E63012364 /South West evidence profile
South West evidence profile
Bath digital planning profile
Bath is a large, non-coastal built-up area in South West. ONS records show a 2021 population of 94,080; the population grew steadily between 2001 and 2021, while the 2015 to 2024 employment series shows strong employment expansion. 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
- E63012364
- ITL1 region
- South West
- Coastal
- Non-coastal
- Income-deprivation flag
- Lower deprivation
02 / Context
Three comparisons, with the benchmark stated
1.1% above the 11.2% median across complete England records in this ONS file.
14.3% above the 0% dataset median.
9.5% 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
Highest decile · percentile position 97.8 of 100.
Highest decile · percentile position 92.1 of 100.
Upper quartile · percentile position 87 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: sha256:21d71268a78…46bf5c648ad5
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 Bath minus the named peer; a plus sign means the value recorded for Bath is higher.
Regional peer
Exeter · E63013856
South West. Nearest complete record in South West. ONS classification: Nearer - Medium deprivation - Working.
- 2021 population
- -32,442 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- -5.7 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +1.5 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- +5.5 pp
- 2023 median house price
- +£120,000
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- -38.3 pp
- Population aged under 25
- +1.1 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +0.6 pp
Classification peer
Guildford · E63012715
South East. Nearest complete record outside South West with the same ONS combined classification. ONS classification: Nearer - Lower deprivation - Working.
- 2021 population
- +16,210 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- -5.3 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +5.3 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- +3.2 pp
- 2023 median house price
- -£55,500
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- +17.4 pp
- Population aged under 25
- +0.2 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +2.8 pp
National peer
Oxford · E63011595
South East. Nearest remaining complete England record. ONS classification: Nearer - Lower deprivation - Working.
- 2021 population
- -75,532 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- -7.8 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +1.6 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- +11.1 pp
- 2023 median house price
- -£30,000
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- +18.5 pp
- Population aged under 25
- -0.3 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +4.5 pp
05 / Evidence synthesis
Bath evidence synthesis: Population aged under 25, 2021 population, 2023 median house price
Bath is recorded as a large, 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: Population aged under 25 → 2021 population → 2023 median house price → Economic inactivity → Employment change, 2015 to 2024 → Population change, 2001 to 2021 → House-price growth, 2001 to 2023 → Population aged 65 or over.
Furthest-to-nearest distance from the middle percentile: Population aged under 25 → 2021 population → 2023 median house price → Economic inactivity → Population aged 65 or over → Employment change, 2015 to 2024 → House-price growth, 2001 to 2023 → Population change, 2001 to 2021.
Regional peer
Population aged under 25: 37.1% · Exeter delta +1.1 pp
Among the eight reviewed measures, population aged under 25 stands out for Bath at 37.1%; its percentile position is 97.8 and its band is highest decile. Exeter, the named regional peer from South West, differs by +1.1 pp when the calculation is Bath minus peer. Nearest complete record in South West. Its practical use is to frame—not answer—a question about mobile task speed, privacy explanation and channel continuity; the next evidence should come from cross-device usability sessions without age-based assumptions. Keep the inference narrow: an age-group share does not determine channel preference.
Classification peer
2021 population: 94,080 · Guildford delta +16,210 people
Bath's 2021 population is 94,080, a highest decile result at percentile 92.1 among 936 complete England records. Against Guildford's reviewed classification record, the displayed delta is +16,210 people. That comparator comes from the documented rule: nearest complete record outside south west with the same ons combined classification. Its practical use is to frame—not answer—a question about content hierarchy and service-capacity assumptions; the next evidence should come from task-frequency interviews and observed completion data. Keep the inference narrow: population size does not establish addressable demand.
National peer
2023 median house price: £420,000 · Oxford delta -£30,000
The reviewed record positions Bath at percentile 87 for 2023 median house price; its published value is £420,000 and its band is upper quartile. Oxford, the named national peer from South East, differs by -£30,000 when the calculation is Bath minus peer. 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. Keep the inference narrow: a median house price is not a household affordability measure.
This synthesis gives Bath a bounded evidence trail: three furthest-from-middle measures, three named peers and the large, non-coastal, working built-up area, nearer to 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: 94,080 people in 2021
Bath's recorded population changed from 83,744 in 2001 to 94,080 in 2021 (+12.3%). 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: 16.5% aged 65 or over
The 2021 age-group series records 13,598 people aged 0 to 15, 21,313 aged 16 to 24, 43,639 aged 25 to 64 and 15,559 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: 44.5% economically inactive
ONS records economic inactivity at 44.5%. The published composition includes 18.4% retired, 3% long-term sick or disabled, 17.8% students and 3.1% looking after home or family. These categories support inclusive task design; they do not identify individual users or purchasing intent.
Economic context: £420,000 median house price in 2023
The median house-price series moved from £133,500 in 2001 to £415,000 in 2021 and £420,000 in 2023, a published change of +214.6%. 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 mobile task speed, privacy explanation and channel continuity after seeing Bath's population aged under 25 position and its +1.1 pp difference from Exeter?
This question is traceable to population aged under 25 at percentile 97.8 and a +1.1 pp profile-minus-peer difference, not to inferred local behaviour.
- 02
Before prioritising content hierarchy and service-capacity assumptions, which part of task-frequency interviews and observed completion data would verify whether this 2021 population observation matters to users in Bath?
Evidence basis: 94,080, highest decile, with Bath minus the classification peer equal to +16,210 people. Validation route: task-frequency interviews and observed completion data.
- 03
Which real user task would justify changing pricing clarity, qualification steps and expectation setting after seeing Bath's 2023 median house price position and its -£30,000 difference from Oxford?
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 Bath's large, non-coastal, working built-up area, nearer to a major town or city classification, how should population aged under 25, 2021 population, 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—Exeter, Guildford, Oxford—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
Bath 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
Bath 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
Support quick comparison without hiding detail
37.1% of the recorded 2021 age-group total is under 25. Lead with concise task summaries and responsive performance, while keeping fees, eligibility, privacy and next steps available in the same journey rather than behind a social-only channel.
- 04
Prepare the content model for change
Bath recorded +12.3% population change from 2001 to 2021 and +14.3% 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 E63012364. 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 Bath.
Mosalio does not claim an office, staff member, customer, or physical-delivery presence in Bath.
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.