E63011830 /East of England evidence profile
East of England evidence profile
Brentwood digital planning profile
Brentwood is a medium, non-coastal built-up area in East of England. ONS records show a 2021 population of 55,339; the population expanded quickly between 2001 and 2021, while the 2015 to 2024 employment series shows a material employment contraction. 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
- E63011830
- ITL1 region
- East of England
- Coastal
- Non-coastal
- Income-deprivation flag
- Lower deprivation
02 / Context
Three comparisons, with the benchmark stated
5.1% above the 11.2% median across complete England records in this ONS file.
14.8% below the 0% dataset median.
0.5% 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
Lowest decile · percentile position 8.5 of 100.
Highest decile · percentile position 90.9 of 100.
Upper quartile · percentile position 84.3 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: sha256:1ef758f869d…11c65587ad1e
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 Brentwood minus the named peer; a plus sign means the value recorded for Brentwood is higher.
Regional peer
Bushey · E63011808
East of England. Nearest complete record in East of England. ONS classification: Nearer - Lower deprivation - Mixed.
- 2021 population
- +27,345 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- -0.8 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +0.1 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- -4.8 pp
- 2023 median house price
- -£118,500
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- -5.4 pp
- Population aged under 25
- -1 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- -1.2 pp
Classification peer
Burgess Hill · E63013415
South East. Nearest complete record outside East of England with the same ONS combined classification. ONS classification: Nearer - Lower deprivation - Working.
- 2021 population
- +21,987 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- +2.8 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +1.3 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- -14.8 pp
- 2023 median house price
- +£70,000
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- +33.9 pp
- Population aged under 25
- +0.7 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- -1 pp
National peer
Chesham · E63011668
South East. Nearest remaining complete England record. ONS classification: Nearer - Medium deprivation - Residential.
- 2021 population
- +31,648 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- +1.7 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +0.2 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- -2.3 pp
- 2023 median house price
- +£20,500
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- +8 pp
- Population aged under 25
- -1.6 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +0.7 pp
05 / Evidence synthesis
Brentwood evidence synthesis: Employment change, 2015 to 2024, 2023 median house price, 2021 population
Brentwood 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: 2023 median house price → 2021 population → Population change, 2001 to 2021 → Population aged under 25 → House-price growth, 2001 to 2023 → Population aged 65 or over → Economic inactivity → Employment change, 2015 to 2024.
Furthest-to-nearest distance from the middle percentile: Employment change, 2015 to 2024 → 2023 median house price → 2021 population → Economic inactivity → Population change, 2001 to 2021 → Population aged 65 or over → Population aged under 25 → House-price growth, 2001 to 2023.
Regional peer
Employment change, 2015 to 2024: -14.8% · Bushey delta -4.8 pp
At -14.8%, employment change, 2015 to 2024 places Brentwood in the lowest decile and at percentile 8.5 of the reviewed distribution. The same-source regional check uses Bushey, classified as Nearer - Lower deprivation - Mixed. The Brentwood-minus-Bushey delta on this metric is -4.8 pp. For planning, document the observation beside the separation of employer, worker and customer journeys and require journey interviews plus measured form and contact outcomes before treating the idea as an accepted requirement. The boundary is important: employment change does not prove commercial search intent.
Classification peer
2023 median house price: £446,500 · Burgess Hill delta +£70,000
2023 median house price is one of Brentwood's three furthest-from-middle observations: £446,500, percentile 90.9, highest decile. Burgess Hill, the named classification peer from South East, differs by +£70,000 when the calculation is Brentwood minus peer. 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 pricing clarity, qualification steps and expectation setting, using comprehension tests using the organisation's real offer and fees before changing the information architecture. It must not be over-read, because a median house price is not a household affordability measure.
National peer
2021 population: 55,339 · Chesham delta +31,648 people
The reviewed record positions Brentwood at percentile 84.3 for 2021 population; its published value is 55,339 and its band is upper quartile. Using Chesham as the national peer, the profile-minus-peer delta is +31,648 people; the peer was selected because nearest remaining complete england record. Treat this combination as a hypothesis about content hierarchy and service-capacity assumptions, and test it through task-frequency interviews and observed completion data. Keep the inference narrow: population size does not establish addressable demand.
Together, employment change, 2015 to 2024, 2023 median house price, 2021 population and the constrained comparisons with Bushey, Burgess Hill, Chesham create three separate research tracks for Brentwood. 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: 55,339 people in 2021
Brentwood's recorded population changed from 47,593 in 2001 to 55,339 in 2021 (+16.3%). 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: 18.4% aged 65 or over
The 2021 age-group series records 10,562 people aged 0 to 15, 4,770 aged 16 to 24, 29,833 aged 25 to 64 and 10,166 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: 35.6% economically inactive
ONS records economic inactivity at 35.6%. The published composition includes 22% retired, 2.3% long-term sick or disabled, 3.9% students and 4.9% looking after home or family. These categories support inclusive task design; they do not identify individual users or purchasing intent.
Economic context: £446,500 median house price in 2023
The median house-price series moved from £138,000 in 2001 to £440,000 in 2021 and £446,500 in 2023, a published change of +223.6%. 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 the separation of employer, worker and customer journeys after seeing Brentwood's employment change, 2015 to 2024 position and its -4.8 pp difference from Bushey?
Bushey is the constrained regional reference and is classified as Nearer - Lower deprivation - Mixed; the question keeps employment change does not prove commercial search intent as an explicit limit.
- 02
If the classification peer delta of +£70,000 is included in a brief, what decision about pricing clarity, qualification steps and expectation setting could it inform and what result would falsify that hypothesis?
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
Which real user task would justify changing content hierarchy and service-capacity assumptions after seeing Brentwood's 2021 population position and its +31,648 people difference from Chesham?
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 Brentwood's medium, non-coastal, working built-up area, nearer to a major town or city classification, how should employment change, 2015 to 2024, 2023 median house price, 2021 population be tested as separate website hypotheses without turning the combined pattern into a claim about local demand?
Cross-check all three named comparisons—Bushey, Burgess Hill, Chesham—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
Brentwood 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
Brentwood 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
53.9% 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
Brentwood recorded +16.3% population change from 2001 to 2021 and -14.8% 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 E63011830. 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 Brentwood.
Mosalio does not claim an office, staff member, customer, or physical-delivery presence in Brentwood.
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.