How does my area compare?

Enfield is furthest above the expected level of spending on working-age benefits per person aged 16 to 64 in 2024-25.

Actual spending per person aged 16 to 64 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 −£394
−£394 to −£281
−£281 to −£169
−£169 to −£56
−£56 to £56
£56 to £169
£169 to £281
£281 to £394
£394 and over

Estimated value
No value

Spending on working-age benefits, compared with the expected level, per person aged 16 to 64, 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?

County Durham, Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Payment: 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: Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Payment
February 2023	£49.6m
Population	+£0.21m
Share claiming	+£6.1m
Payment size	+£3.0m
March 2026	£58.8m

The share claiming is the number of people claiming per person aged 16 to 64. 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. Scottish areas are left out because Social Security Scotland pays this benefit.

Compared with similar areas

Is spending higher or lower than expected?

Spending on working-age benefits per person aged 16 to 64, 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 = −£567 + £3,670 × share aged 0 to 15 − £115 × share aged 66 and over − £170 × deprivation decile + £257 × ln(median pay) + £432 × Wales + £94 × Scotland. Fitted by ordinary least squares across 348 local authorities. R² = 0.85. Gold dots are above the expected level and grey dots are below it.

Every local authority

Spending on working-age benefits, compared with the expected level, 2024-25. Rank is for per person aged 16 to 64, 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 working-age benefits, compared with the expected level for every local authority, 2024-25
Rank			Notes
1	Enfield	£1,262	Estimated
2	Blackpool	£907	Estimated
3	Hartlepool	£769	Estimated
4	Thanet	£654	Estimated
5	Swansea	£589	Estimated
6	Redcar and Cleveland	£563	Estimated
7	Hackney	£533	Estimated
8	Haringey	£505	Estimated
9	Vale of Glamorgan	£493	Estimated
10	Eastbourne	£489	Estimated
11	Wirral	£460	Estimated
12	Brent	£455	Estimated
13	Barnet	£446	Estimated
14	Wrexham	£423	Estimated
15	Knowsley	£396	Estimated
16	Bridgend	£372	Estimated
17	Conwy	£370	Estimated
18	New Forest	£370	Estimated
19	Hastings	£364	Estimated
20	South Tyneside	£361	Estimated
21	Hertsmere	£355	Estimated
22	Great Yarmouth	£352	Estimated
23	North East Lincolnshire	£348	Estimated
24	Middlesbrough	£328	Estimated
25	Sefton	£319	Estimated
26	Gedling	£307	Estimated
27	Croydon	£301	Estimated
28	Bromley	£298	Estimated
29	Lewes	£290	Estimated
30	Perth and Kinross	£289	Estimated, Includes Scottish benefits
31	Liverpool	£285	Estimated
32	North Somerset	£283	Estimated
33	Havant	£282	Estimated
34	Inverclyde	£267	Estimated, Includes Scottish benefits
35	Broxbourne	£261	Estimated
36	Wyre	£259	Estimated
37	Torbay	£256	Estimated
38	Angus	£255	Estimated, Includes Scottish benefits
39	Denbighshire	£250	Estimated
40	North Ayrshire	£248	Estimated, Includes Scottish benefits
41	Flintshire	£247	Estimated
42	St. Helens	£234	Estimated
43	Aberdeen City	£234	Estimated, Includes Scottish benefits
44	Halton	£223	Estimated
45	Sutton	£222	Estimated
46	Worthing	£220	Estimated
47	Southend-on-Sea	£219	Estimated
48	West Dunbartonshire	£218	Estimated, Includes Scottish benefits
49	Kingston upon Thames	£209	Estimated
50	Wealden	£204	Estimated

League table of every local authority for the latest period

Values are per person aged 16 to 64 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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