Children in low income families

The children living in families with relative low-income figures show the number of children living in households that have a gross income below 60% of the median in a given year, published by the Department of Work and Pensions.

The income measure includes contributions from earnings, state support and pensions and is not adjusted for housing costs. A family must have claimed child benefit and at least one other household benefit (such as housing benefit) at any point in the year to be classed as having a low-income in these statistics.

The latest figures are for 2024/25 and are provisional.

Key figures

• In Lancashire-12, there were 70,556 (24.0%) children living in low-income families. This was higher than the England proportion of 19.5%.
• In Lancashire-14, there were 96,919 (26.0%) children in living in low-income families.
• The largest proportions of children living in low-income families were in Pendle (40.5%), Burnley (36.5%), Blackburn with Darwen (36.3%), Hyndburn (36.2%), and Blackpool (29.9%). Ribble Valley (12.1%) had the smallest.
• The highest number of children in low-income families was in Blackburn with Darwen (16,791), followed by Preston (10,710), Pendle (10,697), and Blackpool (9,572). Ribble Valley (1,639) had the fewest.
• The majority of children in low-income families were classed as living in working families in Lancashire-12 (71.0%). This was higher than England (68.8%).
• Compared to the previous year, the number of children living in low-income families in Lancashire-12 increased by 5.7%. This was above the increase in Lancashire-14 (3.7%) and England (3.3%).

Source: Children in relative low-income families from the Department for Work and Pensions, via LG Inform.

Further information

The estimated number of children living in families with relative low-income is published annually by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). As of March 2026, figures from 2021/22 onward have been revised following a methodology change. Figures from 2020/21 and earlier are not directly comparable with the revised figures.

Relative low-income is defined as a family whose equivalised income is below 60 percent of the median income in a given year. The income measure includes contributions from earnings, state support and pensions and is not adjusted for housing costs (referred to as Before Housing Costs, BHC). Equivalisation is used to adjust incomes for household size and composition, taking an adult couple with no children as the reference point. Only families that have claimed Child Benefit and one or more of universal credit, tax credit or housing benefit in the given year will be included in the statistics.

Relative low-income figures differ from the absolute low-income figures released by DWP. The absolute low-income figures use an income measure which is adjusted for inflation (based on the 2010/11 median income), while relative low-income figures are not adjusted for inflation.

Children are dependent individuals aged under 16, or aged 16 to 19 in full-time non-advanced education. The count of children refers to the age of the child at 31 March of each year.

The data are calibrated to the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) survey regional estimates of children in low income, but provide figures at smaller geographies. More information about the figures and methodology can be found on the Gov.uk website.

Page updated April 2026