London Workplace Zone Classification

The London Workplace Zone Classification (LWZC) is a geodemographic classification based on various data sources including the 2011 UK census. It provides insight into the variegated workplace functions and nature of employment across Greater London by segmenting London’s 8,154 workplace zones into categories based on 92 characteristics to broadly define each zone’s employment structure, its employer and employee characteristics, commuting accessibility and residential context.

The broader context attests to distinctive patterns within the capital that are not apparent when using the nationwide COWZ-UK (Classification of Workplace Zones) classification of the London area. The LWZC sorts workplace zones into five groups and further sub-groups, identifying whether each zone principally offers residential, city-focused, infrastructure-based, or integrating and independent services, or whether it offers metropolitan destinations for high streets, retail or leisure.

Content

The data are available for download at the bottom of this page. Also available are a look up for subgroups and descriptions of each cluster group (pen portraits).

Quality, Representation and Bias

There is an accompanying paper for this data product which details these issues in full. Input to the classification are mostly workplace zone 2011 census data, so are bounded by the usual operational quality / representation and bias of a national census. Additional consumer data included in the model include attributes from Local Data Company, with these detailed on their own dataset page.

Open

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Source Office for National Statistics
Author PublicProfiler
Maintainer Dr Maurizio Gibin
Last Updated May 8, 2025, 15:21 (UTC)
Created December 16, 2024, 18:30 (UTC)
Attribution The data for this research have been provided by the Geographic Data Service (geods.ac.uk), a Smart Data Research UK Investment: ES/Z504464/1.
Frequency Decennial
Granularity WZ11CD
Spatial Coverage Greater London
Temporal Coverage April 2011