Place CheckerOfficial local evidence

Census 2021 neighbourhood · E02004933

Bernards Heath

Bernards Heath is a Census neighbourhood of about 6,943 residents in St Albans. This is a statistical area, not an administrative boundary or a postcode district.

6,943

Usual residents

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

2,529

Households

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

3,701.7

Residents per km²

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

84.5%

Households owning their home

ONS Census 2021 · tenure

8.5%

Households with no car or van

ONS Census 2021 · car availability

66.9%

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.

Hinchley Wood & Weston Green, Elmbridge9,173 residents · 85.4% owned · 7.6% no carHale, Trafford8,153 residents · 81.7% owned · 8.7% no carCaversham Heights, Reading7,752 residents · 90.2% owned · 7.5% no carThames Ditton, Elmbridge6,608 residents · 78.2% owned · 9.4% no carChorleywood, Three Rivers5,710 residents · 79.3% owned · 9.4% no carClaygate, Elmbridge7,263 residents · 80.2% owned · 9.3% no car

Most similar within St Albans

The closest matches in the same local authority.

Harpenden North, St Albans7,730 residents · 80.8% owned · 9.4% no carHarpenden Common, St Albans6,871 residents · 86.0% owned · 7.0% no car

Census 2021 · Census neighbourhood (MSOA)

Life in Bernards Heath

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

Tenure

Owned84.5%
2,136 households
Private rented11.6%
294 households
Social rented3.9%
98 households
Shared ownership0%
1 households
Lives rent free0%
0 households
Bernards Heath · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Accommodation type

Detached40.9%
1,036 households
Semi-detached29.9%
757 households
Terraced19.4%
491 households
In a purpose-built block of flats or tenement7.6%
193 households
Part of a converted or shared house, including bedsits1.3%
34 households
Part of another converted building, for example, former school, church or warehouse0.4%
11 households
In a commercial building, for example, in an office building, hotel or over a shop0.4%
10 households
A caravan or other mobile or temporary structure0%
0 households
Bernards Heath · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Car or van availability

1 car or van in household42.2%
1,067 households
2 cars or vans in household37.5%
949 households
3 or more cars or vans in household11.9%
301 households
No cars or vans in household8.5%
214 households
Bernards Heath · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Number of bedrooms

4 or more bedrooms53.5%
1,355 households
3 bedrooms27.7%
700 households
2 bedrooms15%
380 households
1 bedroom3.8%
96 households
Bernards Heath · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household composition

Single family household78.8%
1,992 households
One-person household17.4%
440 households
Other household types3.8%
97 households
Bernards Heath · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household size

2 people in household32.8%
831 households
4 people in household23.3%
590 households
3 people in household18.2%
461 households
1 person in household17.4%
440 households
5 people in household7.2%
181 households
6 people in household0.9%
24 households
7 people in household0.1%
2 households
8 or more people in household0.1%
2 households
0 people in household0%
0 households
Bernards Heath · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Age

Under 1521.9%
1,522 residents
15–2913.7%
953 residents
30–4418.5%
1,286 residents
45–6429.4%
2,043 residents
65 and over16.4%
1,137 residents
Bernards Heath · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Ethnic group

White86.7%
6,021 residents
Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh6.7%
463 residents
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups4.5%
313 residents
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African1.1%
74 residents
Other ethnic group1.1%
73 residents
Bernards Heath · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Highest qualification

Level 4 qualifications or above66.9%
3,548 residents aged 16 and over
Level 3 qualifications10.1%
534 residents aged 16 and over
Level 2 qualifications9.8%
517 residents aged 16 and over
No qualifications5%
265 residents aged 16 and over
Level 1 and entry level qualifications4.7%
247 residents aged 16 and over
Apprenticeship2.1%
109 residents aged 16 and over
Other qualifications1.5%
80 residents aged 16 and over
Bernards Heath · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Economic activity

Economically active (excluding full-time students)63.9%
3,387 residents aged 16 and over
Economically inactive34.6%
1,833 residents aged 16 and over
Economically active and a full-time student1.5%
80 residents aged 16 and over
Bernards Heath · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Occupational class (NS-SeC)

L1, L2 and L3 Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations33.8%
1,790 residents aged 16 and over
L4, L5 and L6 Lower managerial, administrative and professional occupations27.6%
1,460 residents aged 16 and over
L7 Intermediate occupations10.2%
539 residents aged 16 and over
L8 and L9 Small employers and own account workers9.3%
495 residents aged 16 and over
L15 Full-time students7.2%
381 residents aged 16 and over
L12 Semi-routine occupations3.8%
203 residents aged 16 and over
L13 Routine occupations3.4%
180 residents aged 16 and over
L14.1 and L14.2 Never worked and long-term unemployed3.1%
166 residents aged 16 and over
L10 and L11 Lower supervisory and technical occupations1.6%
85 residents aged 16 and over
Bernards Heath · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

General health

Very good health63.4%
4,405 residents
Good health28%
1,942 residents
Fair health7%
483 residents
Bad health1.3%
89 residents
Very bad health0.3%
24 residents
Bernards Heath · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Disability

Not disabled under the Equality Act90.3%
6,269 residents
Disabled under the Equality Act9.7%
674 residents
Bernards Heath · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household deprivation

Household is not deprived in any dimension69.9%
1,768 households
Household is deprived in one dimension24.8%
627 households
Household is deprived in two dimensions4.5%
114 households
Household is deprived in three dimensions0.8%
20 households
Household is deprived in four dimensions0.1%
2 households
Bernards Heath · 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 St Albans

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.