E63008595 /East Midlands evidence profile
East Midlands evidence profile
Retford digital planning profile
Retford is a medium, non-coastal built-up area in East Midlands. ONS records show a 2021 population of 23,735; the population grew steadily 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
- E63008595
- ITL1 region
- East Midlands
- Coastal
- Non-coastal
- Income-deprivation flag
- Higher deprivation
02 / Context
Three comparisons, with the benchmark stated
0.2% above the 11.2% median across complete England records in this ONS file.
in line with the 0% dataset median.
64.1% above 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 91.2 of 100.
Lower quartile · percentile position 22.3 of 100.
Middle half · percentile position 66.9 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: sha256:5e1227e2127…9af4e6dba544
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 Retford minus the named peer; a plus sign means the value recorded for Retford is higher.
Regional peer
Mansfield Woodhouse · E63008805
East Midlands. Nearest complete record in East Midlands. ONS classification: Nearer - Higher deprivation - Residential.
- 2021 population
- +4,214 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- +2.5 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +0.7 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- 0 pp
- 2023 median house price
- +£16,500
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- +41.2 pp
- Population aged under 25
- -0.3 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +1.9 pp
Classification peer
Faversham · E63012448
South East. Nearest complete record outside East Midlands with the same ONS combined classification. ONS classification: Nearer - Higher deprivation - Mixed.
- 2021 population
- +3,045 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- -2.1 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +0.9 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- 0 pp
- 2023 median house price
- -£135,000
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- +18.9 pp
- Population aged under 25
- -0.5 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +0.7 pp
National peer
Clitheroe · E63007800
North West. Nearest remaining complete England record. ONS classification: Nearer - Lower deprivation - Working.
- 2021 population
- +7,109 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- -1.7 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +3.9 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- 0 pp
- 2023 median house price
- -£26,500
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- +5 pp
- Population aged under 25
- +0.3 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +0.7 pp
05 / Evidence synthesis
Retford evidence synthesis: House-price growth, 2001 to 2023, 2023 median house price, Economic inactivity
Retford is recorded as a medium, non-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: House-price growth, 2001 to 2023 → Economic inactivity → Population aged 65 or over → 2021 population → Population change, 2001 to 2021 → Employment change, 2015 to 2024 → Population aged under 25 → 2023 median house price.
Furthest-to-nearest distance from the middle percentile: House-price growth, 2001 to 2023 → 2023 median house price → Economic inactivity → Population aged 65 or over → Population aged under 25 → Employment change, 2015 to 2024 → 2021 population → Population change, 2001 to 2021.
Regional peer
House-price growth, 2001 to 2023: 288.2% · Mansfield Woodhouse delta +41.2 pp
Retford's house-price growth, 2001 to 2023 is 288.2%, a highest decile result at percentile 91.2 among 936 complete England records. The constrained regional comparison is Mansfield Woodhouse (E63008805). On this measure, Retford minus that record is +41.2 pp; the selection basis is nearest complete record in east midlands. For planning, document the observation beside how dated economic context is labelled and maintained and require source-date checks and user tests for interpretation before treating the idea as an accepted requirement. The responsible interpretation stops short of intent: historic price growth cannot support a current revenue claim.
Classification peer
2023 median house price: £190,000 · Faversham delta -£135,000
For 2023 median house price, the source reports £190,000 for Retford. That sits in the lower quartile, 27.7 percentile points from the middle position. The constrained classification comparison is Faversham (E63012448). On this measure, Retford minus that record is -£135,000; the selection basis is nearest complete record outside east midlands with the same ons combined classification. For planning, document the observation beside pricing clarity, qualification steps and expectation setting and require comprehension tests using the organisation's real offer and fees before treating the idea as an accepted requirement. The boundary is important: a median house price is not a household affordability measure.
National peer
Economic inactivity: 41.7% · Clitheroe delta +3.9 pp
Economic inactivity is one of Retford's three furthest-from-middle observations: 41.7%, percentile 66.9, middle half. The same-source national check uses Clitheroe, classified as Nearer - Lower deprivation - Working. The Retford-minus-Clitheroe delta on this metric is +3.9 pp. Its practical use is to frame—not answer—a question about assisted, accessible and non-digital completion routes; the next evidence should come from accessibility testing across real tasks and support-channel evidence. Keep the inference narrow: an aggregate inactivity rate cannot describe an individual visitor.
Together, house-price growth, 2001 to 2023, 2023 median house price, economic inactivity and the constrained comparisons with Mansfield Woodhouse, Faversham, Clitheroe create three separate research tracks for Retford. 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: 23,735 people in 2021
Retford's recorded population changed from 21,314 in 2001 to 23,735 in 2021 (+11.4%). 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: 22.4% aged 65 or over
The 2021 age-group series records 4,229 people aged 0 to 15, 2,064 aged 16 to 24, 12,130 aged 25 to 64 and 5,330 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: 41.7% economically inactive
ONS records economic inactivity at 41.7%. The published composition includes 26.9% retired, 4.9% long-term sick or disabled, 3% students and 4.2% looking after home or family. These categories support inclusive task design; they do not identify individual users or purchasing intent.
Economic context: £190,000 median house price in 2023
The median house-price series moved from £48,950 in 2001 to £180,000 in 2021 and £190,000 in 2023, a published change of +288.2%. 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 how dated economic context is labelled and maintained, which part of source-date checks and user tests for interpretation would verify whether this house-price growth, 2001 to 2023 observation matters to users in Retford?
Evidence basis: 288.2%, highest decile, with Retford minus the regional peer equal to +41.2 pp. Validation route: source-date checks and user tests for interpretation.
- 02
Which real user task would justify changing pricing clarity, qualification steps and expectation setting after seeing Retford's 2023 median house price position and its -£135,000 difference from Faversham?
Evidence basis: £190,000, lower quartile, with Retford minus the classification peer equal to -£135,000. Validation route: comprehension tests using the organisation's real offer and fees.
- 03
What evidence would show that the economic inactivity contrast between Retford and Clitheroe should alter assisted, accessible and non-digital completion routes, rather than remain background context?
Clitheroe is the constrained national reference and is classified as Nearer - Lower deprivation - Working; the question keeps an aggregate inactivity rate cannot describe an individual visitor as an explicit limit.
- 04
For Retford's medium, non-coastal, mixed built-up area, nearer to a major town or city classification, how should house-price growth, 2001 to 2023, 2023 median house price, economic inactivity be tested as separate website hypotheses without turning the combined pattern into a claim about local demand?
Cross-check all three named comparisons—Mansfield Woodhouse, Faversham, Clitheroe—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
Retford 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
Retford 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
Treat readability as a conversion requirement
22.4% of the recorded 2021 age-group total is aged 65 or over. Use plain language, strong focus states, generous type, keyboard-operable controls and a non-digital contact alternative; validate these choices with real users rather than assuming age determines ability.
- 04
Prepare the content model for change
Retford recorded +11.4% 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 E63008595. 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 Retford.
Mosalio does not claim an office, staff member, customer, or physical-delivery presence in Retford.
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.