How does my area compare?

Islington is furthest above the expected level of spending on pensioner benefits per person aged 66 and over in 2024-25.

Actual spending per person aged 66 and over minus the level we would expect from the area's ages, deprivation, typical pay and nation. A figure above zero is above the expected level, and a figure below zero is below it. Shown in 2026-27 prices, adjusted for inflation so that years can be compared.

Below the expected level, then above it

Under −£477
−£477 to −£340
−£340 to −£204
−£204 to −£68
−£68 to £68
£68 to £204
£204 to £340
£340 to £477
£477 and over

Estimated value
No value

Spending on pensioner benefits, compared with the expected level, per person aged 66 and over, 2024-25, by local authority. Boundaries are simplified. London is also shown larger, in a separate box. Northern Ireland is not covered. Every value is in the table below.

More ways to look at itHow ranks change, why spending changed, and spending compared with the expected level

What changed

More people, more claims or bigger payments?

Gwynedd, 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.

What changed: State Pension
February 2023	£260.3m
Population	+£4.0m
Share claiming	+£9.0m
Payment size	+£34.2m
March 2026	£307.5m

The share claiming is the number of people claiming per person aged 66 and over. Yearly spending here is the number claiming, times the average weekly payment, times 52. It is not the amount paid out over the year. Population after mid-2024 stays at the mid-2024 figure, so later growth shows in the share claiming.

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.

Expected level = £12,909 + £3,353 × share aged 0 to 15 − £1,419 × share aged 66 and over − £40 × deprivation decile − £91 × ln(median pay) + £207 × Wales + £80 × Scotland. Fitted by ordinary least squares across 346 local authorities. R² = 0.35. Gold dots are above the expected level and grey dots are below it.

Every local authority

Spending on pensioner benefits, compared with the expected level, 2024-25. Rank is for per person aged 66 and over, 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.

Spending on pensioner benefits, compared with the expected level for every local authority, 2024-25
Rank			Notes
1	Islington	£1,088	Estimated
2	Glasgow City	£961	Estimated, Includes Scottish benefits
3	Hartlepool	£838	Estimated
4	Hackney	£712	Estimated
5	Broxbourne	£688	Estimated
6	Liverpool	£661	Estimated
7	North Lanarkshire	£636	Estimated, Includes Scottish benefits
8	Knowsley	£574	Estimated
9	West Dunbartonshire	£495	Estimated, Includes Scottish benefits
10	Rochford	£486	Estimated
11	Tower Hamlets	£477	Estimated
12	Lambeth	£451	Estimated
13	Redditch	£448	Estimated
14	Blaby	£437	Estimated
15	Hinckley and Bosworth	£424	Estimated
16	South Tyneside	£420	Estimated
17	Southwark	£389	Estimated
18	Castle Point	£383	Estimated
19	South Lanarkshire	£381	Estimated, Includes Scottish benefits
20	East Hertfordshire	£360	Estimated
21	Three Rivers	£346	Estimated
22	Basildon	£335	Estimated
23	Broxtowe	£314	Estimated
24	St. Helens	£307	Estimated
25	Charnwood	£304	Estimated
26	Salford	£303	Estimated
27	Halton	£296	Estimated
28	Gateshead	£294	Estimated
29	Swansea	£293	Estimated
30	Caerphilly	£292	Estimated
31	Camden	£290	Estimated
32	Newcastle-under-Lyme	£285	Estimated
33	Dudley	£279	Estimated
34	Tamworth	£277	Estimated
35	Bromley	£277	Estimated
36	Welwyn Hatfield	£272	Estimated
37	Stockport	£271	Estimated
38	Brentwood	£270	Estimated
39	Tonbridge and Malling	£269	Estimated
40	St Albans	£268	Estimated
41	Chelmsford	£268	Estimated
42	Erewash	£266	Estimated
43	Sunderland	£264	Estimated
44	Gravesham	£261	Estimated
45	Harlow	£255	Estimated
46	Vale of Glamorgan	£244	Estimated
47	Tendring	£243	Estimated
48	Bristol, City of	£235	Estimated
49	Staffordshire Moorlands	£232	Estimated
50	High Peak	£231	Estimated

League table of every local authority for the latest period

Values are per person aged 66 and over unless a column says otherwise. Sources: Department for Work and Pensions, Social Security Scotland, Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Welsh Government, Scottish Government.

Every measureThe full list, as plain links

More people, more claims or bigger payments?

Is spending higher or lower than expected?

Every local authority

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