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What is Rural Urban Classification data?

The Rural Urban Classification is an official statistic, provided by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, that is used to distinguish rural and urban areas. The Classification defines areas as rural if they fall outside of settlements with a resident population of more than 10,000.

For more information on this dataset see https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/2011-rural-urban-classification.

Within Active Places Power, the Rural Urban Classification (RUC) is a single map layer classifying each Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) with its RUC setting.  See Map > Map Layers > Environment Data > Rural Urban Classification. 

Eight classifications are defined within the single map layer.  They are: 

  • A1 - Urban major conurbation
  • B1 - Urban minor conurbation
  • C1 - Urban city and town
  • C2 - Urban city and town (sparse)
  • D1 - Rural town and fringe
  • D2 - Rural town and fringe (sparse)
  • E1 - Rural village and dispersed
  • E2 - Rural village and dispersed (sparse)