Glossary
The following terms and definitions are used around the website.
The division of England and Wales into Output Areas was completed on 23 January 2003. These are the new small area building bricks for the release of 2001 Census results and for use more widely in Neighbourhood Statistics.
There are some 175,500 Output Areas in England and Wales. They were created around a target population of 125 resident households (300 residents), and 37.5% lie between 120 and 129 households, whilst 79.5% lie between 110 and 139 households. Some 5% lie between 40 households - the confidentiality threshold - and 99 households, and many of these are a single parish (or community in Wales).
Ouput Areas are thus the smallest geographical areas, the building blocks of Super Output Areas.