October 2016 Postcode Statistics
The tables below detail the latest October 2016 Postcode changes and address statistics for reference.
Business & Vacant Organisations
This table shows the number of businesses and vacant organisations on the Royal Mail address database, the Postcode Address File (PAF®). The table compares September figures with those from August, identifying the percentage variation between the months.
| September | August | % Change | |
| Businesses | 1,345,443 | 1,343,255 | 0.16% |
| Vacant Organisations | 258,116 | 258,942 | -0.31% |
PAF® Delivery Point Changes
The number of delivery point additions, deletions and changes in October.
| Small Users | Large Users | Total | |
| Delivery Points Added | 46,079 | 1,077 | 47,156 |
| Delivery Points Amended | 16,996 | 214 |
17,210 |
| Delivery Points Deleted | 15,805 | 1,139 |
16,944 |
| Total Changes | 78,880 | 2,430 | 81,310 |
New Sectors & Localities
This table shows the sectors and localities applied to the Postcode Address File (PAF®) system in October.
| Postcode Sector | DD Locality | D Locality | Post Town |
| CB24 1 | Northstowe | CAMBRIDGE | |
| LE19 4 | Lubbesthorpe | LEICESTER | |
| BA9 0 | WINCANTON | ||
| SR8 3 | Grant's Houses | Horden | PETERLEE |
| LA12 7 | Mansriggs | ULVERSTON | |
| DD10 0 | Ecclesgreig | MONTROSE | |
| KA19 9 | MAYBOLE | ||
| NE42 5 | Cotter Grange | PRUDHOE | |
| YO42 1 | Vapham Mill | Pocklington | YORK |
| M90 5 | Airport City | MANCHESTER |
Overall PAF Statistics and Changes
This table shows the total numbers of Postcodes and delivery points as of October 2016. Download the Full Report >
| Data | Statistics |
| Number of Postcode Areas | 124 |
| Number of Postcode Districts | 2,984 |
| Number of Postcode Sectors | 11,194 |
| Number of Small User Postcodes | 1,640,575 |
| Number of Large User Postcodes | 111,229 |
| Number of Large User Postcodes With PO Box | 56,783 |
| Total Number of Postcodes | 1,751,804 |
| Total Number of Delivery Points | 29,856,863 |
Postcode Definitions
"Postcode Area" means the outward part of the Postcode made up of the first one or two alphabetic text only characters. For example, 'OX' from OX7 5LJ and 'B' from B1 3ND.
"Postcode District" means the outward part of the Postcode. For example, 'OX7' from OX7 5LJ and 'B1' from B1 3ND.
"Postcode Sector" means the outward part of the Postcode plus the first numeric digit from the inward part of the Postcode. For example, 'OX7 5' from OX7 5LJ and 'B1 3' from B1 3ND.
"Postcode" means the full Postcode. For example OX7 5LJ and B1 3ND
"Small User Postcode" is a Postcode containing a collection of (usually) adjacent addresses. A single small user postcode may contain up to 100 addresses, but 15 is a more typical number.
"Large User Postcode" are allocated to single addresses receiving at least 500 mail items per day (e.g. business addresses).
"PO Box" is a numbered box in a Post Office assigned to a person or organization, where letters for them are kept until called for.
"Delivery Point" is a complete postal address (business or residential), including a Postcode. to which mail is delivered.