E63007408 /North East evidence profile
North East evidence profile
Middlesbrough digital planning profile
Middlesbrough is a large, non-coastal built-up area in North East. ONS records show a 2021 population of 147,862; 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
- E63007408
- ITL1 region
- North East
- Coastal
- Non-coastal
- Income-deprivation flag
- Higher deprivation
02 / Context
Three comparisons, with the benchmark stated
6.7% below the 11.2% median across complete England records in this ONS file.
6.6% above the 0% dataset median.
5.4% 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 95.9 of 100.
Highest decile · percentile position 91.4 of 100.
Lowest decile · percentile position 8.8 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: sha256:4ce46842f5b…f9c62342a09e
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 Middlesbrough minus the named peer; a plus sign means the value recorded for Middlesbrough is higher.
Regional peer
Hartlepool · E63007337
North East. Nearest complete record in North East. ONS classification: Nearer - Higher deprivation - Mixed.
- 2021 population
- +59,861 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- +2.3 pp
- Economic inactivity
- -0.1 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- +3.2 pp
- 2023 median house price
- +£14,475
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- +43.9 pp
- Population aged under 25
- +3.3 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- -2.7 pp
Classification peer
Rotherham · E63008458
Yorkshire and The Humber. Nearest complete record outside North East with the same ONS combined classification. ONS classification: Nearer - Higher deprivation - Working.
- 2021 population
- +77,101 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- +0.7 pp
- Economic inactivity
- 0 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- +9.4 pp
- 2023 median house price
- +£2,000
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- +7.5 pp
- Population aged under 25
- +0.9 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +0.4 pp
National peer
Huddersfield · E63008114
Yorkshire and The Humber. Nearest remaining complete England record. ONS classification: Nearer - Higher deprivation - Working.
- 2021 population
- +6,932 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- -8.4 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +2.9 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- +1.8 pp
- 2023 median house price
- -£20,000
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- -32.4 pp
- Population aged under 25
- 0 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +1.1 pp
05 / Evidence synthesis
Middlesbrough evidence synthesis: 2021 population, Population aged under 25, 2023 median house price
Middlesbrough is recorded as a large, non-coastal, working 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 → Population aged under 25 → Economic inactivity → Employment change, 2015 to 2024 → House-price growth, 2001 to 2023 → Population change, 2001 to 2021 → Population aged 65 or over → 2023 median house price.
Furthest-to-nearest distance from the middle percentile: 2021 population → Population aged under 25 → 2023 median house price → Economic inactivity → Population aged 65 or over → Population change, 2001 to 2021 → Employment change, 2015 to 2024 → House-price growth, 2001 to 2023.
Regional peer
2021 population: 147,862 · Hartlepool delta +59,861 people
Middlesbrough's 2021 population is 147,862, a highest decile result at percentile 95.9 among 936 complete England records. Hartlepool, the named regional peer from North East, differs by +59,861 people when the calculation is Middlesbrough minus peer. Nearest complete record in North East. 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. Keep the inference narrow: population size does not establish addressable demand.
Classification peer
Population aged under 25: 32.5% · Rotherham delta +0.9 pp
The reviewed record positions Middlesbrough at percentile 91.4 for population aged under 25; its published value is 32.5% and its band is highest decile. The constrained classification comparison is Rotherham (E63008458). On this measure, Middlesbrough minus that record is +0.9 pp; the selection basis is nearest complete record outside north east with the same ons combined classification. For planning, document the observation beside mobile task speed, privacy explanation and channel continuity and require cross-device usability sessions without age-based assumptions before treating the idea as an accepted requirement. The responsible interpretation stops short of intent: an age-group share does not determine channel preference.
National peer
2023 median house price: £145,000 · Huddersfield delta -£20,000
Middlesbrough's 2023 median house price is £145,000, a lowest decile result at percentile 8.8 among 936 complete England records. Against Huddersfield's reviewed national record, the displayed delta is -£20,000. That comparator comes from the documented rule: nearest remaining complete england record. Use the contrast to prioritise research into pricing clarity, qualification steps and expectation setting. A decision should wait for comprehension tests using the organisation's real offer and fees. No user or market conclusion follows automatically; a median house price is not a household affordability measure.
This synthesis gives Middlesbrough a bounded evidence trail: three furthest-from-middle measures, three named peers and the large, non-coastal, working built-up area, nearer to a major town or city classification. The combination is useful for deciding what to investigate, not for predicting enquiries. A website brief should preserve the source dates, validation method and reasons for accepting or rejecting each hypothesis.
06 / Evidence interpretation
Planning signals before design decisions
Population context: 147,862 people in 2021
Middlesbrough's recorded population changed from 141,487 in 2001 to 147,862 in 2021 (+4.5%). 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: 17% aged 65 or over
The 2021 age-group series records 30,671 people aged 0 to 15, 17,396 aged 16 to 24, 74,585 aged 25 to 64 and 25,199 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: 45.6% economically inactive
ONS records economic inactivity at 45.6%. The published composition includes 20.6% retired, 7% long-term sick or disabled, 6.9% students and 6.6% looking after home or family. These categories support inclusive task design; they do not identify individual users or purchasing intent.
Economic context: £145,000 median house price in 2023
The median house-price series moved from £45,500 in 2001 to £138,498 in 2021 and £145,000 in 2023, a published change of +218.7%. 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
Before prioritising content hierarchy and service-capacity assumptions, which part of task-frequency interviews and observed completion data would verify whether this 2021 population observation matters to users in Middlesbrough?
This question is traceable to 2021 population at percentile 95.9 and a +59,861 people profile-minus-peer difference, not to inferred local behaviour.
- 02
Where should the team record uncertainty when using Middlesbrough's population aged under 25 value and the Rotherham comparison to discuss mobile task speed, privacy explanation and channel continuity?
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
Where should the team record uncertainty when using Middlesbrough's 2023 median house price value and the Huddersfield comparison to discuss pricing clarity, qualification steps and expectation setting?
This question is traceable to 2023 median house price at percentile 8.8 and a -£20,000 profile-minus-peer difference, not to inferred local behaviour.
- 04
For Middlesbrough's large, non-coastal, working built-up area, nearer to a major town or city classification, how should 2021 population, population aged under 25, 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—Hartlepool, Rotherham, Huddersfield—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
Separate employer and customer journeys
Middlesbrough is classified as a working town. A useful website brief should separate recruitment, procurement and customer tasks, then give each journey its own proof, contact route and success measure instead of forcing every visitor through one generic enquiry page.
- 02
Differentiate from the nearby major centre
Middlesbrough 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
Support quick comparison without hiding detail
32.5% of the recorded 2021 age-group total is under 25. Lead with concise task summaries and responsive performance, while keeping fees, eligibility, privacy and next steps available in the same journey rather than behind a social-only channel.
- 04
Prioritise clarity before catalogue expansion
Middlesbrough recorded +4.5% population change from 2001 to 2021 and +6.6% 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 E63007408. 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 Middlesbrough.
Mosalio does not claim an office, staff member, customer, or physical-delivery presence in Middlesbrough.
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.