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Personal Income

Volume 494: debated on Wednesday 17 June 2009

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) median and (b) mean gross household income was for a household comprising (i) two working age adults and two children, (ii) one working age adult and two children, (iii) one working age adult and one child, (iv) two working age adults and four children, (v) two working age adults and (vi) one working age adult in the latest 12 month period for which information is available. (278272)

I have been asked to reply.

The following table shows the median and mean gross household income for the household types requested.

Median and mean gross unequivalised household income (£ per week), for various household types, United Kingdom, 2007-08

Gross unequivalised household income

Household type

Median

Mean

Two working age adults and two children

770

1,034

One working age adult and two children

329

384

One working age adult and one child

290

354

Two working age adults and four children

619

n/a

Two working age adults, either with or without children

740

939

One working age adult, either with or without children

330

429

n/a = Not available

Notes:

These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI), sourced from the Family Resources Survey.

Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response.

The reference period for HBAI figures is single financial years.

The income measure used here is unequivalised, i.e. it has not been adjusted for household size and composition. This is because the groups requested are based on household size and composition, and in this specific instance, equivalisation would cloud the comparison between household types. This means that the statistics presented are on a different basis to those in the HBAI publication.

Median household incomes are less affected by outliers, and are therefore generally more commonly used in analysis of incomes.

In particular, the sample size for households containing two working age adults and four children is relatively small, so estimates for this group are subject to a higher degree of sampling error than the other groups presented. This particularly affects the mean, where no robust estimate can be produced.

Gross incomes have been presented. The HBAI publication looks at net disposable incomes Before and After Housing Costs. While the statistics cover individuals who are of working age, not all individuals will be working.

Source:

Households Below Average Income, 2007-08