Rural Urban Classification in Surrey

The Rural Urban Classification is an official statistical classification for England and Wales, used to identify and distinguish Rural and Urban areas.

Urban areas are generally densely populated, built-up settings focused on commerce and industry as well as residences. Rural areas are more open, sparsely populated countryside communities centred around agriculture and natural spaces.

Key differences:

• Population density:

  • Urban: High concentration of people living close together in cities, towns, or high-rise apartments.

  • Rural: Low ratio of inhabitants to land, with homes, farms, and small villages spread more widely apart.

• Economic activities:

  • Urban: driven by manufacturing, corporate offices, technology, retail, and public services.

  • Rural: primarily agriculture, forestry, mining / quarrying, and other raw material extraction.

• Infrastructure and services:

  • Urban: extensive public transport systems, large hospitals, multi-level schools, and dense road networks.

  • Rural: limited public transport and fewer nearby commercial or service facilities, including longer distances to GPs, dentists, banks, post offices, and shops.

• Lifestyle and pace:

  • Urban: a fast-paced routine, diverse cultural options, and more anonymous or specialised social interactions.

  • Rural: a slower pace of life, decreased diversity and more traditional values, and close-knit community bonds.

The 2021 classification has been determined for Census Output Areas (the smallest geography for which Census data are available) and classifications for the large areas of Lower Super Output Areas, Middle Super Output Areas have been built up from these.

If an Output Area is Rural, it is further determined as being a smaller or larger rural settlement, based on dwelling densities. All Output Areas are also distinguished by whether they are nearer to or further away from a major town or city. So, the classification of geographies consists of:

Rural

• Smaller Rural: Further from a major town or city.

• Smaller Rural: Nearer to a major town or city.

• Larger Rural: Further from a major town or city.

• Larger Rural: Nearer to a major town or city.

Urban

• Urban: Further from a major town or city.

• Urban: Nearer to a major town or city.

The Output Area classification is then used to determine the overall classification for Local Authorities based on the proportion of their populations in Rural areas and nearer to or further from a major town or city:

• Majority rural authorities have 50% or more of their population in rural areas.

• Intermediate rural authorities have between 35% and 50% of their population in rural areas.

• Intermediate urban authorities have between 20% and less than 35% of their population in rural areas.

• Urban authorities have less than 20% of their population in rural areas.

Local authorities are also classified by their population's relative access to a major town or city as:

• Majority further from a major town or city have at least 50% of their population further from a major town or city.

• Majority further from a major town or city have less than 50% of their population further from a major town or city.

Surrey's 11 lower-tier local authorities are all classified as "Urban". Mole Valley and Tandridge are further classified as "Intermediate urban: Majority nearer to a major town or city", while all the others are "Urban: Majority nearer to a major town or city".

At smaller geographies the classification nature of each neighbourhood is useful in understanding the likely nature of those communities, and in generating insights as to what life may be like for residents there.

This page includes an interactive dashboard below with maps of Surrey based around the 2021 Rural Urban Classification, alongside the data tables which have been clipped to Surrey and attached as downloadable files at the foot of this page. These resources can be used to explore the classification all Output Areas across the county.

The dashboard is also directly available on Tableau Public.

Source:

Rural/urban classifications - Office for National Statistics