Businessballs index

Browse full businessballs index for more concepts, ideas and resources.

demographics classifications

free social grade definitions and demographics classifications and geodemographic classes

Here are some free listings of commonly used demographics, lifestyle and geodemographical classifications, now including the ACORN UK 2005 profiles and population percentages. Social class definitions and geodemographics are mainly used by marketing professionals, statistical researchers and social and lifestyle commentators. Terms like 'ABC1' as a definition of consumer types, are often used to describe a profile of users or target customers. Demographical and social grade definitions enable the classification and measurement of people of different social grade and income and earnings levels, for market research, targeting, social commentary, lifestyle statistics, and statistical research and analysis. Geodemographics combine the analysis of demographic lifestyle and geography. The proven principle is that people living in similar 'neighbourhoods' generally exhibit similar lifestyle and spending tendencies. Included here free are NRS, CACI ACORN and INSIGHT classifications, including ACORN 2005 UK population percentages.

A comprehensive (and most recent edition, as at March 2007*) 104 page document (NB large file size - 8.5MB) CACI ACORN UK Demographics Profile and User Guide containing detailed UK demographics and percentages for is available as a pdf file. Please note this is a big file. This excellent resource is free from the Businessballs website with permission from CACI. * Note: This report was first published 2004. It is not updated every year. When it is next updated I will endeavour to make the new edition available here, subject to agreement with CACI.

nrs social grade definitions (uk)

NRS stands for National Readership Survey (NRS Ltd). NRS is a not-for-profit company which is funded by the UK Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), Newspaper Publishers Association (NPA), and Periodical Publishers Association (PPA). The NRS social grade definitions have been in use for decades, ostensibly for audience profiling and targeting by the media, publishing and advertising sectors, and have become established as a generic reference series for classifying and describing social classes, especially for consumer targeting and consumer market research. See below for the NRS estimates of uk population by social grade Jan-Dec 2005, and for Jan-Dec 2004.

social grade	social status	occupation
A	upper middle class	higher managerial, administrative or professional
B	middle class	intermediate managerial, administrative or professional
C1	lower middle class	supervisory or clerical, junior managerial, administrative or professional
C2	skilled working class	skilled manual workers
D	working class	semi and unskilled manual workers
E	those at lowest level of subsistence	state pensioners or widows (no other earner), casual or lowest grade workers

nrs estimates of uk population by social grade jan-dec 2006

			All UK Adults (15+)	Men	Women
Totals		Estimated 000s	48,186	23,378	24,808
		% profile	100	100	100
Social Grade A	Upper Middle Class - Higher managerial, administrative or professional	Estimated 000s	1,932	1,032	900
		% profile	4.0	4.4	3.6
Social Grade B	Middle Class - Intermediate managerial, administrative or professional	Estimated 000s	10,573	5,404	5,169
		% profile	21.9	23.1	20.8
Social Grade C1	Lower Middle Class - Supervisory or clerical and junior managerial, administrative or professional	Estimated 000s	13,982	6,400	7,581
		% profile	29.0	27.4	30.6
Social Grade C2	Skilled Working Class - Skilled manual workers	Estimated 000s	9,964	5,395	4,570
		% profile	20.7	23.1	18.4
Social Grade D	Working Class - Semi and unskilled manual workers	Estimated 000s	7,819	3,712	4,107
		% profile	16.2	15.9	16.6
Social Grade E	Those at the lowest levels of subsistence - Entirely dependent on state for long-term income	Estimated 000s	3,916	1,435	2,481
		% profile	8.1	6.1	10.0

Source: National Readership Survey, January-December 2006. With acknowledgments to NRS Ltd. Reproduced with permission. Not to be sold or published.

nrs estimates of uk population by social grade jan-dec 2005

		All adults (15+)	Men	Women
Totals	Population 000s	47,771	23,150	24,621
	Profile %	100	100	100
Social Grade A	Population 000s	1,818	943	875
	Profile %	3.8	4.1	3.6
Social Grade B	Population 000s	10,552	5,336	5,216
	Profile %	22.1	23.1	21.2
Social Grade C1	Population 000s	13,800	6,341	7,459
	Profile %	28.9	27.4	30.3
Social Grade C2	Population 000s	9,844	5,312	4,532
	Profile %	20.6	22.9	18.4
Social Grade D	Population 000s	7,747	3,762	3,985
	Profile %	16.2	16.2	16.2
Social Grade E	Population 000s	4,009	1,455	2,554
	Profile %	8.4	6.3	10.4

Source: National Readership Survey, January-December 2005. With acknowledgments to NRS Ltd. Reproduced with permission. Not to be sold or published.

nrs estimates of uk population by social grade jan-dec 2004

		All Adults (15+)	Men	Women
Totals	Population 000s	47,265	22,862	24,403
	%	100	100	100
Social Grade A	Population 000s	1,594	875	719
	%	3.4	3.8	2.9
Social Grade B	Population 000s	10,189	5,182	5,006
	%	21.6	22.7	20.5
Social Grade C1	Population 000s	13,757	6,304	7,453
	%	29.1	27.6	30.5
Social Grade C2	Population 000s	9,924	5,349	4,575
	%	21	23.4	18.7
Social Grade D	Population 000s	7,636	3,655	3,981
	%	16.2	16	16.3
Social Grade E	Population 000s	4,166	1,496	2,670
	%	8.8	6.5	10.9

Source: National Readership Survey, January-December 2004. With acknowledgments to NRS Ltd. Reproduced with permission. Not to be sold or published.

insight social value groups (uk)

The insight Value Group Ltd carried out a vast study of UK social values and change, and upon its findings established this social value scale. It draws heavily from Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. This is the Insight Value Group scale, which claims to be an accurate representation of the groups that exist in the UK today.

social value group	characteristics
self actualisers	focused on people and relationships, individualistic and creative, enthusiastically exploring change, 'in a framework of non-prescriptive consideration for others'
innovators	self-confident risk-takers, seeking new and different things, setting their own targets to achieve
esteem seekers	acquisitive and materialistic, aspiring to what they see are symbols of success, including things and experiences
strivers	attaching importance to image and status, as a means of enabling acceptance by their peer group, at the same time holding onto traditional values
contented conformers	wanting to be 'normal', so follow the herd, accepting of their circumstances, they are contented and comfortable in the security of their own making
traditionalists	averse to risk, guided by traditional behaviours and values, quiet and reserved, hanging back and blending in with the crowd
disconnected	detached and resentful, embittered and apathetic, tending to live in the 'ever-present now'

caci acorn profiles of great britain

This is the ACORN demographic profile for the UK 2005 edition produced by CACI Ltd., based on the 2001 census (which provides about 30% of the data) and ongoing research via CACI's consumer lifestyle databases (covering the UK's 46 million adults and 23 million households). The ACORN demographics classifications and percentages and reproduced here with CACI's permission, which is gratefully acknowledged. Further information is at the ACORN section of CACI's website. The 2005 ACORN demographics classifications and percentages seem unchanged from those for 2003-4. The classifications for 2001 are different and these are shown below the 2005 table for reference.

A comprehensive 104 page document (NB large file size - 8.5MB) CACI ACORN 2005 UK Demographics Profile and User Guide containing detailed UK demographics and percentages for 2005 is available as a pdf file. Please note this is a big file. This excellent resource is free from the Businessballs website with permission from CACI.

The ACORN acronym meaning is 'A Classification Of Residential Neighbourhoods' (more business acronyms here). There are c.1.7 million postcodes in the United Kingdom; each postcode accounting for 15 addresses on average. The CACI organization produced the ACORN classifications to include every street in the country, comprising 17 distinct categories, containing 54 ACORN neighbourhood types. It is a geodemographic (combining geographical and demographics analysis) classification of British social classes and is used by marketing professionals to measure and target consumers and characteristics. CACI provide annual percentages population figures each year for each classification, and if you want to ask any particular questions about this please get in touch . You might never use these Acorn classifications, but whenever someone refers to them at least you'll be able to know what they mean... The classifications also provide a thought-provoking profile of the range of different existences of people in Britain - and no doubt across the Western World - today.

acorn 2003-2005 definitions with uk population percentages

This is the Acorn profile developed by CACI Ltd based on 2005 definitions and percentages, which seems unchanged from the 2003-4 classifications and data. Free online UK postcode profiles based on these 2005 definitions are available at the ACORN section of CACI's website.

category	% of UK pop	group		% of UK pop	type	name	% of UK pop
wealthy achievers	25.1%	A	wealthy executives	8.6%
cat. 1		A			1	wealthy mature professionals, large houses	1.7%
1		A			2	wealthy working families with mortgages	1.5
1		A			3	villages with wealthy commuters	2.7
1		A			4	well-off managers with larger houses	2.6
1		B	affluent greys	7.7
1		B			5	older affluent professionals	1.8
1		B			6	farming communities	2.0
1		B			7	old people, detached homes	1.9
1		B			8	mature couples, smaller detached homes	2.0
1		C	flourishing families	8.8
1		C			9	older families, prosperous suburbs	2.1
1		C			10	well-off working families with mortgages	2.3
1		C			11	well-off managers, detached houses	3.7
1		C			12	large families and houses in rural areas	0.6
urban prosperity	10.7	D	prosperous professionals	2.2
2		D			13	well-off older professionals, larger houses and converted flats	0.9
2		D			14	older professionals in suburban houses and apartments	1.4
2		E	educated urbanites	4.6
2		E			15	affluent urban professionals, flats	1.1
2		E			16	prosperous young professionals, flats	0.9
2		E			17	young educated workers, flats	0.6
2		E			18	multi-ethnic young, converted flats	1.1
2		E			19	suburban privately renting professionals	0.9
2		F	aspiring singles	3.9
2		F			20	student flats and cosmopolitan sharers	0.6
2		F			21	singles and sharers, multi-ethnic areas	1.6
2		F			22	low income singles	1.2
2		F			23	student terraces	0.4
comfortably off	26.6	G	starting out	2.5
3		G			24	young couples, flats and terraces	1.0
3		G			25	white collar singles/sharers, terraces	1.4
3		H	secure families	15.5
3		H			26	younger white collar couples with mortgages	1.9
3		H			27	middle-income, home owning areas	2.9
3		H			28	working families with mortgages	2.6
3		H			29	mature families in suburban semis	3.3
3		H			30	established home-owning workers	3.6
3		H			31	home-owning asian family areas	1.1
3		I	settled suburbia	6.0
3		I			32	retired home owners	0.9
3		I			33	middle-income, older couples	3.0
3		I			34	lower incomes, older people, semis	2.1
3		J	prudent pensioners	2.6
3		J			35	elderly singles, purpose-built flats	0.7
3		J			36	older people, flats	1.9
modest means	14.5	K	asian communities	1.6
4		K			37	crowded asian terraces	0.5
4		K			38	low income asian families	1.1
4		L	post industrial families	4.8
4		L			39	skilled older families, terraces	2.8
4		L			40	young working families	2.1
4		M	blue collar roots	8.0
4		M			41	skilled workers, semis and terraces	3.3
4		M			42	home-owning families, terraces	2.8
4		M			43	older people, rented terraces	1.8
hard pressed	22.4	N	struggling families	14.1
5		N			44	low income larger families, semis	3.3
5		N			45	low income, older people, smaller semis	3.0
5		N			46	low income, routine jobs, terraces and flats	1.4
5		N			47	low income families, terraced estates	2.6
5		N			48	families and single parents, semis and terraces	2.1
5		N			49	large families and single parents, many children	1.7
5		O	burdened singles	4.5
5		O			50	single elderly people, council flats	1.8
5		O			51	single parents and pensioners, council terraces	1.9
5		O			52	families and single parents, council flats	0.8
5		P	high rise hardship	1.6
5		P			53	old people, many high rise flats	0.8
5		P			54	singles and single parents, high rise estates	0.9
5		Q	inner city adversity	2.1
5		Q			55	multi-ethnic purpose-built estates	1.1
5		Q			56	multi-ethnic, crowded flats	1.1
		U	unclassified	0.3	57	mainly communal population	0.3

acorn 2001 profile definitions

This is the Acorn profile developed by CACI Ltd based on 2001 definitions. It has been superceded by the later demographics profiles and percentages shown above, so these 2001 profiles are provided mainly for retrospective reference.

acorn 'types'	acorn 'groups'
A - thriving 1.1 wealthy suburbs 1.2 villages with wealthy commuters 1.3 mature affluent home-owning areas 1.4 affluent suburbs, older families 1.5 mature well off suburbs 2.6 agricultural villages, home-based workers 2.7 holiday retreats, older people, home-based workers 2.8 home owning areas, well-off older residents 3.9 private flats, elderly people	1 - wealthy achievers, suburban areas 2 - affluent greys, rural communities 3 - prosperous pensioners, retirement areas
B - expanding 4.10 affluent working families with mortgages 4.11 affluent working couples with mortgages, new homes 4.12 transient workforces, living at their place of work 5.13 home owning family areas 5.14 home owning family areas, older children 5.15 families with mortgages, younger children	4 - affluent executives, family areas 5 - well-off workers, family areas
C - rising 6.16 well-off town and city areas 6.17 flats and mortgages, singles and young working couples 6.18 furnished flats and bedsits, younger single people 7.19 apartments, young professional singles and couples 7.20 gentrified multi-ethnic areas 8.21 prosperous enclaves, highly qualified executives 8.22 academic centres, students and young professionals 8.23 affluent city centre areas, tenements and flats 8.24 partly gentrified multi-ethnic areas 8.25 converted flats and bedsits, single people	6 - affluent urbanites, town and city areas 7 - prosperous professionals, metropolitan areas 8 - better-off executives, inner city areas
D - settling 9.26 mature established home owning areas 9.27 rural areas, mixed occupations 9.28 established home owning areas 9.29 home owning areas, council tenants, retired couples 10.30 established home owning areas, skilled workers 10.31 home owners on older properties, younger workers 10.32 home owning areas with skilled workers	9 - comfortable middle agers, mature home owning areas 10 - skilled workers, home owning areas
E - aspiring 11.33 council areas, some new home owners 11.34 mature home owning areas, skilled workers 11.35 low rise estates, older workers, new home owners 12.36 home owning multi-ethnic areas, young families 12.37 multi-occupied town centres, mixed occupations 12.38 multi-ethnic areas, while collar workers	11 - new home owners, mature communities 12 - while collar workers, better-off multi-ethnic areas
F - striving 13.39 home owners, small council flats, single pensioners 13.40 council areas, older people, health problems 14.41 better-off council areas, new home owners 14.42 council areas, young families, some new home owners 14.43 council areas, young families, many lone parents 14.44 multi-occupied terraces, multi-ethnic areas 14.45 low rise council housing, less well-off families 14.46 council areas, residents with health problems 15.47 estates with high unemployment 15.48 council flats, elderly people, health problems 15.49 council flats, very high unemployment, singles 16.50 council areas, high unemployment, lone parents 16.51 council flats, greatest hardship, many lone parents 17.52 multi-ethnic areas, large families, overcrowding 17.53 multi-ethnic estates, severe unemployment, lone parents 17.54 multi-ethnic areas, high unemployment, overcrowding	13 - older people, less prosperous areas 14 - council estate residents, better-off homes 15 - council estate residents, high unemployment 16 - council estate residents, greatest hardship 17 - people in multi-ethnic low income areas

The Acorn classifications also acknowledge an 'unclassified' section of British society, although no definitions are attached to it. For the record, Acorn projected in 2002 some 0.3% of the British population would fall under the 'unclassified' heading.

nrs 'super profiles' classification (uk)

NRS (National Readership Survey Ltd) also use the following summary headings as an alternative way of classifying lifestyle types in the UK. Again, percentage figures for the distribution of these types are available from various sources.

A - affluent achievers

B - thriving greys

C - settled suburbans

D - nest builders

E - urban ventures

F - country life

G - senior citizens

H - producers

I - hard-pressed families

J - have-nots

K - unclassifiable

relating social grade to pay levels (uk)

The NRS ABC1 (etc) scale is not a direct correlation with earnings. Neither the CACI nor the NRS demographics and social grades classifications correlates precisely with earnings, so care needs to be taken when inferring pay or earnings levels from social grade classifications or categories.

As a guide however here are my own best estimated pay bands without overlap (which is more helpful for broad brush analysis) for the NRS ABC1 (etc) social grades. In reality there would be overlap, for instance, some C2's earn £50k or more, for example self-employed plumbers; some C1's earn £100k, for example top sales-people; some B's earn £100k, for example top performing middle managers. Which all goes to show that this scale is actually quite a dated framework. Society has changed a lot since it was created.

These broad guide figures based on 2004 levels.

NRS grade and annual earnings (my own estimate - if you have any other suggestions let me know.)

A - £50k and over
B - £35-50k
C1 - £25-35k
C2 - £15-25k
D - £7-15k
E - £5-7k

Social grade systems ACORN and Super Profiles are obviously a lot more subtle, and so probably correlate better to earnings.

If you are surveying or using questionnaires to research demographics and pay levels, adjust your survey questions to indicate precisely what social grading and earnings levels information you want to measure.

browse categories

business/selling
sales, marketing, strategy, business management
glossaries/terminology
glossaries, dictionaries, acronyms, lists of terms
human resources
recruitment and selection, training, job interviews
teambuilding/games
activities, games, icebreakers, quizzes, puzzles
lifestyle/environment
climate change, sleeping aids, reiki

amusement/stress relief
funny and inspirational stories, quotes, humour
personal development
personal development, self-discovery, self-help, life balance
leadership/management
delegation, motivation, change management
writing/communicating
cv templates, reference letters, resignation letters
diagrams and tools
free templates, samples, resources, tests and quizzes

The use of this material is free provided copyright (see below) is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the www.businessballs.com website. This material may not be sold, or published in any form. Disclaimer: Reliance on information, material, advice, or other linked or recommended resources, received from Alan Chapman, shall be at your sole risk, and Alan Chapman assumes no responsibility for any errors, omissions, or damages arising. Users of this website are encouraged to confirm information received with other sources, and to seek local qualified advice if embarking on any actions that could carry personal or organisational liabilities. Managing people and relationships are sensitive activities; the free material and advice available via this website do not provide all necessary safeguards and checks. Please retain this notice on all copies.