E63007220 /North East evidence profile
North East evidence profile
Sunderland digital planning profile
Sunderland is a large, coastal built-up area in North East. ONS records show a 2021 population of 167,989; the population remained comparatively stable between 2001 and 2021, while the 2015 to 2024 employment series shows modest employment growth. This profile turns those public observations into a reviewable website-planning brief without claiming that the figures measure searches, leads or Mosalio's physical presence.
01 / Data snapshot
What the reviewed source records
- BUA24 code
- E63007220
- ITL1 region
- North East
- Coastal
- Coastal
- Income-deprivation flag
- Higher deprivation
02 / Context
Three comparisons, with the benchmark stated
15.6% below the 11.2% median across complete England records in this ONS file.
2.9% above the 0% dataset median.
26.3% below the 224.1% dataset median.
These medians use every complete England record accepted from the same ONS file. They are descriptive context, not targets, forecasts or a national demand model.
03 / Distinctive pattern
Where this record sits within 936 complete England profiles
Highest decile · percentile position 96.6 of 100.
Lowest decile · percentile position 4.5 of 100.
Lowest decile · percentile position 6.6 of 100.
These are the three values furthest from the middle percentile position for this record. A higher position means a higher published value, not a better outcome or evidence of search demand.
Evidence fingerprint: sha256:05edefcf431…246514761768
04 / Constrained peers
Three named comparisons from the same reviewed source
Each peer is selected from all 936complete England records using the documented eight-metric distance. Deltas are Sunderland minus the named peer; a plus sign means the value recorded for Sunderland is higher.
Regional peer
Gateshead · E63007200
North East. Nearest complete record in North East. ONS classification: Nearer - Higher deprivation - Working.
- 2021 population
- +53,164 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- -7.4 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +3.3 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- -5.3 pp
- 2023 median house price
- -£2,050
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- +12.7 pp
- Population aged under 25
- -0.5 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +1.8 pp
Classification peer
St Helens (St. Helens) · E63008434
North West. Nearest complete record outside North East with the same ONS combined classification. ONS classification: Nearer - Higher deprivation - Mixed.
- 2021 population
- +60,580 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- -9.3 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +3 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- +12.9 pp
- 2023 median house price
- -£11,050
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- -13.5 pp
- Population aged under 25
- -0.4 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +1.1 pp
National peer
Blackpool · E63007890
North West. Nearest remaining complete England record. ONS classification: Nearer - Higher deprivation - Working.
- 2021 population
- +18,902 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- -4.7 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +0.7 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- -5.2 pp
- 2023 median house price
- +£4,950
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- +27.5 pp
- Population aged under 25
- +0.9 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- -0.9 pp
05 / Evidence synthesis
Sunderland evidence synthesis: 2021 population, Population change, 2001 to 2021, 2023 median house price
Sunderland is recorded as a large, coastal, mixed built-up area, nearer to a major town or city. This classification sets a transparent frame for the three observations below; it is not a persona, a service-area promise or proof of local search demand. Each finding pairs one distinctive percentile measure with one independently selected peer and one explicit validation route.
Eight-metric evidence matrix
The matrix shows every measure used by the peer-distance method, not only the three most distinctive values. Direction describes the published value relative to the middle percentile position; it is not a positive or negative judgement.
Highest-to-lowest percentile order: 2021 population → Economic inactivity → Population aged under 25 → Employment change, 2015 to 2024 → Population aged 65 or over → House-price growth, 2001 to 2023 → 2023 median house price → Population change, 2001 to 2021.
Furthest-to-nearest distance from the middle percentile: 2021 population → Population change, 2001 to 2021 → 2023 median house price → Economic inactivity → House-price growth, 2001 to 2023 → Population aged 65 or over → Population aged under 25 → Employment change, 2015 to 2024.
Regional peer
2021 population: 167,989 · Gateshead delta +53,164 people
For 2021 population, the source reports 167,989 for Sunderland. That sits in the highest decile, 46.6 percentile points from the middle position. For a bounded comparison rather than a national average, Gateshead supplies the regional reference; Sunderland is +53,164 people from it on the displayed scale. A defensible brief can turn the pair into a verification task for content hierarchy and service-capacity assumptions, using task-frequency interviews and observed completion data before changing the information architecture. No user or market conclusion follows automatically; population size does not establish addressable demand.
Classification peer
Population change, 2001 to 2021: -4.4% · St Helens (St. Helens) delta -9.3 pp
Among the eight reviewed measures, population change, 2001 to 2021 stands out for Sunderland at -4.4%; its percentile position is 4.5 and its band is lowest decile. For a bounded comparison rather than a national average, St Helens (St. Helens) supplies the classification reference; Sunderland is -9.3 pp from it on the displayed scale. This evidence can narrow a discovery question around update cadence, ownership and change-ready content models, while dated user research and a documented content-review cycle supplies the user-level check the aggregate data cannot provide. It must not be over-read, because historic population change is neither a forecast nor a lead estimate.
National peer
2023 median house price: £139,950 · Blackpool delta +£4,950
For 2023 median house price, the source reports £139,950 for Sunderland. That sits in the lowest decile, 43.4 percentile points from the middle position. The constrained national comparison is Blackpool (E63007890). On this measure, Sunderland minus that record is +£4,950; the selection basis is nearest remaining complete england record. A defensible brief can turn the pair into a verification task for pricing clarity, qualification steps and expectation setting, using comprehension tests using the organisation's real offer and fees before changing the information architecture. It must not be over-read, because a median house price is not a household affordability measure.
Sunderland's evidence pattern combines the large, coastal, mixed built-up area, nearer to a major town or city frame with three percentile observations and peer-specific deltas. That combination can make discovery more precise, but it cannot establish what residents want or whether a service has local demand. Decisions should remain reversible until direct research or measured website behaviour confirms them.
06 / Evidence interpretation
Planning signals before design decisions
Population context: 167,989 people in 2021
Sunderland's recorded population changed from 175,808 in 2001 to 167,989 in 2021 (-4.4%). This historical direction can inform content governance and capacity planning, but it is not a forecast and does not establish demand for a particular service.
Audience context: 20% aged 65 or over
The 2021 age-group series records 29,160 people aged 0 to 15, 17,283 aged 16 to 24, 88,036 aged 25 to 64 and 33,539 aged 65 or over. Small differences from the headline population reflect the published source series; percentages here use the age-group total and should guide testing questions, not stereotypes.
Activity context: 45.2% economically inactive
ONS records economic inactivity at 45.2%. The published composition includes 23.8% retired, 7.1% long-term sick or disabled, 5.2% students and 5.3% looking after home or family. These categories support inclusive task design; they do not identify individual users or purchasing intent.
Economic context: £139,950 median house price in 2023
The median house-price series moved from £47,000 in 2001 to £140,000 in 2021 and £139,950 in 2023, a published change of +197.8%. It is contextual evidence only—not a current affordability, revenue or customer-value estimate.
07 / Independent question set
Questions this evidence cannot answer on its own
These questions convert the profile-specific observations into falsifiable discovery work. They are not recommendations to create a service, location or page, and each needs direct user or behavioural evidence before it changes a website brief.
- 01
Where should the team record uncertainty when using Sunderland's 2021 population value and the Gateshead comparison to discuss content hierarchy and service-capacity assumptions?
The prompt combines one distinctive metric with the named regional comparator selected by the eight-metric method. It does not treat either record as search, lead or customer evidence.
- 02
How should a prototype test update cadence, ownership and change-ready content models without assuming that Sunderland's percentile 4.5 position predicts an individual user's needs?
The prompt combines one distinctive metric with the named classification comparator selected by the eight-metric method. It does not treat either record as search, lead or customer evidence.
- 03
How should a prototype test pricing clarity, qualification steps and expectation setting without assuming that Sunderland's percentile 6.6 position predicts an individual user's needs?
The prompt combines one distinctive metric with the named national comparator selected by the eight-metric method. It does not treat either record as search, lead or customer evidence.
- 04
For Sunderland's large, coastal, mixed built-up area, nearer to a major town or city classification, how should 2021 population, population change, 2001 to 2021, 2023 median house price be tested as separate website hypotheses without turning the combined pattern into a claim about local demand?
Cross-check all three named comparisons—Gateshead, St Helens (St. Helens), Blackpool—and define a user-research or behavioural measure for each question before changing navigation, page scope or conversion paths. The observations share one source but do not demonstrate causation.
08 / Practical brief
Website-planning recommendations for this evidence pattern
- 01
Design for mixed local intent
Sunderland has a mixed job-density classification. The information architecture should distinguish business, resident and visitor tasks where the organisation actually serves them, while sharing one evidence library so claims remain consistent across journeys.
- 02
Differentiate from the nearby major centre
Sunderland is nearer to a major town or city. Use specific offer boundaries, proof and response expectations to explain why the organisation is relevant; do not rely on a place-name heading or create a doorway that simply redirects users to a national service page.
- 03
Build a broad, task-led accessibility baseline
52.4% of the recorded 2021 age-group total is aged 25 to 64, with meaningful younger and older groups also present. Organise content by task, test keyboard and mobile use, and avoid designing around one assumed demographic persona.
- 04
Prioritise clarity before catalogue expansion
Sunderland recorded -4.4% population change from 2001 to 2021 and +2.9% employment change from 2015 to 2024. Start with the few journeys that can be maintained well, instrument meaningful outcomes and expand only when verified questions or search data show a separate need.
09 / Method and limits
What this profile can—and cannot—support
This is a Mosalio editorial interpretation of the ONS May 2026 dataset for BUA24 code E63007220. The source periods differ by metric; values are historical, not live. The profile deliberately excludes ONS experimental visitor-to-resident fields and makes no claim about search volume, rankings, customers, a Mosalio office or physical delivery in Sunderland.
Mosalio does not claim an office, staff member, customer, or physical-delivery presence in Sunderland.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Understanding towns in England and Wales, investigating socioeconomic trends, released . This Mosalio interpretation was first published on and last reviewed on .
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
How this page was made: Mosalio applies one documented, deterministic transform to the validated ONS record, calculates the displayed comparisons, and renders the result from source-controlled data. It is an automated public-data resource, not individually commissioned local market research. A portfolio-level editorial-value review checks every profile's source identity, distinctive metrics, peer evidence, synthesis and planning questions before index eligibility can be enabled.
Analysis basis: Midrank percentile across all accepted England records; a higher percentile means a higher published value, not a better outcome. Root-mean-square Euclidean distance across eight clipped robust z-scores; population and 2023 house price are log-transformed before median/MAD scaling.