Who are we? · Income · UK, nations and English regions
What do we have coming in, and who is on a low income?
The middle UK household income was about £701 a week before housing costs, adjusted for household size (3 years, FYE 2023-FYE 2025). See where your household sits, how incomes differ by nation and region, and who is on a low income.
Evidence last reviewed 31 October 2026
Where does my household sit?
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Enter an income to see where your household would sit among everyone in the UK.
| Fifth starts at | Income a year |
|---|---|
| second fifth | £24,133 |
| third fifth | £34,147 |
| fourth fifth | £45,161 |
| fifth fifth | £61,242 |
This places your household among everyone in the UK only. Income tenths are not published for nations or regions. It uses income before housing costs; no official boundaries after housing costs are published.
Show the workings and sources
Your income is divided by a household-size factor (the modified OECD scale: first adult 0.67, spouse 0.33, other second adult 0.33, third adult 0.33, subsequent adults 0.33, children aged under 14yrs 0.2, children aged 14 and over 0.33; DWP, Section 8 Equivalisation, Table 4). The result is compared with the published points where each fifth or tenth of UK individuals starts. Columns 2nd..10th of Table 3 are read as percentile cut-points P10..P90: the published 6th column equals the all-individuals median, and Table 2 quintile medians equal P10/P30/P50/P70/P90.
- The effects of taxes and benefits on household income: disposable income and inequality — Table 3. ONS. Edition: financialyearending2025. Published 2026-10-01. Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- HBAI Background Information and Methodology report FYE 2025 (section 8, Table 4) — Table 4. DWP. Published 2026-03-26. Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Open Government Licence v3.0.
Middle incomes by nation and region
- United Kingdom£701
- England£704
- North East£647
- North West£656
- Yorkshire and the Humber£648
- East Midlands£662
- West Midlands£646
- East£721
- London£789
- South East£786
- South West£712
- Wales£662
- Scotland£707
Adjusted for household size, in 2024/25 prices. “After housing costs” takes off rent, mortgage interest, water and similar costs. Figures for nations and regions are three-year averages.
Since April 2021 these statistics use benefit records rather than survey answers, so figures before and after that are not directly comparable. No change over time is calculated here.
Show the workings and sources
Break in series from FYE 2022: benefit income from linked administrative data (DWP). Three-year windows that include FYE 2022 onwards mix methods.
- Households Below Average Income, FYE 1995 to FYE 2025: data tables — 2.5ts. DWP. Published 2026-03-26. Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Open Government Licence v3.0.
Who is on a low income?
- United Kingdom16%
- England15%
- North East17%
- North West18%
- Yorkshire and the Humber19%
- East Midlands16%
- West Midlands18%
- East of England13%
- London15%
- South East13%
- South West13%
- Wales19%
- Scotland15%
- Northern Ireland14%
Relative low income means a household income below 60% of the UK middle income in the same year. Three-year averages, rounded to whole percentages by the publisher.
| Area | Everyone | Children | Working-age adults | Pensioners |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 16% | 20% | 14% | 15% |
| England | 15% | 20% | 14% | 16% |
| North East | 17% | 25% | 16% | 14% |
| North West | 18% | 27% | 15% | 15% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 19% | 27% | 17% | 15% |
| East Midlands | 16% | 18% | 15% | 16% |
| West Midlands | 18% | 25% | 16% | 16% |
| East of England | 13% | 16% | 12% | 15% |
| London | 15% | 19% | 13% | 16% |
| South East | 13% | 15% | 11% | 16% |
| South West | 13% | 15% | 11% | 16% |
| Wales | 19% | 26% | 18% | 14% |
| Scotland | 15% | 19% | 15% | 15% |
| Northern Ireland | 14% | 17% | 12% | 13% |
Which families, homes and places make up each income fifth, and how each group’s low-income rate has changed since 1994/95: Who is in this group?
Show the workings and sources
Three-year averages, rounded to whole percentages by the publisher. Republished by the Welsh Government from DWP Households Below Average Income.
- People living in relative income poverty by age, and country or region of the UK — StatsWales dfb7cdb7-43e2-430b-87a2-c33ef5e09a50. Welsh Government (from DWP HBAI). Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- United Kingdom9%
Sample: 16,185 households
- England9%
Sample: 11,609 households
- North East10%
Sample: 662 households
- North West10%
Sample: 1,460 households
- Yorkshire and the Humber10%
Sample: 1,579 households
- East Midlands7%
Sample: 999 households
- West Midlands8%
Sample: 986 households
- East8%
Sample: 1,355 households
- London11%
Sample: 1,247 households
- South East8%
Sample: 1,985 households
- South West5%
Sample: 1,336 households
- Wales9%
Sample: 1,173 households
- Scotland8%
Sample: 1,676 households
- Northern Ireland6%
Sample: 1,727 households
Show the workings and sources
- Family Resources Survey FYE 2025: tenure tables — 3.1, 3.8. DWP. Published 2026-03-26. Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Family Resources Survey FYE 2025: household food security tables — 9.2. DWP. Published 2026-03-26. Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Open Government Licence v3.0.
Not shown yet
Children in low-income families for council areas and wards needs tables from the DWP Stat-Xplore service, not yet extracted. Low income by tenure for each region is not published as one table.
Built from official tables and checked by automated tests; it has not yet had independent analytical review. About these numbers.