Identity and geography
Postcode district, area and sector
The parts of a UK postcode: the area ("SW"), the district ("SW11") and the sector ("SW11 1"); most MarketCode area statistics are published at district grain.
Also called: postcode district, outward code, postcode area.
Definition
Postcode district, area and sector, as the data uses it
A UK postcode has an outward code and an inward code. "SW11 1AA" is area SW, district SW11, sector SW11 1, and unit SW11 1AA. Districts are the grain most people mean by "the postcode": there are about 2,900 of them, large enough to carry an index and small enough to describe a local market.
MarketCode publishes indices, listing statistics, auction statistics and rankings by postcode district, and volume series by district, area or county. Tools that take an area_code accept a district directly; a full postcode passed where a district is wanted is truncated. A postcode district is not a borough: NW1 is not Camden, and a tool that asks for a local authority wants the authority's name.
Tools
Tools that return it
House price index series
market_index_series()The published house-price INDEX for one postcode district or local authority: the level per month (base period = 100), the forecast tail flagged, and provenance saying how the index was built.
Monthly transaction volume
market_volume_series()Monthly transaction VOLUME for a postcode district, postcode area or
Auction statistics by district
auction_stats()Quarterly UK auction statistics by postcode district: lots offered, lots sold, the sale rate, and average guide, achieved and net yield.
Rank areas on a market metric
market_ranking()Rank areas against each other on a market metric — one row per area at the latest period. Defaults to turnover_rate, which is sales as a share of the stock that could have sold: the liquidity measure, as opposed to transaction count, which measures market size.
See also
Related terms
- Local authority district (LAD): The council area a property sits in: about 360 in Great Britain, the second geography MarketCode publishes indices and rankings for.
- UPRN: The Unique Property Reference Number: a 12-digit identifier every addressable location in Great Britain carries, and the key MarketCode joins property records on.
FAQ
Questions about postcode district, area and sector
What does Postcode district, area and sector mean?
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The parts of a UK postcode: the area ("SW"), the district ("SW11") and the sector ("SW11 1"); most MarketCode area statistics are published at district grain.
Which MarketCode tools return postcode district, area and sector?
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House price index series, Monthly transaction volume, Auction statistics by district, Rank areas on a market metric. Each runs as an MCP tool in Claude, ChatGPT, Codex and Cursor and as a REST endpoint with an API key, at the same price.
Is outward code the same thing?
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Yes. postcode district, outward code, postcode area are other names for what this entry defines; MarketCode uses "Postcode district, area and sector" in its tool descriptions and responses.
See it on a real address.
Thirty minutes, your property or area, every figure sourced.