What does my postcode actually tell me about deprivation?

Postcodes and statistical areas

Postcodes in the United Kingdom were designed for delivering mail, not for statistics. They can change over time and they vary a lot in size. Some cover a handful of addresses, others cover many.

For deprivation statistics and other official data, the government uses a separate set of areas known as Lower-layer Super Output Areas. Each of these has a code and usually contains around 1,500 people.

To provide an IMD result for a postcode, tools first match the postcode to one of these statistical areas.

What the IMD result represents

Once your postcode has been linked to a Lower-layer Super Output Area, the tool can show the IMD rank, decile and other information for that area.

This means that:

• The result describes the neighbourhood that your postcode sits within
• It does not tell you whether a particular household is deprived
• Everyone in that area will see the same IMD result when they look up their postcode

Why the area name may look unfamiliar

When you look up a postcode you might see an area label that does not match the name you normally use for your town, village or estate. This is because statistical areas are created for analysis rather than for everyday identity.

Names are often based on a combination of nearby streets, landmarks or small localities. They are intended to be unique and stable, not necessarily familiar to residents.

Good practice when using postcode based IMD results

When working with IMD results based on postcodes, it helps to:

• Remember that results are about areas, not individuals
• Combine IMD with other information such as local intelligence or service data
• Avoid making strong claims about households based on an area score alone

Used carefully, postcode based IMD lookups are a powerful way to understand the wider context that people live in and to plan support at a neighbourhood level.