TOPICS: NATIONAL STATISTICS - SOCIO-ECONOMIC CLASSIFICATION

National Statistics - Socio-Economic Classification

Definition

The National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SeC) provides an indication of socio-economic position, based on occupation. It is an Office for National Statistics standard classification.

Output Classifications

Applicability: All people aged 16 and over ,UK

People aged 75 and over are not asked the economic activity questions. They are coded to L17 (code 40)

1 Class 1 (Higher Managerial and Professional Occupations)

1.1 Large employers and higher managerial occupations

L1 Employers in large organisations 01
L2 Higher managerial 02

1.2 L3 Higher professional occupations

L3.1 'Traditional' employees 03
L3.2 'New' employees 04
L3.3 'Traditional' self employed 05
L3.4 'New' self employed 06

2 Class 2 (Lower managerial and professional occupations)

L4 Lower professional and higher technical occupations

L4.1 'Traditional' employees 07
L4.2 'New' employees 08
L4.3 'Traditional' self employed 09
L4.4 'New' self employed 10

L5 Lower managerial occupations 11

L6 Higher supervisory occupations 12

3 Class 3 (Intermediate Occupations)

L7.1 Intermediate clerical and administrative 13
L7.2 Intermediate sales and service 14
L7.3 Intermediate technical and auxiliary 15
L7.4 Intermediate engineering 16

4 Class 4 (Small Employers and Own Account Workers)

L8 Employers in small organisations

L8.1 Employers in small organisations (non-professional) 17
L8.2 Employers in small organisations (agriculture) 18

L9 Own account workers

L9.1 Own account workers (non- professional) 19
L9.2 Own account workers (agriculture) 20

5 Class 5 (Lower Supervisory and technical occupations)

L10 Lower supervisory occupations 21

L11 Lower technical occupations

L11.1 Lower technical craft 22
L11.2 Lower technical process operative 23

6 Class 6 (Semi-routine Occupations)

L12.1 Semi-routine sales 24
L12.2 Semi-routine service 25
L12.3 Semi-routine technical 26
L12.4 Semi-routine operative 27
L12.5 Semi-routine agricultural 28
L12.6 Semi-routine clerical 29
L12.7 Semi-routine childcare 30

7 Class 7 (Routine Occupations)

L13.1 Routine sales and service 31
L13.2 Routine production 32
L13.3 Routine technical 33
L13.4 Routine operative 34
L13.5 Routine agricultural 35

8 Class 8 (Never worked and long-term unemployed)

L14.1 Never worked 36
L14.2 Long-term unemployed 37

Not classified

L15 Full-time students 38
Occupation not coded 39
L17 Not classifiable for other reasons 40

XX Not applicable

Total number of categories: 41

Not applicable category comprises:

- people aged 15 and under

Output

CAS023, CAS024, CAS042, CAS043, CAS044, CAS045, CAS046, CAS047, CAS224, CAS225

CAST01, CAST07

S23, S24, S42, S43, S44, S45, S46, S47, S64, S213, S215, S244, S225, S243

KS14A-C

T16, T27, T28, T34

UV31

Census Areas Statistics (CAS), Census Areas Statistics Theme (CAST), Key Statistics (KS) and Univariate (UV) tables are available for all census areas.

Standard (S) and Theme (T) tables are available at ST Ward/ST Postcode Sector and above.

Click here to view a diagram of the census areas.

Social Grade, Approximated

Definition

Social Grade is the socio-economic classification used by the Market Research and Marketing Industries. Although it is not possible to allocate Social Grade precisely from information collected in the Census, the Market Research Society has developed a method for using Census information to provide a good approximation of Social Grade.

Most output by Social Grade will be for people aged 16 and over in households. They will be classified by the Social Grade of their Household Reference Person (HRP). For households where the HRP is aged less than 16 or over 74 the Social Grade of people in the household will be determined by the household tenure. One table, for the workplace population (people in employment whose usual place of work is in the area) will categorise people by their own Social Grade based on their own occupation.

Output Classifications

Applicability: All people aged 16-74, UK

1,2 AB Higher and intermediate managerial/administrative/professional

3 C1 Supervisory, clerical, junior managerial/administrative/professional

4 C2 Skilled manual workers

5 D Semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers

6 E On state benefit, unemployed, lowest grade workers

X Not applicable

Total number of categories: 6

Not applicable category (X) comprises: people aged 15 or under or aged 75 or over