Cheshire West and Chester Unitary Authority :
NS Socio-economic Classification (4-way)

NS Socio-economic Classification (4-way)

Data cube chart.

Year Higher managerial, administrative & professional occupations Intermediate occupations Routine & manual occupations Never worked & long-term unemployed
1841 6,058 Show data context 23,072 Show data context 18,439 Show data context
1881 10,854 Show data context 32,061 Show data context 20,751 Show data context
1931 13,858 Show data context 40,785 Show data context 27,969 Show data context
1971 5,958 Show data context 4,193 Show data context 3,735 Show data context 2,156 Show data context
1981 7,283 Show data context 4,224 Show data context 3,798 Show data context 1,393 Show data context
1991 7,990 Show data context 2,830 Show data context 3,349 Show data context 406 Show data context
2001 68,110 Show data context 33,992 Show data context 66,664 Show data context 19,772 Show data context
2011 137,447 Show data context 51,054 Show data context 81,261 Show data context 27,562 Show data context
2021 106,634 Show data context 62,446 Show data context 86,939 Show data context 39,416 Show data context
Date Source
1841 [ERROR: authority is ''SRC'' but auth_note value of does not appear in SRC_TAB]
1881 Great Britain Historical GIS Project Computed from 1881 microdata
1931 1931 Census of England and Wales, Occupations, Table 17 , 'Occupations (condensed list) of Males and Females, showing also the total Operatives and the total Out of Work'
1971 UK Data Service, Census 1971 data (Table SAS23: "SEG and economic position (10% Sample): Economically Active residents")
1981 UK Data Service, Census 1981 data (SAS50: "Socio-Economic group and economic positions (10% Sample): Economically active residents")
1991 Office for National Statistics, NOMIS - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics (Table S92 "SEG and economic position (10% sample): Economically active residents)
2001 Office for National Statistics, NOMIS - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics (Table UV031, NS-Sec (21 way))
2011 Office for National Statistics, NOMIS - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics (Table QS607UK - NS-SeC)
2021 Office for National Statistics, ONS "Create a Custom Dataset" (National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (17 way))

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nCube definition


Here we simplify the National Statistics Socio-economic Classfication into just four analytic categories, which we try to present over a very long period. Note that up to 1991 the census focused on levels of "skill", and on whether work was "manual", but since 2001 the focus has instead been on whether work was "routine", making comparisons difficult.


How to reference this page:

GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, Cheshire West and Chester through time | Social Structure Statistics | NS Socio-economic Classification (4-way), A Vision of Britain through Time.

URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10284965/cube/NS_SEC_4WAY

Date accessed: 06th December 2025