Gaining Value from The 2004 Indices of Deprivation in Lincolnshire

Super Output Areas

Super output areas (SOAs), of which there are three levels (lower, middle and higher), form the geographical basis for small area statistics published by the Office of National Statistics over at least the next five years, but potentially for much longer. Deprivation is measured using the Lower Level SOAs, and these are currently the only level in use.

They are composed of Output Areas, which provided detailed low level, non-sensitive, information from the 2001 Census. They are intended to be more appropriate to statistical correlation, available at a range of levels and suitable for monitoring trends. The output areas and the three levels of super output area nest within one another and so far all but the highest level have been agreed through local and national consultation.