Constituency in South West, England

Melksham and Devizes

In Melksham and Devizes, benefit spending per resident was higher than in 54% of constituencies in 2024-25.

95,301 residents (mid-2024) · Member of Parliament: Brian Mathew, Liberal Democrat, since 4 July 2024

See it on the map Compare with Salisbury

Prices

Adjusted for inflation (GDP deflator)Adjusted for inflation (CPI)Cash, not adjusted

Money in 2026-27 prices, adjusted for inflation so that years can be compared2026-27 prices, using CPI inflation, adjusted for inflation so that years can be comparedcash terms, not adjusted for inflation.

At a glance

How does Melksham and Devizes compare?

We divide each type of spending by the people it is for. A rank of 1 is the highest of the constituencies in Great Britain. Money is in 2026-27 prices2026-27 prices, using CPI inflationcash terms, not adjusted for inflation.

All benefits
£4,520£4,540£4,288
per resident, 2024-25^1-11
290th of 631, higher than in 54% of constituencies
Great Britain: £4,441£4,460£4,212
Pensioner benefits
£12,399£12,452£11,761
per person aged 66 and over, 2024-25^{1-3, 6, 8-11}
550th of 631, lower than in 87% of constituencies
Great Britain: £12,728£12,782£12,073
Working-age benefits
£1,531£1,538£1,452
per person aged 16 to 64, 2024-25^{1-3, 7, 9-11}
464th of 632, lower than in 73% of constituencies
Great Britain: £2,093£2,102£1,985

Show the numbers

Main figures for Melksham and Devizes
Measure	Value	Rank	Great Britain
Benefit spending, per resident, 2024-25	£4,520£4,540£4,288	290th of 631	£4,441£4,460£4,212
Spending on pensioner benefits, per person aged 66 and over, 2024-25	£12,399£12,452£11,761	550th of 631	£12,728£12,782£12,073
Spending on working-age benefits, per person aged 16 to 64, 2024-25	£1,531£1,538£1,452	464th of 632	£2,093£2,102£1,985

Spending by benefit, 2024-25

Where does Melksham and Devizes's benefit money go?

People here received £430.8 million£432.6 million£408.6 million in benefits in 2024-25, in 2026-27 prices2026-27 prices, using CPI inflationcash terms, not adjusted for inflation. Each square is £1 million.^1-11

State Pension£271.5m£272.7m£257.5m63%
Pension Credit£5.3m£5.4m£5.1m1%
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Payment£13.5m£13.5m£12.8m3%
Winter Fuel Payment and Pension Age Winter Heating Payment£0.37m£0.37m£0.35m0.1%
Personal Independence Payment and Adult Disability Payment£29.5m£29.7m£28.0m7%
Disability Living Allowance and Child Disability Payment£12.4m£12.4m£11.7m3%
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Payment£4.5m£4.5m£4.3m1%
Universal Credit£67.0m£67.3m£63.6m16%
Housing Benefit£13.7m£13.7m£13.0m3%
Employment and Support Allowance£11.6m£11.7m£11.0m3%
Jobseeker's Allowance£0.36m£0.36m£0.34m0.1%
Income Support£0.24m£0.24m£0.23m0.1%
Other benefits£0.71m£0.72m£0.68m0.2%

Show the numbers

Spending by benefit in Melksham and Devizes, 2024-25
Benefit	Spending	Share	Figure type
State Pension	£271.5m£272.7m£257.5m	63%	Published
Pension Credit	£5.3m£5.4m£5.1m	1%	Published
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Payment	£13.5m£13.5m£12.8m	3%	Published
Winter Fuel Payment and Pension Age Winter Heating Payment	£0.37m£0.37m£0.35m	0.1%	Published
Personal Independence Payment and Adult Disability Payment	£29.5m£29.7m£28.0m	7%	Published
Disability Living Allowance and Child Disability Payment	£12.4m£12.4m£11.7m	3%	Published
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Payment	£4.5m£4.5m£4.3m	1%	Published
Universal Credit	£67.0m£67.3m£63.6m	16%	Published
Housing Benefit	£13.7m£13.7m£13.0m	3%	Published
Employment and Support Allowance	£11.6m£11.7m£11.0m	3%	Published
Jobseeker's Allowance	£0.36m£0.36m£0.34m	0.1%	Published
Income Support	£0.24m£0.24m£0.23m	0.1%	Published
Other benefits	£0.71m£0.72m£0.68m	0.2%	Published
All benefits	£430.8m£432.6m£408.6m	100%	Total

More about Melksham and Devizes

How has it changed over time?

Trends

Spending and claims over time

Each small chart starts at zero and has its own scale. Spending is in 2026-27 prices2026-27 prices, using CPI inflationcash terms, not adjusted for inflation. Dotted years are estimates. A dashed line marks a change to boundaries or methods.^1-11

Spending per person in the age group

All benefits
per resident
£4,520£4,540£4,2882024-25
2023-242024-25
Pensioner benefits
per person aged 66 and over
£12,399£12,452£11,7612024-25
2023-242024-25
Working-age benefits
per person aged 16 to 64
£1,531£1,538£1,4522024-25
2018-192024-25
State Pension
per person aged 66 and over
£11,581£11,630£10,9852024-25
2023-242024-25
Pension Credit
per person aged 66 and over
£228£229£2162024-25
2018-192024-25
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Payment
per person aged 66 and over
£575£578£5462024-25
2018-192024-25
Winter Fuel Payment and Pension Age Winter Heating Payment
per person aged 66 and over
£16£16£152024-25
2021-222024-25
Personal Independence Payment and Adult Disability Payment
per resident
£310£311£2942024-25
2018-192024-25
Disability Living Allowance and Child Disability Payment
per resident
£130£130£1232024-25
2018-192024-25
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Payment
per person aged 16 to 64
£82£83£782024-25
2018-192024-25
Universal Credit
per person aged 16 to 64
£1,225£1,230£1,1622024-25
2019-202024-25
Housing Benefit
per resident
£144£144£1362024-25
2018-192024-25
Employment and Support Allowance
per person aged 16 to 64
£213£213£2022024-25
2018-192024-25
Jobseeker's Allowance
per person aged 16 to 64
£6.54£6.56£6.202024-25
2018-192024-25
Income Support
per person aged 16 to 64
£4.40£4.41£4.172024-25
2018-192024-25
Other benefits
per resident
£7.49£7.52£7.102024-25
2018-192024-25

Show the numbers

Spending trends in Melksham and Devizes
Measure	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25
All benefits, per resident						£4,294£4,247£3,919	£4,520£4,540£4,288
Pensioner benefits, per person aged 66 and over						£12,271£12,138£11,200	£12,399£12,452£11,761
Working-age benefits, per person aged 16 to 64	£422£423£316	£896£907£688	£1,264£1,336£1,020	£1,244£1,271£1,008	£1,179£1,171£1,023	£1,348£1,333£1,230	£1,531£1,538£1,452
State Pension, per person aged 66 and over						£11,106£10,986£10,137	£11,581£11,630£10,985
Pension Credit, per person aged 66 and over	£290£291£217	£273£276£209	£254£268£205	£235£240£190	£220£218£191	£224£222£205	£228£229£216
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Payment, per person aged 66 and over	£562£563£420	£550£557£422	£519£548£419	£508£519£412	£487£483£422	£528£522£482	£575£578£546
Winter Fuel Payment and Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, per person aged 66 and over				£204£208£165	£432£429£375	£413£408£377	£16£16£15
Personal Independence Payment and Adult Disability Payment, per resident	£150£151£112	£167£169£128	£186£197£150	£206£210£167	£226£224£196	£267£264£244	£310£311£294
Disability Living Allowance and Child Disability Payment, per resident	£135£135£101	£126£127£96	£116£122£93	£113£115£91	£111£110£96	£122£121£111	£130£130£123
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Payment, per person aged 16 to 64	£67£68£50	£72£73£55	£70£74£57	£70£71£57	£68£68£59	£75£74£68	£82£83£78
Universal Credit, per person aged 16 to 64		£515£521£396	£895£946£722	£913£932£740	£877£871£760	£1,041£1,030£951	£1,225£1,230£1,162
Housing Benefit, per resident	£242£243£181	£203£205£156	£184£194£148	£171£175£139	£156£155£136	£150£148£137	£144£144£136
Employment and Support Allowance, per person aged 16 to 64	£310£311£232	£278£282£214	£261£276£211	£241£246£195	£216£215£188	£216£214£197	£213£213£202
Jobseeker's Allowance, per person aged 16 to 64	£12£13£9.34	£8.13£8.23£6.24	£22£23£18	£8.81£9.00£7.14	£5.10£5.06£4.42	£5.93£5.86£5.41	£6.54£6.56£6.20
Income Support, per person aged 16 to 64	£32£32£24	£22£22£17	£17£17£13	£12£12£9.66	£13£13£11	£9.87£9.76£9.01	£4.40£4.41£4.17
Other benefits, per resident	£11£11£8.16	£11£11£8.62	£11£11£8.55	£8.30£8.48£6.73	£9.06£9.00£7.86	£8.10£8.01£7.39	£7.49£7.52£7.10

People receiving benefits, per 1,000

State Pension
per 1,000 people aged 66 and over
1,015.2March 2026
May 2025March 2026
Pension Credit
per 1,000 people aged 66 and over
58.9March 2026
May 2025March 2026
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Payment
per 1,000 people aged 66 and over
123.0March 2026
May 2025March 2026
Personal Independence Payment and Adult Disability Payment
per 1,000 residents
48.0July 2026
July 2025July 2026
Universal Credit
per 1,000 people aged 16 to 64
138.9May 2026
May 2025May 2026
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Payment
per 1,000 people aged 16 to 64
17.9March 2026
May 2025March 2026

Show the numbers

Trends in people receiving benefits in Melksham and Devizes
Measure	May 2025	July 2025	August 2025	October 2025	November 2025	January 2026	February 2026	March 2026	April 2026	May 2026	July 2026
State Pension, per 1,000 people aged 66 and over	994.5		1,003.1		1,005.9			1,015.2
Pension Credit, per 1,000 people aged 66 and over	60.0		60.1		59.4			58.9
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Payment, per 1,000 people aged 66 and over	116.3		118.6		121.6			123.0
Personal Independence Payment and Adult Disability Payment, per 1,000 residents		44.2		44.9		45.4			46.6		48.0
Universal Credit, per 1,000 people aged 16 to 64	130.5		135.6		138.3		138.2			138.9
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Payment, per 1,000 people aged 16 to 64	17.6		17.8		17.9			17.9

Is spending what you would expect?

Compared with similar areas

Spending compared with the expected level

We work out an expected level of spending from the share of children and of people aged 66 and over, how deprived the area is, typical pay and which nation it is in. This compares the area with similar areas. It does not measure need.

Each bar starts at the expected level. A bar reaches the edge when the difference is larger than in 98% of constituencies.

All benefits, per resident^{1-11, 14-17}
Actual £4,520£4,540£4,288Expected £4,497£4,516£4,266Difference +£23+£23+£22
Benefit spending per resident was £23 above the level we would expect from age, deprivation and pay.Benefit spending per resident was £23 above the level we would expect from age, deprivation and pay.Benefit spending per resident was £22 above the level we would expect from age, deprivation and pay. Across all constituencies, these factors explain 84% of the differences in this measure.
Pensioner benefits, per person aged 66 and over^{1-3, 6, 8-11, 14-17}
Actual £12,399£12,452£11,761Expected £12,488£12,541£11,845Difference −£88−£89−£84
Spending on pensioner benefits per person aged 66 and over was £88 below the level we would expect from age, deprivation and pay.Spending on pensioner benefits per person aged 66 and over was £89 below the level we would expect from age, deprivation and pay.Spending on pensioner benefits per person aged 66 and over was £84 below the level we would expect from age, deprivation and pay. Across all constituencies, these factors explain 39% of the differences in this measure.
Working-age benefits, per person aged 16 to 64^{1-3, 7, 9-11, 14-17}
Actual £1,531£1,538£1,452Expected £1,441£1,447£1,367Difference +£90+£91+£86
Spending on working-age benefits per person aged 16 to 64 was £90 above the level we would expect from age, deprivation and pay.Spending on working-age benefits per person aged 16 to 64 was £91 above the level we would expect from age, deprivation and pay.Spending on working-age benefits per person aged 16 to 64 was £86 above the level we would expect from age, deprivation and pay. Across all constituencies, these factors explain 85% of the differences in this measure.

The expected level comes from one statistical model across all areas of the same type. It uses ages, deprivation within each nation, typical pay and nation, and the methods page lists its figures. The difference compares an area only with areas that are similar on these measures. Rents, disability, household make-up and how many eligible people claim are not in the model, so the difference does not measure need.

How we work out the expected level

Show the numbers

Actual and expected spending in Melksham and Devizes
Measure	Actual	Expected	Difference
All benefits, per resident	£4,520£4,540£4,288	£4,497£4,516£4,266	+£23+£23+£22
Pensioner benefits, per person aged 66 and over	£12,399£12,452£11,761	£12,488£12,541£11,845	−£88−£89−£84
Working-age benefits, per person aged 16 to 64	£1,531£1,538£1,452	£1,441£1,447£1,367	+£90+£91+£86

How much income tax do residents pay?

Income tax only

Benefit spending and income tax paid by residents

In 2023-24, people in Melksham and Devizes received £0.96 in benefits for each £1 of income tax that residents paid. Both figures are per resident, for the same tax year, 2023-24. Income tax is only one tax. There are no area figures for National Insurance, VAT or council tax.

Income tax paid by residents (income tax only), per resident^9-13: £4,473£4,425£4,083; Survey estimate
Benefit spending, per resident: £4,294£4,247£3,919
Benefits for each £1 of income tax^{1-8, 12-13}: £0.96; 414th of 631, lower than in 65% of constituencies

Income tax only. There are no area figures for National Insurance, VAT, council tax or other taxes.

HMRC estimates income tax by area from a sample survey, the Survey of Personal Incomes, based on where taxpayers live. Figures for small areas are less certain, and HMRC does not publish some of them.

Spending and income tax are for the same year. Constituency income tax on the 2024 boundaries is only published for 2023-24.

Who lives here?

Profile

Deprivation and age

England, Wales and Scotland each measure deprivation in their own way. So we compare Melksham and Devizes only with other areas in England.

Group 8 of 10 in England, where group 1 is the most deprived tenth of areas. English indices of deprivation 2025.¹⁴

Residents by age, mid-2024

Aged 0 to 1515,77617%
Aged 16 to 6454,72557%
Aged 651,3551%
Aged 66 and over23,44525%
All residents95,301100%

Which conditions are disability benefits paid for?

Disability benefit, July 2026

Personal Independence Payment by main condition

4,588 people in Melksham and Devizes receive Personal Independence Payment (PIP). This shows the main condition each person has, compared with England and Wales. Every bar uses the same scale.³

Psychiatric disorders
37%
England and Wales: 39%
Musculoskeletal disease (general)
21%
England and Wales: 19%
Neurological disease
15%
England and Wales: 13%
Musculoskeletal disease (regional)
11%
England and Wales: 12%
Respiratory disease
3%
England and Wales: 4%
Malignant disease
3%
England and Wales: 3%
Cardiovascular disease
2%
England and Wales: 3%
Other condition groups (14)
8%
England and Wales: 8%

People receiving Personal Independence Payment, by the main condition recorded at their assessment, in the groups DWP uses. Stat-Xplore changes small counts slightly to protect privacy, so the groups can add up to a few people more or less than the area's total. The comparison is with England and Wales, because Scotland has no figures by area.

Show the numbers

Personal Independence Payment by main disabling condition in Melksham and Devizes
Condition group	People	Share	England and Wales
Psychiatric disorders	1,710	37%	39%
Musculoskeletal disease (general)	942	21%	19%
Neurological disease	686	15%	13%
Musculoskeletal disease (regional)	491	11%	12%
Respiratory disease	129	3%	4%
Malignant disease	160	3%	3%
Cardiovascular disease	111	2%	3%
Visual disease	49	1%	2%
Endocrine disease	52	1%	1%
Hearing disorders	35	0.8%	1%
Gastrointestinal disease	45	1.0%	1%
Genitourinary disease	34	0.7%	0.9%
Skin disease	34	0.7%	0.7%
Autoimmune disease (connective tissue disorders)	23	0.5%	0.5%
Diseases of the liver, gallbladder, biliary tract	23	0.5%	0.4%
Infectious disease	25	0.5%	0.4%
Haematological disease	5	0.1%	0.2%
Metabolic disease	11	0.2%	0.2%
Unknown or missing	12	0.3%	0.1%
Multisystem and extremes of age	5	0.1%	0.1%
Diseases of the immune system	6	0.1%	0.0%

Who was elected here in 2024?

General election, 4 July 2024

How did Melksham and Devizes vote in 2024?

Shares of the 51,203 valid votes.¹⁸

Winning party: Liberal Democrat; Brian Mathew
Majority: 2,401; 4.7% of valid votes
Turnout: 69.7%; Valid votes as a share of the 73,482 people registered to vote

Liberal Democrat20,03139.1%
Conservative17,63034.4%
Reform UK6,72613.1%
Labour4,5879.0%
Green Party2,2294.4%

Results of the general election on 4 July 2024. Turnout is valid votes as a share of the people registered to vote. The majority is the winner's lead over the second candidate, as votes and as a share of valid votes. By-elections and changes of party since then are not shown. The MP named at the top of the page is the current one.

Show the numbers

General election results in Melksham and Devizes, 4 July 2024
Party	Candidate	Votes	Share
Liberal Democrat	Brian Mathew	20,031	39.1%
Conservative	Michelle Donelan	17,630	34.4%
Reform UK	Malcolm Cupis	6,726	13.1%
Labour	Kerry Postlewhite	4,587	9.0%
Green Party	Catherine Read	2,229	4.4%

Which areas are most like this one?

Similar areas

The 15 constituencies most like Melksham and Devizes

We match areas anywhere in Great Britain on age, deprivation, pay and how many people live in each square kilometre. We do not match on place or spending. A smaller score means more alike. Bars show all benefits per resident, 2024-25.

Melksham and DevizesThis area£4,520£4,540£4,288
Salisbury0.39£4,450£4,468£4,221Compare
Brigg and Immingham0.41£4,691£4,711£4,449Compare
Maldon0.49£4,457£4,476£4,228Compare
Mid Dorset and North Poole0.52£4,648£4,668£4,409Compare
South West Devon0.53£4,352£4,370£4,128Compare
New Forest East0.54£4,743£4,764£4,499Compare
Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge0.55£4,386£4,405£4,161Compare
South Suffolk0.56£4,535£4,554£4,301Compare
Sleaford and North Hykeham0.56£4,350£4,369£4,126Compare
Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket0.56£4,256£4,274£4,037Compare
Clwyd East0.59£5,268£5,290£4,997Compare
Wells and Mendip Hills0.61£4,636£4,656£4,398Compare
Sussex Weald0.61£4,462£4,481£4,233Compare
Broadland and Fakenham0.62£4,608£4,627£4,370Compare
Stroud0.62£4,228£4,246£4,010Compare

Show the numbers

Areas most like Melksham and Devizes
Area	Score	All benefits, per resident
Melksham and Devizes		£4,520£4,540£4,288
Salisbury	0.39	£4,450£4,468£4,221
Brigg and Immingham	0.41	£4,691£4,711£4,449
Maldon	0.49	£4,457£4,476£4,228
Mid Dorset and North Poole	0.52	£4,648£4,668£4,409
South West Devon	0.53	£4,352£4,370£4,128
New Forest East	0.54	£4,743£4,764£4,499
Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge	0.55	£4,386£4,405£4,161
South Suffolk	0.56	£4,535£4,554£4,301
Sleaford and North Hykeham	0.56	£4,350£4,369£4,126
Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket	0.56	£4,256£4,274£4,037
Clwyd East	0.59	£5,268£5,290£4,997
Wells and Mendip Hills	0.61	£4,636£4,656£4,398
Sussex Weald	0.61	£4,462£4,481£4,233
Broadland and Fakenham	0.62	£4,608£4,627£4,370
Stroud	0.62	£4,228£4,246£4,010

Which other areas overlap it?

Overlapping areas

The local authorities that overlap Melksham and Devizes

Each share is the part of Melksham and Devizes's residents who live in that area.

Wiltshirelocal authority100%

Every figure, in one table

Every figure

Every figure, with its rank

Every figure we publish for Melksham and Devizes, in total and per person. Each has its rank among the constituencies of Great Britain and the figure for Great Britain. Money is in 2026-27 prices2026-27 prices, using CPI inflationcash terms, not adjusted for inflation.

Spending by benefit^1-13
Measure	Value	Rank	Great Britain	Figure type
All benefitstotal, 2024-25	£430.8m£432.6m£408.6m	445th of 631	£299.0bn£300.3bn£283.6bn	Published
All benefitsper resident, 2024-25	£4,520£4,540£4,288	290th of 631	£4,441£4,460£4,212	Published
Pensioner benefitstotal, 2024-25	£290.7m£291.9m£275.7m	107th of 631	£154.0bn£154.6bn£146.1bn	Published
Pensioner benefitsper resident, 2024-25	£3,050£3,063£2,893	92nd of 631	£2,287£2,297£2,170	Published
Pensioner benefitsper person aged 66 and over, 2024-25	£12,399£12,452£11,761	550th of 631	£12,728£12,782£12,073	Published
Working-age benefitstotal, 2024-25	£83.8m£84.2m£79.5m	528th of 632	£88.8bn£89.1bn£84.2bn	Published
Working-age benefitsper resident, 2024-25	£879£883£834	500th of 632	£1,318£1,324£1,250	Published
Working-age benefitsper person aged 16 to 64, 2024-25	£1,531£1,538£1,452	464th of 632	£2,093£2,102£1,985	Published
State Pensiontotal, 2024-25	£271.5m£272.7m£257.5m	95th of 631	£138.4bn£138.9bn£131.2bn	Published
State Pensionper resident, 2024-25	£2,849£2,861£2,702	79th of 631	£2,055£2,064£1,949	Published
State Pensionper person aged 66 and over, 2024-25	£11,581£11,630£10,985	272nd of 631	£11,435£11,484£10,847	Published
Pension Credittotal, 2024-25	£5.3m£5.4m£5.1m	581st of 632	£6.3bn£6.4bn£6.0bn	Published
Pension Creditper resident, 2024-25	£56£56£53	552nd of 632	£94£94£89	Published
Pension Creditper person aged 66 and over, 2024-25	£228£229£216	611th of 632	£523£525£496	Published
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Paymenttotal, 2024-25	£13.5m£13.5m£12.8m	373rd of 632	£9.0bn£9.0bn£8.5bn	Published
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Paymentper resident, 2024-25	£142£142£134	277th of 632	£133£134£126	Published
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Paymentper person aged 66 and over, 2024-25	£575£578£546	576th of 632	£741£744£703	Published
Winter Fuel Payment and Pension Age Winter Heating Paymenttotal, 2024-25	£0.37m£0.37m£0.35m	531st of 632	£346.1m£347.6m£328.3m	Published
Winter Fuel Payment and Pension Age Winter Heating Paymentper resident, 2024-25	£3.84£3.85£3.64	484th of 632	£5.14£5.17£4.88	Published
Winter Fuel Payment and Pension Age Winter Heating Paymentper person aged 66 and over, 2024-25	£16£16£15	586th of 632	£29£29£27	Published
Personal Independence Payment and Adult Disability Paymenttotal, 2024-25	£29.5m£29.7m£28.0m	546th of 632	£30.4bn£30.5bn£28.9bn	Published
Personal Independence Payment and Adult Disability Paymentper resident, 2024-25	£310£311£294	498th of 632	£452£454£429	Published
Disability Living Allowance and Child Disability Paymenttotal, 2024-25	£12.4m£12.4m£11.7m	404th of 632	£9.1bn£9.2bn£8.6bn	Published
Disability Living Allowance and Child Disability Paymentper resident, 2024-25	£130£130£123	306th of 632	£135£136£128	Published
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Paymenttotal, 2024-25	£4.5m£4.5m£4.3m	538th of 632	£4.9bn£4.9bn£4.6bn	Published
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Paymentper resident, 2024-25	£47£48£45	498th of 632	£72£73£69	Published
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Paymentper person aged 16 to 64, 2024-25	£82£83£78	465th of 632	£115£115£109	Published
Universal Credittotal, 2024-25	£67.0m£67.3m£63.6m	517th of 632	£70.3bn£70.6bn£66.7bn	Published
Universal Creditper resident, 2024-25	£704£707£667	486th of 632	£1,044£1,048£990	Published
Universal Creditper person aged 16 to 64, 2024-25	£1,225£1,230£1,162	451st of 632	£1,657£1,664£1,572	Published
Housing Benefittotal, 2024-25	£13.7m£13.7m£13.0m	534th of 632	£16.3bn£16.4bn£15.5bn	Published
Housing Benefitper resident, 2024-25	£144£144£136	516th of 632	£242£243£230	Published
Employment and Support Allowancetotal, 2024-25	£11.6m£11.7m£11.0m	539th of 632	£13.0bn£13.0bn£12.3bn	Published
Employment and Support Allowanceper resident, 2024-25	£122£123£116	509th of 632	£193£193£183	Published
Employment and Support Allowanceper person aged 16 to 64, 2024-25	£213£213£202	469th of 632	£306£307£290	Published
Jobseeker's Allowancetotal, 2024-25	£0.36m£0.36m£0.34m	509th of 632	£329.6m£331.0m£312.7m	Published
Jobseeker's Allowanceper resident, 2024-25	£3.75£3.77£3.56	468th of 632	£4.89£4.91£4.64	Published
Jobseeker's Allowanceper person aged 16 to 64, 2024-25	£6.54£6.56£6.20	420th of 632	£7.77£7.80£7.37	Published
Income Supporttotal, 2024-25	£0.24m£0.24m£0.23m	499th of 632	£294.9m£296.2m£279.7m	Published
Income Supportper resident, 2024-25	£2.52£2.53£2.39	471st of 632	£4.38£4.39£4.15	Published
Income Supportper person aged 16 to 64, 2024-25	£4.40£4.41£4.17	457th of 632	£6.96£6.99£6.60	Published
Other benefitstotal, 2024-25	£0.71m£0.72m£0.68m	199th of 632	£414.2m£415.9m£392.9m	Published
Other benefitsper resident, 2024-25	£7.49£7.52£7.10	120th of 632	£6.15£6.17£5.83	Published
Benefits and income taxfor each £1 of income tax, 2023-24	£0.96	414th of 631	£0.95	Survey estimate

People receiving benefits^{3-4, 6-7, 9-11}
Measure	Value	Rank	Great Britain	Figure type
State Pensiontotal, March 2026	23,802	95th of 632	12,207,279	Published
State Pensionper 1,000 residents, March 2026	249.8	78th of 632	181.3	Published
State Pensionper 1,000 people aged 66 and over, March 2026	1,015.2	288th of 632	1,009.0	Published
Pension Credittotal, March 2026	1,380	550th of 632	1,380,853	Published
Pension Creditper 1,000 residents, March 2026	14.5	513th of 632	20.5	Published
Pension Creditper 1,000 people aged 66 and over, March 2026	58.9	597th of 632	114.1	Published
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Paymenttotal, March 2026	2,884	359th of 632	1,881,995	Published
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Paymentper 1,000 residents, March 2026	30.3	277th of 632	28.0	Published
Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Paymentper 1,000 people aged 66 and over, March 2026	123.0	569th of 632	155.6	Published
Personal Independence Payment and Adult Disability Paymenttotal, July 2026	4,574	542nd of 632	4,594,229	Published
Personal Independence Payment and Adult Disability Paymentper 1,000 residents, July 2026	48.0	501st of 632	68.2	Published
Universal Credittotal, May 2026	7,601	524th of 632	8,145,172	Published
Universal Creditper 1,000 residents, May 2026	79.8	501st of 632	121.0	Published
Universal Creditper 1,000 people aged 16 to 64, May 2026	138.9	478th of 632	192.1	Published
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Paymenttotal, March 2026	982	553rd of 632	1,090,721	Published
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Paymentper 1,000 residents, March 2026	10.3	517th of 632	16.2	Published
Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Paymentper 1,000 people aged 16 to 64, March 2026	17.9	478th of 632	25.7	Published

Income tax^1-13
Measure	Value	Rank	Great Britain	Figure type
Income taxtotal, 2023-24	£424.0m£419.4m£387.0m	222nd of 632	£293.3bn£290.1bn£267.7bn	Survey estimate
Income taxper resident, 2023-24	£4,473£4,425£4,083	187th of 632	£4,409£4,361£4,024	Survey estimate
Benefits and income taxfor each £1 of income tax, 2023-24	£0.96	414th of 631	£0.95	Survey estimate

Compared with the expected level^{1-11, 14-17}
Measure	Value	Rank	Great Britain	Figure type
All benefits against expectedper resident, 2024-25	£23£23£22	267th of 625	£4.74£4.76£4.50	Estimated
Pensioner benefits against expectedper person aged 66 and over, 2024-25	−£88−£89−£84	399th of 625	−£11−£11−£10	Estimated
Working-age benefits against expectedper person aged 16 to 64, 2024-25	£90£91£86	189th of 626	£8.64£8.68£8.20	Estimated

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Where do the numbers come from?

Notes

Limits and sources

Limits of the figures for Melksham and Devizes

England, Wales and Scotland each measure deprivation in their own way, so we compare areas only with others in the same nation. Areas are split into 10 equal groups, from 1, the most deprived tenth, to 10, the least deprived.

Income tax only. There are no area figures for National Insurance, VAT, council tax or other taxes.

Sources

1Department for Work and Pensions. Benefit expenditure by local authority, 2024-25. Published 15 December 2025. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
2Department for Work and Pensions. Benefit expenditure by parliamentary constituency, 2024-25. Published 15 December 2025. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
3Department for Work and Pensions. Stat-Xplore benefit caseloads and awards. Published 6 October 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
4Social Security Scotland. Adult Disability Payment statistics to 31 July 2026. Published 14 September 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
5Social Security Scotland. Child Disability Payment statistics to 30 June 2026. Published 17 August 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
6Social Security Scotland. Pension Age Disability Payment statistics to 31 July 2026. Published 14 September 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
7Social Security Scotland. Carer Support Payment statistics to 30 June 2026. Published 10 August 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
8Social Security Scotland. Winter heating benefits statistics for winter 2025/26. Published 18 May 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
9Office for National Statistics. Population estimates by local authority (Nomis NM_2002_1). Published 5 October 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
10Office for National Statistics. Population estimates by 2024 parliamentary constituency (Nomis NM_2014_1). Published 5 October 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
11National Records of Scotland. Population estimates for other geographies, mid-2011 to mid-2024. Published 31 August 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
12HM Revenue and Customs. Income and tax by borough and district or unitary authority (Table 3.14). Published 29 April 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
13HM Revenue and Customs. Income and tax by parliamentary constituency (Table 3.15). Published 29 April 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
14Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. English indices of deprivation 2025. Published 19 November 2025. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
15Welsh Government. Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025. Published 5 October 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
16Scottish Government. Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2020. Published 28 January 2020. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
17Office for National Statistics. Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, resident analysis, 2024 (Nomis NM_30_1). Published 6 October 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.
18House of Commons Library. Election results: UK general election, 4 July 2024. Published 6 October 2026. Open Parliament Licence v3.0. Data release 2026-10-08.2.

Northern Ireland is not included. How we worked out the figures · Download all the data

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