E63010423 /East of England evidence profile
East of England evidence profile
Bury St Edmunds digital planning profile
Bury St Edmunds is a medium, non-coastal built-up area in East of England. ONS records show a 2021 population of 41,279; the population expanded quickly 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
- E63010423
- ITL1 region
- East of England
- Coastal
- Non-coastal
- Income-deprivation flag
- Medium deprivation
02 / Context
Three comparisons, with the benchmark stated
5.9% above the 11.2% median across complete England records in this ONS file.
6.5% above the 0% dataset median.
8.3% 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
Upper quartile · percentile position 77.9 of 100.
Middle half · percentile position 28.3 of 100.
Middle half · percentile position 70.6 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: sha256:0cb2d7dbed6…43fb5e2c487d
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 Bury St Edmunds minus the named peer; a plus sign means the value recorded for Bury St Edmunds is higher.
Regional peer
Sudbury · E63010924
East of England. Nearest complete record in East of England. ONS classification: Further - Higher deprivation - Working.
- 2021 population
- +17,357 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- -1.4 pp
- Economic inactivity
- -2.3 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- +6.5 pp
- 2023 median house price
- +£10,250
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- -24.4 pp
- Population aged under 25
- -0.9 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- -0.8 pp
Classification peer
Taunton · E63013310
South West. Nearest complete record outside East of England with the same ONS combined classification. ONS classification: Further - Medium deprivation - Working.
- 2021 population
- -20,388 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- +4 pp
- Economic inactivity
- -0.1 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- +3.9 pp
- 2023 median house price
- +£43,500
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- +20.9 pp
- Population aged under 25
- -1.6 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +1.2 pp
National peer
Hinckley · E63009921
East Midlands. Nearest remaining complete England record. ONS classification: Nearer - Lower deprivation - Working.
- 2021 population
- -9,450 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- -0.2 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +1.9 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- +2.2 pp
- 2023 median house price
- +£47,500
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- +7.6 pp
- Population aged under 25
- 0 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +1.7 pp
05 / Evidence synthesis
Bury St Edmunds evidence synthesis: 2021 population, Population aged under 25, Population change, 2001 to 2021
Bury St Edmunds is recorded as a medium, non-coastal, working built-up area, further from 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 65 or over → 2023 median house price → House-price growth, 2001 to 2023 → Employment change, 2015 to 2024 → Economic inactivity → Population aged under 25.
Furthest-to-nearest distance from the middle percentile: 2021 population → Population aged under 25 → Population change, 2001 to 2021 → Population aged 65 or over → Economic inactivity → 2023 median house price → House-price growth, 2001 to 2023 → Employment change, 2015 to 2024.
Regional peer
2021 population: 41,279 · Sudbury delta +17,357 people
2021 population is one of Bury St Edmunds's three furthest-from-middle observations: 41,279, percentile 77.9, upper quartile. Against Sudbury's reviewed regional record, the displayed delta is +17,357 people. That comparator comes from the documented rule: nearest complete record in east of england. 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. No user or market conclusion follows automatically; population size does not establish addressable demand.
Classification peer
Population aged under 25: 25.9% · Taunton delta -1.6 pp
Among the eight reviewed measures, population aged under 25 stands out for Bury St Edmunds at 25.9%; its percentile position is 28.3 and its band is middle half. The constrained classification comparison is Taunton (E63013310). On this measure, Bury St Edmunds minus that record is -1.6 pp; the selection basis is nearest complete record outside east of england with the same ons combined classification. A defensible brief can turn the pair into a verification task for mobile task speed, privacy explanation and channel continuity, using cross-device usability sessions without age-based assumptions before changing the information architecture. No user or market conclusion follows automatically; an age-group share does not determine channel preference.
National peer
Population change, 2001 to 2021: 17.1% · Hinckley delta -0.2 pp
For population change, 2001 to 2021, the source reports 17.1% for Bury St Edmunds. That sits in the middle half, 20.6 percentile points from the middle position. Against Hinckley's reviewed national record, the displayed delta is -0.2 pp. That comparator comes from the documented rule: nearest remaining complete england record. Use the contrast to prioritise research into update cadence, ownership and change-ready content models. A decision should wait for dated user research and a documented content-review cycle. This remains contextual evidence—historic population change is neither a forecast nor a lead estimate.
This synthesis gives Bury St Edmunds a bounded evidence trail: three furthest-from-middle measures, three named peers and the medium, non-coastal, working built-up area, further from 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: 41,279 people in 2021
Bury St Edmunds's recorded population changed from 35,255 in 2001 to 41,279 in 2021 (+17.1%). 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: 22.2% aged 65 or over
The 2021 age-group series records 6,882 people aged 0 to 15, 3,819 aged 16 to 24, 21,405 aged 25 to 64 and 9,171 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: 38.3% economically inactive
ONS records economic inactivity at 38.3%. The published composition includes 25.4% retired, 3.4% long-term sick or disabled, 3.2% students and 3.6% looking after home or family. These categories support inclusive task design; they do not identify individual users or purchasing intent.
Economic context: £297,500 median house price in 2023
The median house-price series moved from £89,500 in 2001 to £293,000 in 2021 and £297,500 in 2023, a published change of +232.4%. 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
Which real user task would justify changing content hierarchy and service-capacity assumptions after seeing Bury St Edmunds's 2021 population position and its +17,357 people difference from Sudbury?
Sudbury is the constrained regional reference and is classified as Further - Higher deprivation - Working; the question keeps population size does not establish addressable demand as an explicit limit.
- 02
If the classification peer delta of -1.6 pp is included in a brief, what decision about mobile task speed, privacy explanation and channel continuity could it inform and what result would falsify that hypothesis?
Evidence basis: 25.9%, middle half, with Bury St Edmunds minus the classification peer equal to -1.6 pp. Validation route: cross-device usability sessions without age-based assumptions.
- 03
How should a prototype test update cadence, ownership and change-ready content models without assuming that Bury St Edmunds's percentile 70.6 position predicts an individual user's needs?
Evidence basis: 17.1%, middle half, with Bury St Edmunds minus the national peer equal to -0.2 pp. Validation route: dated user research and a documented content-review cycle.
- 04
For Bury St Edmunds's medium, non-coastal, working built-up area, further from a major town or city classification, how should 2021 population, population aged under 25, population change, 2001 to 2021 be tested as separate website hypotheses without turning the combined pattern into a claim about local demand?
Cross-check all three named comparisons—Sudbury, Taunton, Hinckley—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
Bury St Edmunds 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
Let the page complete the decision remotely
Bury St Edmunds is further from a major town or city in the ONS classification. Put scope, process, timelines, accessibility options and meeting arrangements on the page so a user can evaluate fit without assuming a nearby branch or travelling for basic information.
- 03
Treat readability as a conversion requirement
22.2% 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
Bury St Edmunds recorded +17.1% population change from 2001 to 2021 and +6.5% 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 E63010423. 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 Bury St Edmunds.
Mosalio does not claim an office, staff member, customer, or physical-delivery presence in Bury St Edmunds.
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.