Postcode area guide

Author:

SO postcode area

Explore the Southampton postcode area with maps, quick facts, towns, delivery offices, neighbouring areas and postcode district coverage.

The SO area code stands for s and o in <strong>S</strong><strong>O</strong>uthampton.

Map of the SO postcode area

Use the interactive map to explore the area boundary and neighbouring postcode areas.

Overview

This page brings together mapped and statistical information for the SO postcode area, also known as the Southampton postal area.

The SO postcode area covers Southampton and nearby parts of South East England.

The postcode area borders the following neighbouring postcode areas: PO - Portsmouth, GU - Guildford, SP - Salisbury, BH - Bournemouth and RG - Reading. It also borders The Solent and The English Channel.

The postcode area falls within the following counties: Hampshire (99.99%), Wiltshire (0.01%).

Map of the SO Postcode Area

Map of The SO Postcode
Terrain Map of the SO Southampton Postcode.

Quick facts

SO area statistics
Width east to west28.93 mi
Height north to south35.05 mi
Area590.44 mi²
Maximum width39.22 mi
Perimeter192.22 mi
Postcode districts25
Postcode sectors122
Post towns9
Postcodes18,374
Population665,193

The SO postcode area has a population of 665,193 and covers 1,515,963 hectares. Roughly 1.02% of the population of Great Britain lives here.

Post towns and postcode districts

Where is the SO postcode area?

Location map for the SO postcode area
Location map of the postcode area.
Word cloud for the SO postcode area
Word cloud of place names within the area.

How built up is the postcode area?

This compares building footprint coverage against the total land area across each postcode district. The least urban district is SO42 and the most urban is SO14.

Postcode district Total area (m²) Footprint area (m²) Built percentage
SO42 124,159,204 526,523 0.42%
SO43 79,718,357 419,862 0.53%
SO20 151,745,122 944,898 0.62%
SO24 171,745,425 1,097,708 0.64%
SO21 271,330,318 1,875,837 0.69%
SO32 142,751,577 1,932,173 1.35%
SO51 146,947,959 2,215,954 1.51%
SO41 78,002,067 2,277,200 2.92%
SO40 75,177,971 2,267,764 3.02%
SO45 52,080,288 1,843,758 3.54%
SO52 8,595,435 327,503 3.81%
SO22 22,178,002 1,319,684 5.95%
SO30 25,519,984 1,708,885 6.70%
SO50 33,253,596 2,423,752 7.29%
SO31 33,551,479 2,453,015 7.31%
SO23 14,657,646 1,168,901 7.97%
SO16 30,007,475 2,605,888 8.68%
SO53 12,587,624 1,643,492 13.06%
SO18 9,991,867 1,324,179 13.25%
SO19 12,574,554 1,714,925 13.64%
SO15 10,562,940 1,918,622 18.16%
SO17 3,160,452 655,087 20.73%
SO14 4,370,226 1,240,553 28.39%
Total 1,514,669,568 35,906,163 2.37%
Map of the SO postcode area
Boundary map showing SO in relation to neighbouring areas.
Map of post towns in the SO postal area
Post towns within the SO postal area.
Map of the SO Southampton postcode area

Area measurements

Hectares1,515,963
Square miles5,853.16
Square feet163,176,741,357.00
Square kilometres15,159.63

Postal delivery offices

  • Alresford (so) Delivery Office
  • Bishops Waltham Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Bitterne Manor
  • Broughton Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Eastleigh Delivery Office
  • Hedge End Delivery Office
  • Hythe (so) Delivery Office
  • Lymington Delivery Office
  • Over Wallop Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Romsey Delivery Office
  • Sarisbury Green Delivery Office
  • Shirley (so) Delivery Office
  • Stockbridge Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Swanmore Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Totton Delivery Office
  • Waltham Chase Scale Payment Delivery Office
  • Winchester Delivery Office

Tourist attractions within the area

We found 17 visitor attractions within the Southampton postcode area.

New Forest Centre
Museums & Art Galleries
Museum and / or Art Gallery
View on Google Maps
New Forest Tour
Historic Properties
Other Historic / Scenic Transport Operator
View on Google Maps
New Forest Reptile Centre
Wildlife
Safari Park / Zoo / Aquarium / Aviary
View on Google Maps
Mottisfont Abbey Garden, House and Estate
Historic Properties
Historic House / House and Garden / Palace
View on Google Maps
Romsey Signal Box
Visitor Centres
Heritage / Visitor Centre
View on Google Maps
Beaulieu National Motor Museum
Museums & Art Galleries
Museum and / or Art Gallery
View on Google Maps
Buckler's Hard
Visitor Centres
Heritage / Visitor Centre
View on Google Maps
Medieval Merchants House
Historic Properties
Historic House / House and Garden / Palace
View on Google Maps
Eastleigh Lakeside Steam Railway
Railways
Steam / Heritage Railway
View on Google Maps
Royal Green Jackets Museum
Museums & Art Galleries
Museum and / or Art Gallery
View on Google Maps
The Adjutant General's Corps Museum
Museums & Art Galleries
Museum and / or Art Gallery
View on Google Maps
Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum
Museums & Art Galleries
Museum and / or Art Gallery
View on Google Maps
Winchester City Mill & Shop
Museums & Art Galleries
Museum and / or Art Gallery
View on Google Maps
Calshot Castle
Historic Properties
Castle / Fort
View on Google Maps
Marwell Wildlife
Wildlife
Safari Park / Zoo / Aquarium / Aviary
View on Google Maps
Hinton Ampner Garden
Historic Properties
Historic House / House and Garden / Palace
View on Google Maps
Go Ape! Tree Top Adventure - Itchen Valley
Country Parks
Country Park
View on Google Maps

Nearby postcode areas

Neighbouring context

The postcode area borders the following neighbouring postcode areas: PO - Portsmouth, GU - Guildford, SP - Salisbury, BH - Bournemouth and RG - Reading. It also borders The Solent and The English Channel.

Towns and villages within the area

© streetlist.co.uk 2026
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v2.0.
© Crown copyright and database rights 2026
© OpenStreetMap contributors 2026