Place CheckerOfficial local evidence

Census 2021 neighbourhood · E02006596

Southwater

Southwater is a Census neighbourhood of about 9,363 residents in Horsham. This is a statistical area, not an administrative boundary or a postcode district.

9,363

Usual residents

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

3,775

Households

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

2,437.6

Residents per km²

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

78.9%

Households owning their home

ONS Census 2021 · tenure

7.6%

Households with no car or van

ONS Census 2021 · car availability

31.8%

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.

Cove & Southwood, Rushmoor8,034 residents · 76.0% owned · 7.8% no carFair Oak, Eastleigh11,531 residents · 82.8% owned · 7.7% no carBroughton Astley, Harborough9,651 residents · 80.2% owned · 7.2% no carTongham, Guildford7,211 residents · 78.5% owned · 8.0% no carThatcham North East, West Berkshire6,919 residents · 76.5% owned · 10.1% no carFrimley Green, Surrey Heath5,542 residents · 80.6% owned · 7.1% no car

Most similar within Horsham

The closest matches in the same local authority.

Littlehaven, Horsham11,343 residents · 81.1% owned · 7.9% no car

Census 2021 · Census neighbourhood (MSOA)

Life in Southwater

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

Tenure

Owned78.9%
2,978 households
Social rented9.2%
346 households
Private rented8.7%
327 households
Shared ownership3.2%
122 households
Lives rent free0.1%
2 households
Southwater · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Accommodation type

Detached41.8%
1,577 households
Semi-detached25.9%
977 households
Terraced19%
718 households
In a purpose-built block of flats or tenement10.9%
410 households
A caravan or other mobile or temporary structure1.8%
69 households
In a commercial building, for example, in an office building, hotel or over a shop0.3%
11 households
Part of a converted or shared house, including bedsits0.3%
11 households
Part of another converted building, for example, former school, church or warehouse0.1%
2 households
Southwater · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Car or van availability

2 cars or vans in household41.2%
1,554 households
1 car or van in household34.4%
1,297 households
3 or more cars or vans in household16.9%
638 households
No cars or vans in household7.6%
286 households
Southwater · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Number of bedrooms

3 bedrooms35.1%
1,324 households
4 or more bedrooms34.7%
1,310 households
2 bedrooms22.4%
845 households
1 bedroom7.8%
295 households
Southwater · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household composition

Single family household73.1%
2,761 households
One-person household24%
906 households
Other household types2.9%
109 households
Southwater · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household size

2 people in household34.6%
1,306 households
1 person in household24%
906 households
3 people in household17.9%
676 households
4 people in household17.7%
669 households
5 people in household4.8%
180 households
6 people in household0.8%
29 households
7 people in household0.1%
5 households
8 or more people in household0.1%
4 households
0 people in household0%
0 households
Southwater · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Age

Under 1518.2%
1,706 residents
15–2916%
1,499 residents
30–4418.8%
1,756 residents
45–6430.3%
2,837 residents
65 and over16.7%
1,566 residents
Southwater · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Ethnic group

White95.7%
8,957 residents
Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh1.7%
160 residents
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups1.5%
143 residents
Other ethnic group0.6%
56 residents
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African0.5%
45 residents
Southwater · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Highest qualification

Level 4 qualifications or above31.8%
2,393 residents aged 16 and over
Level 3 qualifications21.4%
1,610 residents aged 16 and over
Level 2 qualifications18%
1,355 residents aged 16 and over
No qualifications11.1%
837 residents aged 16 and over
Level 1 and entry level qualifications10.7%
804 residents aged 16 and over
Apprenticeship4.8%
359 residents aged 16 and over
Other qualifications2.3%
176 residents aged 16 and over
Southwater · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Economic activity

Economically active (excluding full-time students)66.5%
5,011 residents aged 16 and over
Economically inactive31.2%
2,352 residents aged 16 and over
Economically active and a full-time student2.3%
170 residents aged 16 and over
Southwater · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Occupational class (NS-SeC)

L4, L5 and L6 Lower managerial, administrative and professional occupations24.4%
1,840 residents aged 16 and over
L1, L2 and L3 Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations17.1%
1,288 residents aged 16 and over
L7 Intermediate occupations14.5%
1,089 residents aged 16 and over
L8 and L9 Small employers and own account workers11.6%
872 residents aged 16 and over
L12 Semi-routine occupations11%
829 residents aged 16 and over
L13 Routine occupations7.7%
581 residents aged 16 and over
L15 Full-time students5.3%
396 residents aged 16 and over
L10 and L11 Lower supervisory and technical occupations5.1%
387 residents aged 16 and over
L14.1 and L14.2 Never worked and long-term unemployed3.4%
253 residents aged 16 and over
Southwater · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

General health

Very good health53.2%
4,985 residents
Good health34.2%
3,206 residents
Fair health9.5%
890 residents
Bad health2.4%
222 residents
Very bad health0.6%
60 residents
Southwater · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Disability

Not disabled under the Equality Act87.5%
8,197 residents
Disabled under the Equality Act12.5%
1,168 residents
Southwater · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household deprivation

Household is not deprived in any dimension59.4%
2,243 households
Household is deprived in one dimension30.3%
1,143 households
Household is deprived in two dimensions9%
338 households
Household is deprived in three dimensions1.2%
47 households
Household is deprived in four dimensions0.1%
5 households
Southwater · 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 Horsham

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.