 North Hertfordshire

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.