E63008060 /Yorkshire and The Humber evidence profile
Yorkshire and The Humber evidence profile
Pontefract digital planning profile
Pontefract is a medium, non-coastal built-up area in Yorkshire and The Humber. ONS records show a 2021 population of 32,982; the population expanded quickly between 2001 and 2021, while the 2015 to 2024 employment series shows a flat employment count. 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
- E63008060
- ITL1 region
- Yorkshire and The Humber
- Coastal
- Non-coastal
- Income-deprivation flag
- Higher deprivation
02 / Context
Three comparisons, with the benchmark stated
5.6% above the 11.2% median across complete England records in this ONS file.
in line with the 0% dataset median.
24.1% 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
Lower quartile · percentile position 18.8 of 100.
Middle half · percentile position 72.3 of 100.
Middle half · percentile position 28.8 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: sha256:5621583b38a…267fa8eee253
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 Pontefract minus the named peer; a plus sign means the value recorded for Pontefract is higher.
Regional peer
Normanton (Wakefield) · E63008042
Yorkshire and The Humber. Nearest complete record in Yorkshire and The Humber. ONS classification: Nearer - Higher deprivation - Mixed.
- 2021 population
- +11,006 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- +6.4 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +1.4 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- 0 pp
- 2023 median house price
- +£5,000
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- +8.3 pp
- Population aged under 25
- +1 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +0.2 pp
Classification peer
Stalybridge · E63008381
North West. Nearest complete record outside Yorkshire and The Humber with the same ONS combined classification. ONS classification: Nearer - Higher deprivation - Residential.
- 2021 population
- +6,132 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- +7.5 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +0.9 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- 0 pp
- 2023 median house price
- -£5,000
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- -8.3 pp
- Population aged under 25
- -1.2 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +0.9 pp
National peer
Newark-on-Trent · E63008931
East Midlands. Nearest remaining complete England record. ONS classification: Nearer - Higher deprivation - Working.
- 2021 population
- +3,227 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- -0.5 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +0.8 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- -11.1 pp
- 2023 median house price
- £0
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- -10.3 pp
- Population aged under 25
- -0.2 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +0.6 pp
05 / Evidence synthesis
Pontefract evidence synthesis: 2023 median house price, 2021 population, House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
Pontefract is recorded as a medium, non-coastal, residential 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 change, 2001 to 2021 → Population aged under 25 → Economic inactivity → Employment change, 2015 to 2024 → Population aged 65 or over → House-price growth, 2001 to 2023 → 2023 median house price.
Furthest-to-nearest distance from the middle percentile: 2023 median house price → 2021 population → House-price growth, 2001 to 2023 → Population change, 2001 to 2021 → Population aged 65 or over → Employment change, 2015 to 2024 → Economic inactivity → Population aged under 25.
Regional peer
2023 median house price: £180,000 · Normanton (Wakefield) delta +£5,000
For 2023 median house price, the source reports £180,000 for Pontefract. That sits in the lower quartile, 31.2 percentile points from the middle position. For a bounded comparison rather than a national average, Normanton (Wakefield) supplies the regional reference; Pontefract is +£5,000 from it on the displayed scale. Its practical use is to frame—not answer—a question about pricing clarity, qualification steps and expectation setting; the next evidence should come from comprehension tests using the organisation's real offer and fees. It must not be over-read, because a median house price is not a household affordability measure.
Classification peer
2021 population: 32,982 · Stalybridge delta +6,132 people
2021 population is one of Pontefract's three furthest-from-middle observations: 32,982, percentile 72.3, middle half. Against Stalybridge's reviewed classification record, the displayed delta is +6,132 people. That comparator comes from the documented rule: nearest complete record outside yorkshire and the humber with the same ons combined classification. Use the contrast to prioritise research into content hierarchy and service-capacity assumptions. A decision should wait for task-frequency interviews and observed completion data. It must not be over-read, because population size does not establish addressable demand.
National peer
House-price growth, 2001 to 2023: 200% · Newark-on-Trent delta -10.3 pp
Among the eight reviewed measures, house-price growth, 2001 to 2023 stands out for Pontefract at 200%; its percentile position is 28.8 and its band is middle half. Newark-on-Trent, the named national peer from East Midlands, differs by -10.3 pp when the calculation is Pontefract minus peer. Nearest remaining complete England record. A defensible brief can turn the pair into a verification task for how dated economic context is labelled and maintained, using source-date checks and user tests for interpretation before changing the information architecture. No user or market conclusion follows automatically; historic price growth cannot support a current revenue claim.
Together, 2023 median house price, 2021 population, house-price growth, 2001 to 2023 and the constrained comparisons with Normanton (Wakefield), Stalybridge, Newark-on-Trent create three separate research tracks for Pontefract. They do not form a demand score. Keep each hypothesis independently testable, record contradictory findings and remove a planning assumption when user evidence does not support it.
06 / Evidence interpretation
Planning signals before design decisions
Population context: 32,982 people in 2021
Pontefract's recorded population changed from 28,250 in 2001 to 32,982 in 2021 (+16.8%). 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: 18.7% aged 65 or over
The 2021 age-group series records 6,211 people aged 0 to 15, 2,908 aged 16 to 24, 17,678 aged 25 to 64 and 6,181 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: 39.2% economically inactive
ONS records economic inactivity at 39.2%. The published composition includes 23.6% retired, 5.5% long-term sick or disabled, 3% students and 4.3% looking after home or family. These categories support inclusive task design; they do not identify individual users or purchasing intent.
Economic context: £180,000 median house price in 2023
The median house-price series moved from £59,995 in 2001 to £190,000 in 2021 and £180,000 in 2023, a published change of +200%. 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 pricing clarity, qualification steps and expectation setting, which part of comprehension tests using the organisation's real offer and fees would verify whether this 2023 median house price observation matters to users in Pontefract?
Evidence basis: £180,000, lower quartile, with Pontefract minus the regional peer equal to +£5,000. Validation route: comprehension tests using the organisation's real offer and fees.
- 02
Where should the team record uncertainty when using Pontefract's 2021 population value and the Stalybridge comparison to discuss content hierarchy and service-capacity assumptions?
This question is traceable to 2021 population at percentile 72.3 and a +6,132 people profile-minus-peer difference, not to inferred local behaviour.
- 03
How should a prototype test how dated economic context is labelled and maintained without assuming that Pontefract's percentile 28.8 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 Pontefract's medium, non-coastal, residential built-up area, nearer to a major town or city classification, how should 2023 median house price, 2021 population, house-price growth, 2001 to 2023 be tested as separate website hypotheses without turning the combined pattern into a claim about local demand?
Cross-check all three named comparisons—Normanton (Wakefield), Stalybridge, Newark-on-Trent—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
Make service boundaries explicit
Pontefract is classified as residential. Explain delivery areas, remote or on-site conditions, response times and exclusions in visible copy. This reduces ambiguity for residents without inventing a local office or multiplying near-identical neighbourhood pages.
- 02
Differentiate from the nearby major centre
Pontefract 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
53.6% 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
Prepare the content model for change
Pontefract recorded +16.8% population change from 2001 to 2021 and 0% employment change from 2015 to 2024. Use owned templates, update dates, accountable content roles and measurable conversion events so the site can evolve without publishing unreviewed route permutations.
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 E63008060. 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 Pontefract.
Mosalio does not claim an office, staff member, customer, or physical-delivery presence in Pontefract.
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.