Children in low income families

This article uses statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions (DwP) , sourced through their Stat Xplore data tool. We have visualised these in a table and graphics in the embedded Microsoft Power BI report which has two pages. The statistics are for families determined by the 'Relative low-income' measure.

The definition given by the DwP is 'Relative low-income is defined as a family whose equivalised income is below 60 per cent of contemporary median income. Gross income measure is Before Housing Costs (BHC) and includes contributions from earnings, state support and pensions'. It differs from Absolute low-income by using contemporary median income rather than 2010/11 median income (adjusted for inflation) as the standard. Only families to have claimed Child Benefit and at least one other household benefit (Universal Credit, Tax Credit or Housing Benefit) will be included in the statistics. The figures for 2022/23 are provisional, and subject to revision, but not those for previous years.

Key points in 2022/23 for the Lancashire-14 area

• The 17,840 children in low-income families in Blackburn with Darwen constitute 18.1% of the Lancashire-14 total of 98,320.
• 12,660 of these (71%) were in working families
• Pendle, Preston and Blackpool had over 10,000 children in low income families and there were over 9,000 in Burnley
• These four authorities saw rises of over 13% compared to 2021/22
• There were larger increases in children in low income families in Lancaster (17.1%), West Lancashire (17.2%) and in Hyndburn, Ribble Valley, Fylde and Chorley (all over 15%)
• The increase in low income families in the North West region was nearly 20%
• Nowhere in Lancashire was the increase less than that for England, which saw a fall by -4.5%
• The number of children in low income families in the Lancashire-14 area has increased by 19,500 (24.8%) since 2020/21, when the total was noticeably lower than in the preceding three years
• There is a strong correlation between the % of children in lone parent families and the % of children in non-working families

Page updated May 2024