North Ayrshire Council : NS Socio-economic Classification (4-way)

NS Socio-economic Classification (4-way)

Data cube chart.

Year Higher managerial, administrative & professional occupations Intermediate occupations Routine & manual occupations Never worked & long-term unemployed
1841 1,509 Show data context 4,506 Show data context 4,313 Show data context
1881 2,889 Show data context 8,008 Show data context 5,096 Show data context
1931 5,845 Show data context 21,262 Show data context 11,916 Show data context
1971 2,070 Show data context 1,853 Show data context 1,702 Show data context 707 Show data context
1981 2,519 Show data context 2,058 Show data context 1,826 Show data context 638 Show data context
1991 2,585 Show data context 1,393 Show data context 1,560 Show data context 133 Show data context
2001 19,306 Show data context 13,536 Show data context 33,579 Show data context 11,030 Show data context
2011 43,682 Show data context 20,401 Show data context 42,893 Show data context 14,178 Show data context
2021 31,793 Show data context 22,672 Show data context 41,553 Show data context 16,224 Show data context
Date Source
1841 [ERROR: authority is ''SRC'' but auth_note value of does not appear in SRC_TAB]
1881 1881 Census of Scotland, Ages, Table [32] , 'Occupations of Males and Females at different Ages in each of the Counties of Scotland'
1931 1931 Census of Scotland, Occupations, Table 16 , 'Industries of Males and Females in Cities, Counties, and Large Burghs'
1971 UK Data Service, Census 1971 data (Table SAS23: "SEG and economic position (10% Sample): Economically Active residents")
1981 UK Data Service, Census 1981 data (SAS50: "Socio-Economic group and economic positions (10% Sample): Economically active residents")
1991 Office for National Statistics, NOMIS - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics (Table S92 "SEG and economic position (10% sample): Economically active residents)
2001 National Records of Scotland, Scotland's Census (Table UV31, NS-SeC (51 way))
2011 Office for National Statistics, NOMIS - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics (Table QS607UK - NS-SeC)
2021 National Records of Scotland, Scotland's Census (Table UV607, NS-SeC, for "all people aged 16 and over")

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nCube definition


Here we simplify the National Statistics Socio-economic Classfication into just four analytic categories, which we try to present over a very long period. Note that up to 1991 the census focused on levels of "skill", and on whether work was "manual", but since 2001 the focus has instead been on whether work was "routine", making comparisons difficult.


How to reference this page:

GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, North Ayrshire Council through time | Historical Statistics on Social Structure | NS Socio-economic Classification (4-way), A Vision of Britain through Time.

URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10188957/cube/NS_SEC_4WAY

Date accessed: 04th June 2026