Average (median) gross weekly income for families is shown in the following table.
£ Government office region 1997-98 to 1999-2000 1998-99 to 2000-01 1999-2000 to 2001-02 2000-01 to 2002-03 2001-02 to 2003-04 2002-03 to 2004-05 2003-04 to 2005-06 North-east 236 247 262 275 279 282 286 North-west 262 275 287 300 308 312 315 Merseyside, Yorks and Humberside 260 275 287 301 306 315 321 East midlands 284 290 306 314 328 333 335 West midlands 282 294 305 315 318 319 318 Eastern 341 357 374 387 386 385 388 London 311 333 350 368 372 373 381 South-east 359 380 396 407 411 419 421 South-west 299 310 322 337 346 356 363 Wales 251 256 268 281 295 305 309 Scotland 265 271 280 292 302 309 316 Northern Ireland — — — — — 289 289 Notes: 1. The information shown is for the United Kingdom from 2002-03 onwards. Earlier years are Great Britain only. 2. The results are based on survey data so are subject to sampling variability. 3. Weekly income amounts have been rounded to the nearest whole pound. 4. Median incomes have been presented. We have used median rather than mean as a measure of average incomes because they are less influenced by extreme values. 5. Three year averages of median incomes are presented as single year estimates are considered too volatile. These figures have been adjusted to account for the effect of inflation. This is consistent with the presentation of median incomes in the Households Below Average Income publication. 6. A family is defined as ‘a single adult or a couple living as married and any dependant children’. From January 2006 same-sex civil partners are also included in the same benefit unit. 7. The estimates are based on sample counts that have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors that align the FRS to Government office region populations by age and sex. Estimates are subject to sampling error and remaining response bias. Source: Family Resources Survey, 1997-98 to 2005-06