Is my postcode rural?
Enter a postcode to see whether ONS classes it as rural or urban, and how the rest of its postcode district splits.
Free. No account needed. England, Scotland and Wales.
ONS classes PE29 3BU as "Urban: Further from a major town or city", in the 2021 Rural Urban Classification.
How is a postcode classed as rural or urban?
ONS gives every postcode the class of the small census area it falls in. In England and Wales that is the 2021 Rural Urban Classification: urban, larger rural or smaller rural, each nearer to or further from a major town or city.
In Scotland it is the Scottish Government's six classes, from large urban areas to remote rural.
Why does it matter?
Some insurance, grants, broadband schemes and planning rules treat rural areas differently. Check the rule you are applying against: each one says which classification it uses.
Can one street be rural and the next urban?
Yes. The class follows census area boundaries, so a postcode at the edge of a town can be in a different class from its neighbour.
Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS) Postcode Directory, August 2026: the 2021 Rural Urban Classification (England and Wales) and the Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification (Scotland). See all our data sources
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