How does my area compare?
North Yorkshire has the highest total spending on State Pension in 2024-25.
The State Pension, paid from State Pension age. It includes the new State Pension and the older basic and additional pensions. Shown in 2026-27 prices, adjusted for inflation so that years can be compared.
Total, low to high
- Under £319.2m
- £319.2m to £512.2m
- £512.2m to £705.3m
- £705.3m to £898.3m
- £898.3m to £1.1bn
- £1.1bn and over
More ways to look at itHow ranks change, why spending changed, and spending compared with the expected level
Total or per person
Does the order change when you count per person?
Each line is one of the 348 ranked local authorities. It joins the area's rank for each way of counting. The 10 highest total are drawn in dark lines.
What changed
More people, more claims or bigger payments?
Great Britain, State Pension: yearly spending at the rate in February 2023 and in March 2026. The chart splits the change into three parts: the number of people in the age group, the share of them claiming, and the average payment. 2026-27 prices.
| February 2023 | £120.7bn |
|---|---|
| Population | +£2.5bn |
| Share claiming | +£5.2bn |
| Payment size | +£15.0bn |
| March 2026 | £143.4bn |
Compared with similar areas
Is spending higher or lower than expected?
Spending on pensioner benefits per person aged 66 and over, 2024-25. We compare it with the level we would expect from each area's share of children and of people aged 66 and over, how deprived it is compared with the rest of its nation, and the typical pay of people who live there. 2026-27 prices.
Every local authority
Spending on State Pension, 2024-25. Rank is for total, and 1 is the highest. Areas with fewer than 1,000 people in the age group have no rank. The first 50 of 350 rows are shown.
| Rank | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Yorkshire | £1.8bn | £2,824 | £11,442 | |
| 2 | Somerset | £1.6bn | £2,769 | £11,447 | |
| 3 | Cornwall | £1.6bn | £2,768 | £11,199 | |
| 4 | Birmingham | £1.6bn | £1,348 | £11,007 | |
| 5 | Leeds | £1.4bn | £1,707 | £11,576 | |
| 6 | Wiltshire | £1.3bn | £2,500 | £11,494 | |
| 7 | Dorset | £1.3bn | £3,339 | £11,463 | |
| 8 | County Durham | £1.3bn | £2,392 | £11,586 | |
| 9 | Buckinghamshire | £1.2bn | £2,135 | £11,818 | |
| 10 | Sheffield | £1.0bn | £1,808 | £11,374 | |
| 11 | East Riding of Yorkshire | £1.0bn | £2,936 | £11,410 | |
| 12 | Cheshire East | £1.0bn | £2,477 | £11,558 | |
| 13 | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | £966.2m | £2,368 | £11,420 | |
| 14 | Glasgow City | £964.6m | £1,483 | £11,455 | |
| 15 | Northumberland | £959.8m | £2,903 | £11,516 | |
| 16 | Shropshire | £941.3m | £2,837 | £11,289 | |
| 17 | Bradford | £927.4m | £1,657 | £11,269 | |
| 18 | City of Edinburgh | £913.5m | £1,717 | £11,392 | |
| 19 | Fife | £907.7m | £2,422 | £11,572 | |
| 20 | Kirklees | £880.6m | £1,975 | £11,519 | |
| 21 | Cheshire West and Chester | £875.1m | £2,359 | £11,513 | |
| 22 | West Northamptonshire | £856.8m | £1,942 | £11,793 | |
| 23 | Liverpool | £838.7m | £1,650 | £11,483 | |
| 24 | Wirral | £805.8m | £2,455 | £11,504 | |
| 25 | East Suffolk | £789.5m | £3,163 | £11,457 | |
| 26 | North Northamptonshire | £765.8m | £2,040 | £11,756 | |
| 27 | South Lanarkshire | £765.7m | £2,299 | £11,755 | |
| 28 | Wakefield | £760.4m | £2,072 | £11,504 | |
| 29 | Dudley | £748.2m | £2,259 | £11,750 | |
| 30 | Sefton | £735.6m | £2,578 | £11,448 | |
| 31 | Cumberland | £730.6m | £2,609 | £11,513 | |
| 32 | Wigan | £727.2m | £2,112 | £11,601 | |
| 33 | North Lanarkshire | £697.3m | £2,030 | £11,727 | |
| 34 | Stockport | £682.0m | £2,257 | £11,761 | |
| 35 | Bristol, City of | £679.6m | £1,375 | £11,594 | |
| 36 | Doncaster | £673.0m | £2,101 | £11,396 | |
| 37 | Bromley | £670.9m | £2,005 | £11,781 | |
| 38 | Westmorland and Furness | £660.3m | £2,873 | £11,422 | |
| 39 | Sunderland | £648.1m | £2,260 | £11,531 | |
| 40 | Central Bedfordshire | £648.0m | £2,050 | £11,951 | |
| 41 | Aberdeenshire | £639.3m | £2,411 | £11,568 | |
| 42 | South Gloucestershire | £629.3m | £2,058 | £11,626 | |
| 43 | Highland | £627.6m | £2,642 | £11,412 | |
| 44 | New Forest | £600.6m | £3,415 | £11,660 | |
| 45 | Cardiff | £599.0m | £1,568 | £11,392 | |
| 46 | North Somerset | £597.7m | £2,660 | £11,601 | |
| 47 | Barnet | £597.0m | £1,470 | £10,419 | |
| 48 | Rotherham | £586.8m | £2,124 | £11,431 | |
| 49 | Croydon | £585.0m | £1,432 | £11,020 | |
| 50 | Bolton | £564.6m | £1,828 | £11,417 |
Values are total unless a column says otherwise. Sources: Department for Work and Pensions, Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland.
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