E63009353 /West Midlands evidence profile
West Midlands evidence profile
Stafford digital planning profile
Stafford is a medium, non-coastal built-up area in West Midlands. ONS records show a 2021 population of 71,695; the population grew steadily 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
- E63009353
- ITL1 region
- West Midlands
- Coastal
- Non-coastal
- Income-deprivation flag
- Medium deprivation
02 / Context
Three comparisons, with the benchmark stated
3.6% above the 11.2% median across complete England records in this ONS file.
3.1% above the 0% dataset median.
0.4% 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
Upper quartile · percentile position 88.2 of 100.
Middle half · percentile position 34.8 of 100.
Middle half · percentile position 35.8 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:c366c0d5b31…b20f3451b620
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 Stafford minus the named peer; a plus sign means the value recorded for Stafford is higher.
Regional peer
Hereford · E63010929
West Midlands. Nearest complete record in West Midlands. ONS classification: Further - Higher deprivation - Working.
- 2021 population
- +11,614 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- +7.1 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +1.7 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- -3.6 pp
- 2023 median house price
- -£15,000
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- +10 pp
- Population aged under 25
- -0.4 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +0.4 pp
Classification peer
Pudsey · E63007884
Yorkshire and The Humber. Nearest complete record outside West Midlands with the same ONS combined classification. ONS classification: Nearer - Medium deprivation - Working.
- 2021 population
- +36,842 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- +6.5 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +2.6 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- +9.4 pp
- 2023 median house price
- +£2,500
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- -10.9 pp
- Population aged under 25
- -0.1 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +1 pp
National peer
Taunton · E63013310
South West. Nearest remaining complete England record. ONS classification: Further - Medium deprivation - Working.
- 2021 population
- +10,028 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- +1.7 pp
- Economic inactivity
- -0.6 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- +0.5 pp
- 2023 median house price
- -£29,000
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- +12.2 pp
- Population aged under 25
- -0.1 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- -1.7 pp
05 / Evidence synthesis
Stafford evidence synthesis: 2021 population, Economic inactivity, 2023 median house price
Stafford is recorded as a medium, 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 change, 2001 to 2021 → Employment change, 2015 to 2024 → House-price growth, 2001 to 2023 → Population aged under 25 → Population aged 65 or over → 2023 median house price → Economic inactivity.
Furthest-to-nearest distance from the middle percentile: 2021 population → Economic inactivity → 2023 median house price → Population change, 2001 to 2021 → Population aged 65 or over → Employment change, 2015 to 2024 → Population aged under 25 → House-price growth, 2001 to 2023.
Regional peer
2021 population: 71,695 · Hereford delta +11,614 people
Stafford's 2021 population is 71,695, a upper quartile result at percentile 88.2 among 936 complete England records. Using Hereford as the regional peer, the profile-minus-peer delta is +11,614 people; the peer was selected because nearest complete record in west midlands. 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.
Classification peer
Economic inactivity: 37.8% · Pudsey delta +2.6 pp
Stafford's economic inactivity is 37.8%, a middle half result at percentile 34.8 among 936 complete England records. Pudsey, the named classification peer from Yorkshire and The Humber, differs by +2.6 pp when the calculation is Stafford minus peer. Nearest complete record outside West Midlands with the same ONS combined classification. Treat this combination as a hypothesis about assisted, accessible and non-digital completion routes, and test it through accessibility testing across real tasks and support-channel evidence. This remains contextual evidence—an aggregate inactivity rate cannot describe an individual visitor.
National peer
2023 median house price: £225,000 · Taunton delta -£29,000
For 2023 median house price, the source reports £225,000 for Stafford. That sits in the middle half, 14.2 percentile points from the middle position. Against Taunton's reviewed national record, the displayed delta is -£29,000. That comparator comes from the documented rule: nearest remaining complete england record. 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. This remains contextual evidence—a median house price is not a household affordability measure.
Together, 2021 population, economic inactivity, 2023 median house price and the constrained comparisons with Hereford, Pudsey, Taunton create three separate research tracks for Stafford. 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: 71,695 people in 2021
Stafford's recorded population changed from 62,440 in 2001 to 71,695 in 2021 (+14.8%). 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: 19.3% aged 65 or over
The 2021 age-group series records 13,168 people aged 0 to 15, 6,470 aged 16 to 24, 38,184 aged 25 to 64 and 13,871 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: 37.8% economically inactive
ONS records economic inactivity at 37.8%. The published composition includes 23.4% retired, 4% long-term sick or disabled, 3.6% students and 3.8% looking after home or family. These categories support inclusive task design; they do not identify individual users or purchasing intent.
Economic context: £225,000 median house price in 2023
The median house-price series moved from £69,500 in 2001 to £200,995 in 2021 and £225,000 in 2023, a published change of +223.7%. 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
If the regional peer delta of +11,614 people is included in a brief, what decision about content hierarchy and service-capacity assumptions could it inform and what result would falsify that hypothesis?
This question is traceable to 2021 population at percentile 88.2 and a +11,614 people profile-minus-peer difference, not to inferred local behaviour.
- 02
Which real user task would justify changing assisted, accessible and non-digital completion routes after seeing Stafford's economic inactivity position and its +2.6 pp difference from Pudsey?
Pudsey is the constrained classification reference and is classified as Nearer - Medium deprivation - Working; the question keeps an aggregate inactivity rate cannot describe an individual visitor as an explicit limit.
- 03
What evidence would show that the 2023 median house price contrast between Stafford and Taunton should alter pricing clarity, qualification steps and expectation setting, rather than remain background context?
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 Stafford's medium, non-coastal, working built-up area, nearer to a major town or city classification, how should 2021 population, economic inactivity, 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—Hereford, Pudsey, Taunton—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
Stafford 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
Stafford 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
53.3% 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
Stafford recorded +14.8% population change from 2001 to 2021 and +3.1% 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 E63009353. 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 Stafford.
Mosalio does not claim an office, staff member, customer, or physical-delivery presence in Stafford.
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.