These plans detail the analysis we have published on the topic of housing in the first year of the Census 2021 analysis programme, and the proposals we are considering publishing in following years. We will provide updates to these plans resulting from user feedback, and further research and testing of the data. We will provide article publication dates on our release calendar in "Upcoming releases". We intend to confirm publication releases four weeks before publication. We will update this page with links to articles when they are published.

Publications in 2023

Housing, England and Wales
Bulletin | Published 5 January 2023
Accommodation type, tenure, rooms and bedrooms, central heating and car or van availability in England and Wales, Census 2021 data. 

People with second addresses, England and Wales
Bulletin | Published 5 January 2023
Information about people who use second addresses in England and Wales, Census 2021 data. 

Communal establishment residents, England and Wales
Bulletin | Published 5 January 2023
Information about people who live in communal establishments, including age, sex and type of establishment, Census 2021 data.

Housing in England and Wales: 2021 compared with 2011
Article| Published 30 March 2023
Housing characteristics at the dwelling level, in England and Wales. Characteristics include dwelling occupancy, shared dwellings, accommodation type, tenure, central heating type and number of bedrooms. We also compare with the 2011 Census, where appropriate.

Household characteristics by tenure, England and Wales: Census 2021
Article| Published 19 May 2023
Variations in tenure by household size, household family composition, multi-generational households, and household level information on the age, ethnic group, religion, employment status and occupation of household members. Usual resident households, England and Wales, Census 2021.

More than 1 in 10 addresses used as holiday homes in some areas of England and Wales
Article | Published 20 June 2023
Analysis of Census 2021 data reveals the hotspots where second addresses are used as holiday homes across England and Wales. Explore these locations, how many people use them and where they travel from.

Overcrowding and under-occupancy by household characteristics, England and Wales: Census 2021
Article | Published 25 August 2023
Variations in occupancy rating for bedrooms by tenure, accommodation type, family composition and other household characteristics in households with usual residents

Number of vacant and second homes, England and Wales: Census 2021
Bulletin| Published 27 October 2023
A breakdown of unoccupied dwellings into truly vacant dwellings and second homes (with no usual residents) compiled from census and administrative data sources. 

People experiencing homelessness, England and Wales
Article | Published 6 December 2023
Exploring the age, sex, ethnic group, health, disability status, legal partnership status, sexual orientation, and employment status of people identified as homeless in England and Wales, using Census 2021 data. These are official statistics in development. 

Who is most likely to live in homes that are harder to keep warm?
Article | Published 14 December 2023
Analysis that explores which groups of people are more likely to live in homes with lower energy efficiency across England and Wales and how that might affect them, using data from Census 2021 and Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs).

Using census data tools to explore housing 

Census maps - Census 2021 data interactive, ONS 

Use our maps to find out about housing characteristics across England and Wales in March 2021. 

Create a custom dataset 

Use our create a custom dataset tool to select a population type, geographic areas and variables of your choice, to create a dataset which meets your needs. This includes housing variables, as well as variables from other topics covered by Census 2021 data for England and Wales. 

Build a custom area profile 

Create your own profile for local areas in England and Wales using Census 2021 data. 

Ad-hoc data releases

Type of central heating of the accommodation based on Census 2021
Dataset | Published 6 December 2022
Preliminary estimates of the number of households by type of central heating at Output Area level and above for England and Wales.

Second addresses by location and type: Census 2021
Dataset | Published 20 June 2023 
Counts of dwellings used as second addresses by second address type, available at national to Lower layer Super Output Area (LSOA) level. Breakdowns are also available by accommodation type and number of bedrooms to local authority level. 

Percentage of dwellings covered by an Energy Performance Certificate in England and Wales, using Census 2021 data
Dataset | Published 6 July 2023
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) data are linked to 2021 Census dwellings data to provide the percentage of dwellings that have an EPC. Coverage is available for all EPC's since records began, and for valid EPC's only up to 31 March 2021. Data are produced for tenure and accommodation type, and are available by countries, regions and local authorities in England and Wales.

Deprioritised analysis we no longer plan to publish

Energy efficiency and trends in fuel type used for central heating of homes

This analysis will focus on the type of central heating used and overall energy efficiency of housing at different subnational geographical levels. Aspects of energy efficiency it might consider, include:

  • Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating

  • type of central heating (fuel)

  • presence of renewables and energy efficiency improvement measures

  • EPC data will provide this information.

The analysis aims to include property characteristics, such as:

  • type of accommodation

  • age of property, from Valuation Office Agency (VOA) property attributes

  • tenure

  • number of bedrooms

  • floor space, using VOA property attributes and EPC data

Floor space available for households by property characteristics

This analysis will look at variations in floor space for households by geographical area, broken down by property characteristics. These characteristics could include type of accommodation, tenure and floor space per person. We are exploring ways to produce a measure of floor space, using administrative data from VOA property attributes data and EPC data.

Non-cohabitation ownership rates by sex

This analysis will look at home ownership rates for single-adult occupancy of a property by sex. It aims to produce insights into whether there is a difference in the ability for people to own their property. The analysis will also look at changes that have occurred since the 2011 Census.

Life in high-rise tower blocks

This analysis will look at the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of those living in high-rise tower blocks. It will include a focus on living conditions such as overcrowding, health and education.

More information

To find out more about our Census 2021 analysis or to provide feedback, email us at census.customer.services@ons.gov.uk.