Map shows Britain’s huge income divide – how well off are people where YOU live?

Britain’s wealth divide was laid bare today as new figures mapped the nation’s rich and poor.

The Office for National Statistics set out to local authority level the income of people across the country.

It revealed that in some areas people are earning six-tenths of the national average income, whereas in others they are earning three times it. 

The map shows that the higher income areas are mainly in London and the South and South East, plus Cheshire, North Yorkshire and East Cumbria in northern England, plus Edinburgh, Aberdeen and much of Eastern Scotland. 

Within London, wealth was concentrated in Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, Camden, the City and Westminster.

In contrast the lowest income areas were mainly urban areas in the Midlands, North West, North East, Yorkshire and the Humber.

At the same time the ONS released details of the rate of ‘income deprivation’, the proportion of people living in a council area who are unemployed or on a low income.

Use the drop down menu below to find out how your local area ranks within England.  

Income deprivation is the per cent of people living in a local authority area who are unemployed or on low income. 

The income deprivation ranking is the local authority area’s position relative to the rest of the country.   

The ONS today revealed that in some areas people are earning six-tenths of the national average income, whereas in others they are earning three times it.

England’s poorest and richest local authority areas. Source: ONS

The Office for National Statistics set out to local authority level the income of people across the country. It revealed that in some areas people are earning six-tenths of the national average income, whereas in others they are earning three times it

Perhaps not surprisingly the top 10 areas with the lowest income were urban areas in the North and Midlands, while the 10 with the highest income are in leafier parts of the South and East. 

All the figures date from 2019, the latest period for which they are available. 

At the same time the ONS mapped the UK’s productivity to show the ‘commuter effect’. 

This sees large urban areas are rated as highly productive but with very low incomes compared to rural/urban areas around them because of the diffuse workforce.

But because of the commuter effect some of these low wealth areas are also shown to be highly productive, with workers in well-paid jobs commuting in from surrounding towns and suburbs. 

A closer look: Areas with the highest rates of income deprivation 

By Henry Martin for MailOnline  

#1: Knowsley

Knowsley ranked joint first in the ONS figures, with an income deprivation rate of 25.1%. It had a population of 11,343 in 2001, according to that year’s Census.  

Located in Lancashire, just east of Liverpool, the metropolitan borough takes its name from the parish of Knowsley, the seat of the earls of Derby and home to the Stanley family since the 1300s.  

But it was in the 20th century when Knowsley saw most of its industrial development, apart from Prescot – a significant watchmaking centre in the 18th century. 

The parish includes Knowsley Hall and Knowsley Safari Park. It features  three main built-up areas: the village of Knowsley, the nearby business park in the north west, and a suburban area including Stockbridge Village and the northern fringe of Huyton.

Its Parliamentary constituency, Knowsley, was created in 2010 from two seats – Knowsley South, and Knowsley North and Sefton East, both Labour Party strongholds. 

The current constituency’s MP is Labour’s George Howarth.  

Joint #1: Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough, a large town in North Yorkshire located on the River Tees’s southern bank, came joint first with Knowsley in the ONS list of areas with the most income deprivation. 

It was historically a rural, farming area until the coal industry sparked significant industrial development in the early 19th century. 

Ironworks in the town also brought about a large demand for labour, spurring large numbers of settlers from Wales and Ireland to flock to the area, which officially became a town by the mid-1800s, in part due to the population boom. 

Middlesbrough became strongly associated with steel, iron and shipbuilding for the next century, which led to the German air force, the Luftwaffe, targeting it during World War Two. 

But trade fell in the late 1990s, and now the local economy is known for its contribution to digital enterprise.  

The Parliamentary constituency of Middlesbrough has been a Labour stronghold since its creation in 1974. 

The Parliamentary constituency of Middlesbrough has been a Labour stronghold since its creation in 1974 (pictured: Middlesbrough town centre)

#3: Blackpool

Blackpool, a large town and seaside resort in north west England, has an income deprivation rate of  24.7%, according to the ONS figures. 

The unitary authority of Blackpool in the north west of England has a population of 139,720, and the wider built-up area has 239,409 inhabitants – the second largest in Lancashire, according to 2011 Census figures. 

Blackpool was a coastal hamlet until the mid-1700s, when travel to the coast became more popular. 

But it was the construction of the railway in the 1840s that saw Blackpool rise to the forefront of English tourism, having been connected to the industrial heartland of northern England. 

It was incorporated as a borough in 1876 following an influx of settlers, and it first became known as Britain’s premier seaside resort by the start of the 20th century.

Its main attractions and landmarks include Blackpool Tower, Blackpool Illuminations, the Pleasure Beach, Blackpool Zoo, Sandcastle Water Park, the Winter Gardens, and Britain’s only surviving first-generation tramway.

Paul Maynard was elected as the Conservative MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys in 2010 when the constituency was created. 

Scott Benton MP, also a Conservative, is the Member of Parliament for Blackpool South, having assumed office in December 2019, taking it from Labour’s Gordon Marsden. 

Blackpool, a large town and seaside resort in north west England, has an income deprivation rate of 24.7%, according to the ONS figures (pictured: Blackpool Tower, March 23)

#4: Liverpool

Liverpool has an income deprivation rate of 23.5%, according to the recent ONS statistics.

The Merseyside city and metropolitan borough was ranked as the tenth largest English district with a population of nearly 500,000, according to 2019 figures. 

Its metropolitan area is Britain’s fifth largest, boasting a population of 2.24 million. 

Liverpool became a borough in 1207, a city in 1880, and a county borough independent of Lancashire in 1889. 

Its expansion as a major port was paralleled by the growth of the city throughout the Industrial Revolution, becoming associated with general cargo, freight, raw materials such as coal and cotton, along with the slave trade. 

In the 1800s Liverpool was home to the Cunard and White Star Lines, and was the port of registry of the ocean liners RMS Titanic, RMS Lusitania, RMS Queen Mary, and RMS Olympic.

It was also a major port of departure for English and Irish emigrants to North America. 

Liverpool, which is notable for its close association with the arts, was ranked fifth on the list of the most visited UK cities in 2019.

The city’s five Members of Parliament are all affiliated with the Labour Party.  

Liverpool became a borough in 1207, a city in 1880, and a county borough independent of Lancashire in 1889 (pictured: A statue of the Beatles is seen in Albert Dock, April 2020)

#5: Hartlepool

Hartlepool’s income deprivation rate stands at 22.8%, ONS figures show.

The port town, located 17 miles southeast of Durham, dates back to the 7th century. 

It was founded around the monastery of Hartlepool Abbey, and grew throughout the Middle Ages.

But its expansion took off significantly in the early 19th century following the establishment of a railway link, and industrialisation saw the boom of the region’s shipbuilding industry up until the First World War – when it became the target of the German Navy, 

But following a decline in shipbuilding following World War Two, the region suffered high unemployment rates until the 1990s.  

The Parliamentary constituency of Hartlepool is represented by the Conservative Party’s Jill Mortimer, who took the seat from Labour’s Mike Hill on May 6, 2021. 

Pictured: The National Museum of the Royal Navy Hartlepool and the tall ship HMS Trincomalee at Jackson Dock in Hartlepool

#6: Kingston upon Hull

Kingston upon Hull scored an income deprivation rate of 22.7%.

The port city in the East Riding of Yorkshire lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea.

With a population of around 260,000 as of mid-2019, it is the fourth largest city in the Yorkshire and the Humber region.

The town of Wyke on Hull was founded in the late 1100s by the monks of Meaux Abbey as a port to export wool.

The market town was renamed Kings-town upon Hull in 1299, and had played a role as an early theatre of battle in the English Civil Wars.

William Wilberforce, its 18th-century Member of Parliament, took a leading role in the abolition of the slave trade in Britain.

After World War Two, Hull suffered through a period of post-industrial decline, scoring poorly on measures of social deprivation, education and policing.

But the early 21st century saw large amounts of new retail, commercial, housing and public service construction spending in the area.

The Members of Parliament for Hull East, Hull West and Hessle, and Kingston upon Hull North are all Labour Party affiliated.

Kingston upon Hull scored an income deprivation rate of 22.7%. The port city in the East Riding of Yorkshire lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea

#7: Birmingham

Birmingham’s income deprivation rate is 22.2%, according to the ONS figures.

It is the second-largest city, urban area and metropolitan area in England and Britain, boasting roughly 1.1 million inhabitants within the city area, 2.9 million within the urban area and 4.3 million within the metropolitan area.

Located in the West Midlands, Birmingham is considered to be the social, cultural, financial, and commercial centre of the region

Birmingham had been a market town of Warwickshire in medieval times, but by 1791 it was being hailed as ‘the first manufacturing town in the world’, with a distinct economic profile of thousands of small workshops practising a range of specialised and highly skilled trades.

A key hub of the Industrial Revolution, it provided an economic base for prosperity that would last well into the 20th century.

But now Birmingham’s economy is primarily dominated by the service sector, serving as an international commercial centre and an important transport, retail, events and conference hub.

Eight of the city’s MPs are Labour. Two are Conservative.

#8: Manchester

Manchester scored an income deprivation rate of 21.9%.

The city boasts Britain’s fifth-largest population at 547,627, as of 2018.

Its recorded history began with the civilian settlement associated with the Roman fort of Mamucium or Mancunium, which established in about AD 79.

Throughout the Middle Ages Manchester was a manorial township, it expanded significantly at around the turn of the 19th century.

Its unplanned urbanisation was brought about by a boom in textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution, causing it to become the world’s first industrialised city.

Its fortune declined after World War Two, due to deindustrialisation, but the IRA bombing of 1996 sparked extensive investment and regeneration.

The city is known for its architecture, culture, musical exports, media links, scientific and engineering output, social impact, sports clubs and transport connections.

At the 2019 general election in Greater Manchester, Labour won 18 seats and the Conservatives won 9.

#9 Sandwell

Sandwell, in the West Midlands, has an income deprivation rate of 21.5%.

The borough was named after the Sandwell Priory and spans a densely populated section of the West Midlands conurbation.

The borough comprises the six amalgamated towns of Oldbury, Rowley Regis, Smethwick, Tipton, Wednesbury, and West Bromwich, according to Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.

West Bromwich, the largest town in the borough, is designated the Strategic Town Centre.

The area shares a border with Birmingham to the east, Dudley to the south and west, Walsall to the north and Wolverhampton in the north west.

The parliamentary constituencies of West Bromwich West, West Bromwich East, Warley, and part of Halesowen and Rowley Regis span the borough.

Warley’s MP is affiliated with Labour. The other three constituencies have Conservative MPs.

The area had a population of 309,000 and an area of 33 square miles in the 2011 Census.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (centre) in a woodwork class during a visit to Sandwell College in the West Midlands, April 26

#10: Blackburn with Darwen

Blackburn with Darwen has an income deprivation rate of 21.2%.

The unitary authority in Lancashire contains the towns of Blackburn and Darwen, along with other villages around them.

Blackburn with Darwen Council is currently made up of 37 Labour seats, 13 Conservatives and one Liberal Democrat.

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… And those with the least deprivation 

#316: Hart

The district of Hart in Hampshire boasts the lowest level of income deprivation with a rate of 4.2%.

Hart District, formed in 1974 from a merger of Fleet and the Hartley Wintney Rural District, was named the best place to live in Britain in a 2017 study.

And for five years in a row – 2011 to 2015 – the area was named the UK’s most desirable place to live in terms of quality of life, taking into account jobs, housing, health, weather, traffic, crime and broadband access. 

In 2015 it also came last in the Indices of Deprivation, ranking 326 out of 326 local authorities in England. 

The 2001 Census revealed Hart had 83,505 residents. 

Its local council is composed of 11 Conservatives, 10 Liberal Democrats, 11 Councillors representing the localist ‘Community Campaign (Hart)’ group, and one independent. 

#315: Wokingham

Wokingham scored an income deprivation rate of 4.4% in the recent ONS figures. 

The market town in Berkshire, seven miles southeast of Reading, was named after the Saxon chieftain Wocca, who may also have owned land in Wokefield and Woking, it is believed. 

But the Victorian era saw the name become corrupted to Oakingham, and so the acorn with oak leaves became the town’s heraldic charge in the 19th century. 

Wokingham had been a borough before the 1974 reorganisation of local government, which saw it merge with Wokingham Rural District to create the new Wokingham District.

It was granted borough status in 2007. 

The Wokingham Parliament seat, created in 1950, is occupied by the Conservative and eurosceptic politician John Redwood – who was formerly Secretary of State for Wales in John Major’s government. 

The market town in Berkshire, seven miles southeast of Reading, was named after the Saxon chieftain Wocca, who may also have owned land in Wokefield and Woking, it is believed (pictured: Wokingham town centre, Berkshire)

#314: South Northamptonshire

South Northamptonshire boasts an income deprivation rate of just 4.9% – one of only three local authorities to fall below the 5% mark, according to recent ONS stats.

The area’s coucnil was based in Towcester, a town first established as a settlement in Roman Britain. 

Its population was 85,189 in 2011. 

The South Northamptonshire Parliamentary constituency is represented by the Conservative Andrea Leadsom, who contested the party’s leadership following the departure of David Cameron,

She came second to Theresa May, who then appointed her Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. 

Her seat is generally regarded as a Tory safe seat. 

#312: Mid Sussex

Mid Sussex has a 5.3% income deprivation rate. 

The local government district, created in April 1974, contains the towns of East Grinstead, Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath. 

Sussex, named after the Saxons who settled the lands after migrating from northern Europe, had been divided into East and West Sussex for tax purposes since Medieval times, but this changed in 1972 when further divisions were made. 

Mid Sussex, located along the southern coast of England, is notable for its high rate of home ownership, with 85% of the area’s housing being owned by its occupants. 

The region’s Parliamentary seat, named Mid Sussex, is represented by the Conservative Mims Davies, who has been Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment since 2019. 

The seat has been a Tory stronghold since its inception in 1974. 

Joint #312: Chiltern  

The Chiltern District, named after the Chiltern Hills which surround it in Buckinghamshire, has a 5.3% income deprivation rate. 

Of the 18 local authorities in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, the district has the highest proportion of home ownership.

In May 2008, it was ranked the best rural quality of life area of anywhere in Britain by the Bank of Scotland’s Halifax division. 

But housing in Chiltern produced the 4th highest average carbon emissions in the country, a report in May 2006 by British Gas revealed.  

Chiltern contains no motorways except for a small section of the M25. 

The region’s Parliamentary seat, Chesham and Amersham, was represented by the Conservative MP Dame Cheryl Gillan from 1992 until her death earlier this year. 

#307: Waverley

Waverley, in Surrey, has an income deprivation rate of 5.4%.

At the 2011 Census, the population of the Borough of Waverley was 121,572.

It borders the borough of Guildford to the north, the Mole Valley district to the east, the Horsham and Chichester districts of West Sussex to the south, and the East Hampshire and Hart districts and the borough of Rushmoor in Hampshire to the west and northwest.

It is named after Waverley Abbey, near Farnham, the earliest Cistercian monastery in Britain.

Conservative heavyweight Jeremy Hunt is MP for South West Surrey, which includes a section of Waverley.