E63013712 /South East evidence profile
South East evidence profile
Rustington digital planning profile
Rustington is a medium, coastal built-up area in South East. ONS records show a 2021 population of 33,885; the population expanded quickly 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
- E63013712
- ITL1 region
- South East
- Coastal
- Coastal
- Income-deprivation flag
- Lower deprivation
02 / Context
Three comparisons, with the benchmark stated
5.4% above the 11.2% median across complete England records in this ONS file.
12.5% above the 0% dataset median.
8.3% 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 99 of 100.
Lowest decile · percentile position 1.3 of 100.
Highest decile · percentile position 97.6 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:a1b8eaabd5c…c14fc417dc8f
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 Rustington minus the named peer; a plus sign means the value recorded for Rustington is higher.
Regional peer
Bexhill-on-Sea · E63013637
South East. Nearest complete record in South East. ONS classification: Nearer - Higher deprivation - Mixed.
- 2021 population
- -9,865 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- +6.1 pp
- Economic inactivity
- -0.5 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- -4.2 pp
- 2023 median house price
- +£120,525
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- -17 pp
- Population aged under 25
- -1.8 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +2.9 pp
Classification peer
Formby · E63008255
North West. Nearest complete record outside South East with the same ONS combined classification. ONS classification: Nearer - Lower deprivation - Mixed.
- 2021 population
- +10,993 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- +23.1 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +4 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- +12.5 pp
- 2023 median house price
- +£112,000
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- +42 pp
- Population aged under 25
- -4 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +6 pp
National peer
Selsey · E63013844
South East. Nearest remaining complete England record. ONS classification: Further - Medium deprivation - Mixed.
- 2021 population
- +23,145 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- +6.2 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +0.2 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- +12.5 pp
- 2023 median house price
- +£80,000
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- +20.1 pp
- Population aged under 25
- +0.1 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +0.2 pp
05 / Evidence synthesis
Rustington evidence synthesis: Population aged 65 or over, Population aged under 25, Economic inactivity
Rustington is recorded as a medium, 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: Population aged 65 or over → Economic inactivity → 2023 median house price → 2021 population → Employment change, 2015 to 2024 → Population change, 2001 to 2021 → House-price growth, 2001 to 2023 → Population aged under 25.
Furthest-to-nearest distance from the middle percentile: Population aged 65 or over → Population aged under 25 → Economic inactivity → 2023 median house price → 2021 population → Employment change, 2015 to 2024 → Population change, 2001 to 2021 → House-price growth, 2001 to 2023.
Regional peer
Population aged 65 or over: 37.4% · Bexhill-on-Sea delta +2.9 pp
Population aged 65 or over is one of Rustington's three furthest-from-middle observations: 37.4%, percentile 99, highest decile. Using Bexhill-on-Sea as the regional peer, the profile-minus-peer delta is +2.9 pp; the peer was selected because nearest complete record in south east. Use the contrast to prioritise research into readability, keyboard access and assisted alternatives. A decision should wait for inclusive usability sessions and accessibility conformance checks. This remains contextual evidence—an age-group share does not determine digital ability.
Classification peer
Population aged under 25: 19.6% · Formby delta -4 pp
Rustington's population aged under 25 is 19.6%, a lowest decile result at percentile 1.3 among 936 complete England records. For a bounded comparison rather than a national average, Formby supplies the classification reference; Rustington is -4 pp from it on the displayed scale. 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. It must not be over-read, because an age-group share does not determine channel preference.
National peer
Economic inactivity: 52% · Selsey delta +0.2 pp
For economic inactivity, the source reports 52% for Rustington. That sits in the highest decile, 47.6 percentile points from the middle position. Selsey, the named national peer from South East, differs by +0.2 pp when the calculation is Rustington minus peer. Nearest remaining complete England record. 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. It must not be over-read, because an aggregate inactivity rate cannot describe an individual visitor.
Rustington's evidence pattern combines the medium, coastal, mixed built-up area, nearer to a major town or city frame with three percentile observations and peer-specific deltas. That combination can make discovery more precise, but it cannot establish what residents want or whether a service has local demand. Decisions should remain reversible until direct research or measured website behaviour confirms them.
06 / Evidence interpretation
Planning signals before design decisions
Population context: 33,885 people in 2021
Rustington's recorded population changed from 29,055 in 2001 to 33,885 in 2021 (+16.6%). 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: 37.4% aged 65 or over
The 2021 age-group series records 4,300 people aged 0 to 15, 2,356 aged 16 to 24, 14,540 aged 25 to 64 and 12,684 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: 52% economically inactive
ONS records economic inactivity at 52%. The published composition includes 41.9% retired, 2.8% long-term sick or disabled, 2.5% students and 3% 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 £133,000 in 2001 to £385,000 in 2021 and £420,000 in 2023, a published change of +215.8%. 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 +2.9 pp is included in a brief, what decision about readability, keyboard access and assisted alternatives could it inform and what result would falsify that hypothesis?
Bexhill-on-Sea is the constrained regional reference and is classified as Nearer - Higher deprivation - Mixed; the question keeps an age-group share does not determine digital ability as an explicit limit.
- 02
What evidence would show that the population aged under 25 contrast between Rustington and Formby should alter mobile task speed, privacy explanation and channel continuity, rather than remain background context?
Formby is the constrained classification reference and is classified as Nearer - Lower deprivation - Mixed; the question keeps an age-group share does not determine channel preference as an explicit limit.
- 03
If the national peer delta of +0.2 pp is included in a brief, what decision about assisted, accessible and non-digital completion routes could it inform and what result would falsify that hypothesis?
This question is traceable to economic inactivity at percentile 97.6 and a +0.2 pp profile-minus-peer difference, not to inferred local behaviour.
- 04
For Rustington's medium, coastal, mixed built-up area, nearer to a major town or city classification, how should population aged 65 or over, population aged under 25, 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—Bexhill-on-Sea, Formby, Selsey—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
Rustington 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
Rustington 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
37.4% 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
Rustington recorded +16.6% population change from 2001 to 2021 and +12.5% 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 E63013712. 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 Rustington.
Mosalio does not claim an office, staff member, customer, or physical-delivery presence in Rustington.
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.