Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the average weekly incomes in each region and country in the United Kingdom in (a) 1997, (b) 2006, and (c) 2009. [HL2750]
Specific information regarding household income for the United Kingdom is available in Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2007-08.
The information where available is presented in the table.
Region/Country Before Housing Costs After Housing Costs 1997-98—1999-00 2005-06—2007-08 1997-98—1999-00 2005-06—2007-08 England £342 £396 £270 £331 North East £293 £352 £235 £304 North West £317 £365 £255 £311 Yorkshire and the Humber £307 £366 £246 £311 East Midlands £330 £369 £266 £317 West Midlands £330 £361 £265 £304 East of England £372 £420 £293 £351 London £374 £441 £278 £351 South East £400 £457 £311 £377 South West £333 £396 £264 £332 Scotland £334 £388 £269 £336 Wales £310 £356 £249 £309 Northern Ireland .. £360 .. £312
Source: Households Below Average Income, DWP
Notes:
10. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income, sourced from the Family Resources Survey. The Households Below Average Income series and the Family Resources Survey is available in the Library.
11. Small changes should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response.
12. The reference period for Households Below Average Income figures are single financial years. Three survey year averages are given for regional statistics as regional single year estimates are subject to volatility.
13. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication Households Below Average Income series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or “equivalised”) for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living.
14. For the Households Below Average Income series, incomes have been equivalised using Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development equivalisation factors.
15. Median incomes have been provided rather than mean incomes because the income distribution is skewed with some outliers with high incomes.
16. Incomes are presented in 2007-08 prices and have been rounded to the nearest pound sterling.
17. Figures have been presented on a Before Housing Cost and an After Housing Cost basis. For Before Housing Costs, housing costs (such as rent, water rates, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance payments and ground rent and service charges) are not deducted from income, while for After Housing Costs they are.
18. “..” indicates figures are not available. Figures are only available for the Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom from 2002-03 onwards.