Plymouth Unitary Authority (UA) : Simplified Industrial Structure (5-way)

Simplified Industrial Structure (5-way)

Data cube chart.

Year Agriculture Mining Manufacturing Util+Const+Transp Services
1841 888 Show data context 57 Show data context 6,129 Show data context 3,708 Show data context 10,051 Show data context
1861 1,722 Show data context 173 Show data context 13,685 Show data context 6,486 Show data context 25,971 Show data context
1881 1,595 Show data context 235 Show data context 16,069 Show data context 12,099 Show data context 28,228 Show data context
1911 3,431 Show data context 288 Show data context 23,731 Show data context 14,163 Show data context 51,315 Show data context
1931 1,498 Show data context 429 Show data context 20,980 Show data context 11,737 Show data context 52,293 Show data context
1951 908 Show data context 264 Show data context 26,749 Show data context 18,077 Show data context 55,462 Show data context
1971 347 Show data context 138 Show data context 29,168 Show data context 16,031 Show data context 58,636 Show data context
1991 360 Show data context 110 Show data context 18,117 Show data context 15,502 Show data context 75,297 Show data context
2001 587 Show data context 244 Show data context 15,837 Show data context 16,092 Show data context 73,561 Show data context
2011 222 Show data context 188 Show data context 11,493 Show data context 16,606 Show data context 88,957 Show data context
2021 276 Show data context 179 Show data context 9,956 Show data context 18,444 Show data context 92,213 Show data context
Date Source
1841 1841 Census of Great Britain, Occupations, Table [1] , 'Occupation Abstract'
1861 1861 Census of England and Wales, Ages, Table 17 , 'Occupations of Males aged 20 Years and upwards in Districts'
1881 Great Britain Historical GIS Project Computed from 1881 microdata
1911 1911 Census of England and Wales, Occupations Vol 1, Table 15 A, 'Grouped occupations of Males and Females aged 10 years and upwards, in Administrative Counties, County Boroughs, Metropolitan Boroughs, Urban Districts of which the population exceeded 5,000 persons, aggregates of other Urban Districts, and aggregates of Rural Districts; also proportion per 1,000 of unmarried, married, widowed, and of married and widowed women engaged in occupations, and proportion of female domestic servants to separate occupiers or families, 1911 - Males'
1931 1931 Census of England and Wales, Industry, Table 3 , 'Industries (condensed list) of Males and Females (exclusive of persons out of work)'
1951 1951 Census of England and Wales, Industry, Table 3 , 'Industries (Orders and Selected Units) and Status Aggregates. Occupied Males and Females aged 15 and over', for 'Urban Areas with population of less than 50,000, RD, NT'
1971 1971 Census of England and Wales, Economic activity County Leaflets, Table 3 , 'Industry and status by area of workplace and sex', for 'County, county boroughs, urban areas with populations of 50,000 or more, conurbation centres'
1991 Census of Population
2001 Office for National Statistics, NOMIS - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics (Table UV034, Industry (17 way))
2011 Office for National Statistics, NOMIS - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics (Table KS605UK - Industry)
2021 Office for National Statistics, ONS "Create a Custom Dataset" ("Industry (current)" (19 way))

This website exists to help people doing personal research projects on particular areas within a locality. So long as you are using our data for only a small number of units, you are not making money out of what you are doing, and you are not systematically re-publishing our data, you do not need to request permission from us, but you do need to acknowledge us as your source with the wording:

"This work is based on data provided through www.VisionofBritain.org.uk and uses historical material which is copyright of the Great Britain Historical GIS Project and the University of Portsmouth".

Where the above statement is included in a web page or similar online resource, the reference to "www.VisionofBritain.org.uk" must be a working hyperlink.

nCube definition


This very simplified view of the changing industrial base of communities does identify the traditional sectors of Agriculture, Mining and Manufacturing which dominated many areas in the nineteenth century, but provides no breakdown of the service sector, in which the large majority of us now work.


How to reference this page:

GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, Plymouth Unitary Authority (UA) through time | Historical Statistics on Industry | Simplified Industrial Structure (5-way), A Vision of Britain through Time.

URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10168259/cube/IND_SECTOR_5WAY

Date accessed: 31st May 2026