Place CheckerOfficial local evidence

Census 2021 neighbourhood · E02007116

Cowley North

Cowley North is a Census neighbourhood of about 8,178 residents in Oxford. This is a statistical area, not an administrative boundary or a postcode district.

8,178

Usual residents

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

2,752

Households

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

4,637.9

Residents per km²

ONS Census 2021 · MSOA

37.9%

Households owning their home

ONS Census 2021 · tenure

32.9%

Households with no car or van

ONS Census 2021 · car availability

47.3%

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.

Palmer Park, Reading11,531 residents · 34.4% owned · 38.2% no carSouthampton Street & Redlands Road, Reading10,708 residents · 36.6% owned · 38.4% no carColeridge, Cambridge10,823 residents · 44.1% owned · 34.9% no carLeamington East & Sydenham, Warwick11,244 residents · 50.1% owned · 25.0% no carRomsey, Cambridge10,189 residents · 44.2% owned · 37.8% no carLeamington Brunswick, Warwick10,330 residents · 35.3% owned · 34.3% no car

Most similar within Oxford

The closest matches in the same local authority.

Iffley Fields, Oxford6,017 residents · 45.2% owned · 33.7% no carLye Valley & Cowley East, Oxford8,441 residents · 49.0% owned · 24.4% no carCowley South & Iffley, Oxford10,482 residents · 56.8% owned · 27.6% no carChurchill, Oxford7,621 residents · 28.6% owned · 38.1% no car

Census 2021 · Census neighbourhood (MSOA)

Life in Cowley North

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

Tenure

Private rented39.9%
1,099 households
Owned37.9%
1,044 households
Social rented18.5%
510 households
Shared ownership3.4%
94 households
Lives rent free0.2%
5 households
Cowley North · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Accommodation type

In a purpose-built block of flats or tenement30.6%
843 households
Semi-detached28.1%
774 households
Terraced27.5%
756 households
Detached6.1%
169 households
Part of a converted or shared house, including bedsits4.9%
135 households
Part of another converted building, for example, former school, church or warehouse1.7%
46 households
In a commercial building, for example, in an office building, hotel or over a shop1%
28 households
A caravan or other mobile or temporary structure0%
1 households
Cowley North · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Car or van availability

1 car or van in household45.6%
1,255 households
No cars or vans in household32.9%
906 households
2 cars or vans in household14.8%
408 households
3 or more cars or vans in household6.6%
181 households
Cowley North · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Number of bedrooms

2 bedrooms35.6%
978 households
3 bedrooms25.4%
699 households
4 or more bedrooms22.8%
626 households
1 bedroom16.3%
448 households
Cowley North · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household composition

Single family household49.9%
1,374 households
One-person household27.1%
747 households
Other household types23%
633 households
Cowley North · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household size

2 people in household32.2%
887 households
1 person in household27.2%
748 households
3 people in household15.1%
415 households
4 people in household11.1%
306 households
5 people in household5.8%
159 households
6 people in household3.3%
91 households
8 or more people in household2.9%
80 households
7 people in household2.4%
67 households
0 people in household0%
0 households
Cowley North · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Age

Under 1514.1%
1,154 residents
15–2931%
2,534 residents
30–4428.9%
2,362 residents
45–6418.6%
1,522 residents
65 and over7.4%
603 residents
Cowley North · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Ethnic group

White61.7%
5,045 residents
Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh24.5%
2,008 residents
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups5.2%
422 residents
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African4.4%
362 residents
Other ethnic group4.2%
345 residents
Cowley North · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Highest qualification

Level 4 qualifications or above47.3%
3,293 residents aged 16 and over
Level 3 qualifications16.9%
1,177 residents aged 16 and over
No qualifications15.6%
1,089 residents aged 16 and over
Level 2 qualifications8.1%
564 residents aged 16 and over
Level 1 and entry level qualifications6.3%
439 residents aged 16 and over
Apprenticeship3.1%
216 residents aged 16 and over
Other qualifications2.7%
191 residents aged 16 and over
Cowley North · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Economic activity

Economically active (excluding full-time students)58.2%
4,053 residents aged 16 and over
Economically inactive36.5%
2,545 residents aged 16 and over
Economically active and a full-time student5.3%
371 residents aged 16 and over
Cowley North · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Occupational class (NS-SeC)

L15 Full-time students18.4%
1,283 residents aged 16 and over
L1, L2 and L3 Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations16.6%
1,160 residents aged 16 and over
L4, L5 and L6 Lower managerial, administrative and professional occupations16.5%
1,148 residents aged 16 and over
L13 Routine occupations10.6%
736 residents aged 16 and over
L14.1 and L14.2 Never worked and long-term unemployed10.3%
720 residents aged 16 and over
L12 Semi-routine occupations9.1%
634 residents aged 16 and over
L7 Intermediate occupations7.9%
551 residents aged 16 and over
L8 and L9 Small employers and own account workers6.1%
425 residents aged 16 and over
L10 and L11 Lower supervisory and technical occupations4.5%
312 residents aged 16 and over
Cowley North · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

General health

Very good health51.8%
4,240 residents
Good health33.5%
2,742 residents
Fair health10.6%
863 residents
Bad health3.1%
255 residents
Very bad health1%
78 residents
Cowley North · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Disability

Not disabled under the Equality Act86.9%
7,110 residents
Disabled under the Equality Act13.1%
1,068 residents
Cowley North · Census neighbourhood (MSOA) · ONS Census 2021

Household deprivation

Household is not deprived in any dimension50.1%
1,379 households
Household is deprived in one dimension33%
907 households
Household is deprived in two dimensions12.8%
352 households
Household is deprived in three dimensions4%
111 households
Household is deprived in four dimensions0.1%
3 households
Cowley North · 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.