The Classification of Workplace Zones (COWZ- UK) is a UK-wide geodemographic classification
of workplaces and the work that is undertaken in them. It was created by a team at the University of Southampton and the Office for National Statistics. This classification allows users to better understand the differing types of employment that characterise business districts and other localities.

This openly available dataset is built using 2011 Census data and identifies similar workplace zone areas according to a variety of employment-related characteristics. Locations are classified as belonging to one of 7 Supergroups and 29 constituent Groups.

The underpinning data are 504 employment and workplace-related Census variables, calculated for the 60,709 Workplace Zones that cover the UK. This page contains a lookup file with COWZ-EW codes, colours and pen portraits (descriptions), guides to the group and supergroup profiles, and the associated dataset and shapefiles used for mapping.

COWZ-EW was an England and Wales only version of COWZ which was produced prior to the Scotland and Northern Ireland data being available. For further information regarding the 2011 COWZ-EW which may include newer additions to the Shapefile and CSV file please visit the project webpage (linked below).