A weighted average of category figures from published datasets. Nothing is hidden, nothing is editorial, and the formula is versioned so a figure you saw last month can still be explained.
The measured categories
All categoriesSix commitments. Same on every report.
Limited local provision, Developing local provision, Mixed local provision, Well provided locally and Strongly provided locally are statements about published infrastructure against typical UK levels. They are not a verdict on a postcode, or on the people who live there. We will not tell you an area is bad, because that is not what the data can tell you.
House prices are not treated as a marker of status. The housing market category measures how much recent sale evidence exists and how stable it has been, so an area with more recent sales can measure higher on that category regardless of price level.
Census figures are shown as context only. Measuring the make-up of a population would be indefensible, so we do not do it.
Every category is oriented so that 100 is the stronger published result on that measure. A higher flood risk figure means fewer designated warning areas nearby, not more flooding, and not a live weather warning. A higher air quality figure means lower modelled pollution. A higher housing market figure means more recent sale evidence, not a higher price. A higher council tax figure means more homes in bands A to C, typically a smaller bill.
If we cannot obtain a category for a location, it is dropped and the remaining weights are scaled up. Every report says how much of the formula it was able to use.
Some datasets are only published for wider areas. Sale prices, for example, are far too sparse at a single postcode, so they are shown at sector or district level with a badge naming that area.
Published infrastructure and amenity data, never how desirable a place is or who lives there. Every band is paired with the categories that drive it.
Limited local provision
0–19
The measured categories, schools, transport, healthcare, green space and the rest, sit well below typical UK levels here. This describes the services and infrastructure recorded for this postcode, not the data quality, and not a judgement on the area or the people who live here.
Developing local provision
20–39
The measured categories sit below typical UK levels in several areas here. This describes the services and infrastructure recorded for this postcode, not the data quality, and not a judgement on the area or the people who live here.
Mixed local provision
40–59
The measured categories show a blend of strong and limited results here, with no single pattern. This describes the services and infrastructure recorded for this postcode, not the data quality, and not a judgement on the area or the people who live here.
Well provided locally
60–79
Most measured categories sit at or above typical UK levels here. This describes the services and infrastructure recorded for this postcode, not the data quality, and not a judgement on the area or the people who live here.
Strongly provided locally
80–100
The measured categories sit consistently above typical UK levels here. This describes the services and infrastructure recorded for this postcode, not the data quality, and not a judgement on the area or the people who live here.
Live formula · v1.1
Adds amenities, green space, healthcare access, air quality and council tax. The five launch categories stay as the spine, at reduced weight. Bar length is weight. Select a factor for the detail.
10 factors · sum to 100%
Composition
Area Measure categories by weight. Use arrow keys to move between rows, then read the detail beside the list.
Say we only have three figures for a place: schools 80, transport 90, flood risk 60. In the full formula those three would be worth 20%, 17% and 11% (48% in total). We stretch those shares so they add to 100%, then mix the three scores. That lands on 79, and the report notes that only 48% of the formula was available.
These appear on reports for background only. They never change the Area Measure: People, Recorded crime, Energy certificates, Listed buildings, Road collisions, Radon, Clean air zone.
We show nearby police.uk figures as a mix of offence types, a rate per 1,000 residents, and whether that rate has moved in the last year. We do not turn that into a crime score, an “unsafe area” label, or a league table. Reporting habits and how busy a place is can skew the numbers, so crime never enters the Area Measure. Scotland is not in the police.uk feed yet.
The launch formula. Five categories with the widest, most reliable national coverage.
Every dataset behind these categories, with its licence and how often it is refreshed, is listed on the sources page.