Place CheckerOfficial local evidence

Census 2021 neighbourhood · E02005947

Oxford Central

Oxford Central is a Census neighbourhood of about 18,475 residents in Oxford. This is a statistical area, not an administrative boundary or a postcode district.

18,475

Usual residents

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

2,477

Households

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

5,233.3

Residents per km²

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

27.0%

Households owning their home

ONS Census 2021 · tenure

54.6%

Households with no car or van

ONS Census 2021 · car availability

40.7%

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.

Central & West Cambridge, Cambridge16,246 residents · 42.7% owned · 42.3% no carEddington & Castle, Cambridge12,981 residents · 43.4% owned · 40.2% no carNewcastle City Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne10,250 residents · 14.1% owned · 66.4% no carUniversity & Brandon Hill, Bristol, City of8,536 residents · 21.7% owned · 53.8% no carEdgbaston South & University, Birmingham10,274 residents · 55.3% owned · 25.7% no carThe Park & Castle, Nottingham9,671 residents · 32.1% owned · 36.6% no car

Census 2021 · Census neighbourhood (MSOA)

Life in Oxford Central

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

Tenure

Private rented52.6%
1,304 households
Owned27%
669 households
Social rented19%
471 households
Shared ownership1.2%
30 households
Lives rent free0.1%
3 households
Oxford Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Accommodation type

In a purpose-built block of flats or tenement47%
1,164 households
Terraced24.9%
615 households
Semi-detached8.6%
212 households
Part of a converted or shared house, including bedsits8.4%
208 households
Detached4.5%
111 households
Part of another converted building, for example, former school, church or warehouse3.6%
90 households
In a commercial building, for example, in an office building, hotel or over a shop2.8%
69 households
A caravan or other mobile or temporary structure0.2%
5 households
Oxford Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Car or van availability

No cars or vans in household54.6%
1,353 households
1 car or van in household35.2%
871 households
2 cars or vans in household8.4%
209 households
3 or more cars or vans in household1.8%
44 households
Oxford Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Number of bedrooms

2 bedrooms34.9%
864 households
1 bedroom29.9%
741 households
4 or more bedrooms18.6%
462 households
3 bedrooms16.6%
411 households
Oxford Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household composition

Single family household42.9%
1,062 households
One-person household41.2%
1,021 households
Other household types15.9%
394 households
Oxford Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household size

1 person in household41.2%
1,021 households
2 people in household33.6%
832 households
3 people in household11.5%
285 households
4 people in household10.4%
257 households
5 people in household2.2%
54 households
6 people in household0.5%
13 households
7 people in household0.4%
11 households
8 or more people in household0.2%
4 households
0 people in household0%
0 households
Oxford Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Age

Under 154.1%
753 residents
15–2975.1%
13,874 residents
30–4410.1%
1,869 residents
45–646.8%
1,251 residents
65 and over4%
731 residents
Oxford Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Ethnic group

White71.6%
13,227 residents
Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh16.2%
2,992 residents
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups7%
1,294 residents
Other ethnic group2.7%
497 residents
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African2.5%
466 residents
Oxford Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Highest qualification

Level 3 qualifications52.5%
9,283 residents aged 16 and over
Level 4 qualifications or above40.7%
7,200 residents aged 16 and over
No qualifications2.1%
380 residents aged 16 and over
Level 2 qualifications1.9%
336 residents aged 16 and over
Other qualifications1.6%
285 residents aged 16 and over
Level 1 and entry level qualifications0.8%
149 residents aged 16 and over
Apprenticeship0.3%
45 residents aged 16 and over
Oxford Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Economic activity

Economically inactive74.5%
13,178 residents aged 16 and over
Economically active (excluding full-time students)15.7%
2,770 residents aged 16 and over
Economically active and a full-time student9.8%
1,730 residents aged 16 and over
Oxford Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Occupational class (NS-SeC)

L15 Full-time students78.4%
13,857 residents aged 16 and over
L1, L2 and L3 Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations9.2%
1,630 residents aged 16 and over
L4, L5 and L6 Lower managerial, administrative and professional occupations4.7%
824 residents aged 16 and over
L14.1 and L14.2 Never worked and long-term unemployed1.6%
277 residents aged 16 and over
L8 and L9 Small employers and own account workers1.5%
268 residents aged 16 and over
L7 Intermediate occupations1.4%
248 residents aged 16 and over
L12 Semi-routine occupations1.4%
246 residents aged 16 and over
L13 Routine occupations1.3%
226 residents aged 16 and over
L10 and L11 Lower supervisory and technical occupations0.6%
100 residents aged 16 and over
Oxford Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

General health

Very good health61.7%
11,395 residents
Good health30.8%
5,698 residents
Fair health6.1%
1,133 residents
Bad health1.2%
221 residents
Very bad health0.2%
28 residents
Oxford Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Disability

Not disabled under the Equality Act86.1%
15,906 residents
Disabled under the Equality Act13.9%
2,569 residents
Oxford Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household deprivation

Household is not deprived in any dimension58.7%
1,455 households
Household is deprived in one dimension29.8%
738 households
Household is deprived in two dimensions8.9%
220 households
Household is deprived in three dimensions2.4%
60 households
Household is deprived in four dimensions0.2%
4 households
Oxford Central · 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 Oxford

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.