Place CheckerOfficial local evidence

Census 2021 neighbourhood · E02007021

Lye Valley & Cowley East

Lye Valley & Cowley East is a Census neighbourhood of about 8,441 residents in Oxford. This is a statistical area, not an administrative boundary or a postcode district.

8,441

Usual residents

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

2,674

Households

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

2,971.8

Residents per km²

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

49.0%

Households owning their home

ONS Census 2021 · tenure

24.4%

Households with no car or van

ONS Census 2021 · car availability

36.5%

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.

West Knighton, Leicester9,230 residents · 59.6% owned · 24.1% no carWithington East, Manchester8,604 residents · 49.2% owned · 27.8% no carNorbiton East, Kingston upon Thames8,636 residents · 48.9% owned · 27.3% no carUpper Horfield, Bristol, City of8,046 residents · 38.3% owned · 26.3% no carLeamington Brunswick, Warwick10,330 residents · 35.3% owned · 34.3% no carLevenshulme South & Burnage North, Manchester10,689 residents · 62.2% owned · 25.0% no car

Most similar within Oxford

The closest matches in the same local authority.

Churchill, Oxford7,621 residents · 28.6% owned · 38.1% no carMarston, Oxford7,332 residents · 60.0% owned · 23.2% no carCowley South & Iffley, Oxford10,482 residents · 56.8% owned · 27.6% no car

Census 2021 · Census neighbourhood (MSOA)

Life in Lye Valley & Cowley East

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

Tenure

Owned49%
1,311 households
Private rented31.9%
853 households
Social rented18.2%
486 households
Shared ownership0.7%
20 households
Lives rent free0.1%
4 households
Lye Valley & Cowley East · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Accommodation type

Semi-detached54.6%
1,459 households
In a purpose-built block of flats or tenement18.6%
497 households
Terraced13.9%
372 households
Detached7.1%
191 households
Part of a converted or shared house, including bedsits4.9%
130 households
In a commercial building, for example, in an office building, hotel or over a shop0.6%
16 households
Part of another converted building, for example, former school, church or warehouse0.3%
7 households
A caravan or other mobile or temporary structure0.1%
2 households
Lye Valley & Cowley East · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Car or van availability

1 car or van in household44.2%
1,181 households
No cars or vans in household24.4%
652 households
2 cars or vans in household23.5%
628 households
3 or more cars or vans in household8%
213 households
Lye Valley & Cowley East · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Number of bedrooms

3 bedrooms44.7%
1,197 households
4 or more bedrooms22.8%
609 households
2 bedrooms20.9%
559 households
1 bedroom11.6%
310 households
Lye Valley & Cowley East · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household composition

Single family household58.2%
1,556 households
One-person household24.1%
645 households
Other household types17.7%
473 households
Lye Valley & Cowley East · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household size

2 people in household28.6%
764 households
1 person in household24.1%
645 households
3 people in household18.3%
489 households
4 people in household15.2%
406 households
5 people in household7.5%
202 households
6 people in household3.3%
89 households
7 people in household2.1%
57 households
8 or more people in household0.9%
24 households
0 people in household0%
0 households
Lye Valley & Cowley East · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Age

Under 1515.6%
1,314 residents
15–2931.2%
2,632 residents
30–4423.9%
2,016 residents
45–6419.2%
1,619 residents
65 and over10.2%
857 residents
Lye Valley & Cowley East · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Ethnic group

White64.2%
5,422 residents
Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh19.4%
1,638 residents
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African6.3%
535 residents
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups5.8%
490 residents
Other ethnic group4.2%
355 residents
Lye Valley & Cowley East · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Highest qualification

Level 4 qualifications or above36.5%
2,568 residents aged 16 and over
Level 3 qualifications23.1%
1,625 residents aged 16 and over
No qualifications16.2%
1,138 residents aged 16 and over
Level 2 qualifications8.9%
628 residents aged 16 and over
Level 1 and entry level qualifications8.2%
579 residents aged 16 and over
Apprenticeship4.4%
307 residents aged 16 and over
Other qualifications2.8%
195 residents aged 16 and over
Lye Valley & Cowley East · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Economic activity

Economically active (excluding full-time students)56.2%
3,956 residents aged 16 and over
Economically inactive38.5%
2,713 residents aged 16 and over
Economically active and a full-time student5.2%
369 residents aged 16 and over
Lye Valley & Cowley East · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Occupational class (NS-SeC)

L15 Full-time students22.6%
1,591 residents aged 16 and over
L4, L5 and L6 Lower managerial, administrative and professional occupations17.1%
1,205 residents aged 16 and over
L13 Routine occupations11.8%
831 residents aged 16 and over
L1, L2 and L3 Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations11.7%
826 residents aged 16 and over
L12 Semi-routine occupations9.8%
691 residents aged 16 and over
L7 Intermediate occupations8.5%
596 residents aged 16 and over
L14.1 and L14.2 Never worked and long-term unemployed7%
493 residents aged 16 and over
L8 and L9 Small employers and own account workers6.8%
482 residents aged 16 and over
L10 and L11 Lower supervisory and technical occupations4.6%
325 residents aged 16 and over
Lye Valley & Cowley East · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

General health

Very good health52.7%
4,449 residents
Good health33.9%
2,858 residents
Fair health10.2%
857 residents
Bad health2.5%
212 residents
Very bad health0.7%
63 residents
Lye Valley & Cowley East · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Disability

Not disabled under the Equality Act85.8%
7,242 residents
Disabled under the Equality Act14.2%
1,199 residents
Lye Valley & Cowley East · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household deprivation

Household is not deprived in any dimension48.4%
1,294 households
Household is deprived in one dimension32%
855 households
Household is deprived in two dimensions14.7%
393 households
Household is deprived in three dimensions4.7%
125 households
Household is deprived in four dimensions0.3%
7 households
Lye Valley & Cowley East · 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.