Place CheckerOfficial local evidence

Census 2021 neighbourhood · E02006278

Bury St Edmunds Central

Bury St Edmunds Central is a Census neighbourhood of about 8,377 residents in West Suffolk. This is a statistical area, not an administrative boundary or a postcode district.

8,377

Usual residents

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

4,525

Households

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

2,972.5

Residents per km²

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

45.7%

Households owning their home

ONS Census 2021 · tenure

25.5%

Households with no car or van

ONS Census 2021 · car availability

39.7%

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.

Salisbury Town North & Milford, Wiltshire6,156 residents · 55.8% owned · 26.4% no carCentral Chichester, Chichester8,907 residents · 51.5% owned · 29.8% no carTaunton Wilton, Somerset West and Taunton8,667 residents · 53.8% owned · 31.8% no carCentral Colchester, Colchester11,314 residents · 45.9% owned · 34.3% no carCentral Stafford, Stafford9,443 residents · 37.6% owned · 33.1% no carThorpe Hamlet & Mousehold South, Norwich5,562 residents · 40.5% owned · 33.5% no car

Census 2021 · Census neighbourhood (MSOA)

Life in Bury St Edmunds Central

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

Tenure

Owned45.7%
2,069 households
Private rented35%
1,583 households
Social rented17.9%
808 households
Shared ownership1.4%
63 households
Lives rent free0%
2 households
Bury St Edmunds Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Accommodation type

Terraced37.5%
1,695 households
In a purpose-built block of flats or tenement31.7%
1,433 households
Semi-detached16%
725 households
Detached8.2%
373 households
Part of a converted or shared house, including bedsits2.6%
119 households
In a commercial building, for example, in an office building, hotel or over a shop2.5%
113 households
Part of another converted building, for example, former school, church or warehouse1.4%
64 households
A caravan or other mobile or temporary structure0%
1 households
Bury St Edmunds Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Car or van availability

1 car or van in household50.1%
2,265 households
No cars or vans in household25.5%
1,153 households
2 cars or vans in household19.9%
900 households
3 or more cars or vans in household4.5%
205 households
Bury St Edmunds Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Number of bedrooms

2 bedrooms37.1%
1,679 households
3 bedrooms28.6%
1,295 households
1 bedroom20.9%
946 households
4 or more bedrooms13.3%
603 households
Bury St Edmunds Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household composition

One-person household47.9%
2,168 households
Single family household47.7%
2,158 households
Other household types4.4%
197 households
Bury St Edmunds Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household size

1 person in household47.9%
2,168 households
2 people in household33.6%
1,519 households
3 people in household9.8%
444 households
4 people in household6.5%
294 households
5 people in household1.6%
74 households
6 people in household0.4%
18 households
7 people in household0.1%
6 households
8 or more people in household0%
1 households
0 people in household0%
0 households
Bury St Edmunds Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Age

Under 1511.5%
963 residents
15–2921.8%
1,824 residents
30–4420.3%
1,697 residents
45–6425%
2,098 residents
65 and over21.4%
1,796 residents
Bury St Edmunds Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Ethnic group

White89.7%
7,514 residents
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups3.3%
276 residents
Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh3.2%
264 residents
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African2%
170 residents
Other ethnic group1.8%
154 residents
Bury St Edmunds Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Highest qualification

Level 4 qualifications or above39.7%
2,919 residents aged 16 and over
No qualifications16.9%
1,244 residents aged 16 and over
Level 3 qualifications14.1%
1,033 residents aged 16 and over
Level 2 qualifications12.1%
890 residents aged 16 and over
Level 1 and entry level qualifications8.8%
645 residents aged 16 and over
Apprenticeship4.8%
355 residents aged 16 and over
Other qualifications3.6%
266 residents aged 16 and over
Bury St Edmunds Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Economic activity

Economically active (excluding full-time students)60.8%
4,471 residents aged 16 and over
Economically inactive37.4%
2,747 residents aged 16 and over
Economically active and a full-time student1.8%
132 residents aged 16 and over
Bury St Edmunds Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Occupational class (NS-SeC)

L4, L5 and L6 Lower managerial, administrative and professional occupations24.6%
1,811 residents aged 16 and over
L1, L2 and L3 Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations15.6%
1,149 residents aged 16 and over
L7 Intermediate occupations11.6%
852 residents aged 16 and over
L12 Semi-routine occupations11.4%
836 residents aged 16 and over
L13 Routine occupations11.1%
815 residents aged 16 and over
L8 and L9 Small employers and own account workers9%
662 residents aged 16 and over
L14.1 and L14.2 Never worked and long-term unemployed6%
444 residents aged 16 and over
L15 Full-time students5.4%
397 residents aged 16 and over
L10 and L11 Lower supervisory and technical occupations5.2%
383 residents aged 16 and over
Bury St Edmunds Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

General health

Very good health46.8%
3,917 residents
Good health35.7%
2,990 residents
Fair health13.2%
1,107 residents
Bad health3.4%
289 residents
Very bad health0.9%
74 residents
Bury St Edmunds Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Disability

Not disabled under the Equality Act81.9%
6,858 residents
Disabled under the Equality Act18.1%
1,519 residents
Bury St Edmunds Central · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household deprivation

Household is not deprived in any dimension51.6%
2,335 households
Household is deprived in one dimension34%
1,535 households
Household is deprived in two dimensions11.3%
510 households
Household is deprived in three dimensions2.8%
126 households
Household is deprived in four dimensions0.3%
15 households
Bury St Edmunds 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 West Suffolk

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.