The 2021
rural-urban classification (RUC) of Middle layer Super Output Areas (MSOA) in
England and Wales. Middle layer Super Output Areas are assigned their RUC
classification based on their Output Area (OA) settlement class (‘Urban’,
‘Larger rural’ and ‘Smaller rural’) and relative access category (‘nearer to a
major town or city’ and ‘further from a major town or city’) of the majority
population that are resident within them.
The 2021 RUC is a statistical
classification to provide a consistent and standardised method for classifying
geographies as rural or urban. This is based on address density, physical
settlement form, population size, and Relative Access to Major towns and cities
(populations of over 75,000 people). The classification is produced by the
Office for National Statistics (ONS) with advice from the Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Welsh Government and
colleagues from the Government Geography Profession (GGP).
