The real living wage
The real living wage is the lowest hourly rate that is needed to meet the cost of goods and services that provide the minimum acceptable standard of living (such as food, housing, clothing, transport). The value is calculated by the Resolution Foundation on behalf of the Living Wage Foundation. Further details can found on the Living Wage Foundation website.
The real living wage is a voluntary amount that employers can choose to pay. It is different from the National Living Wage introduced in 2016 which is the legal minimum hourly rate for employees aged 21 and over.
The real living wage is currently £12.60 across the UK (excluding London), while the National Living wage is currently £12.21 across the UK.
The latest figures are for 2023/24.
Key figures
- In Lancashire-12, 19.4% of jobs paid below the real living wage. This was higher than the estimated figure for England (15.9%).
- Most local authorities in Lancashire-14 had a higher proportion of jobs paying below the real living wage than in England [1]. This included Hyndburn (29.1%), Wyre (24.5%) and Blackpool (24.2%).
- Compared to the previous year, the percentage of jobs paid below the real living wage in Lancashire-12 increased (16.1% in 2022/23). The figure in England also increased (13.1% in 2022/23).
Estimated percentage of jobs paying below the real living wage
| Area | Percentage |
| Burnley | 23.1% |
| Chorley | 20.6% |
| Fylde | 19.3% |
| Hyndburn | 29.1% |
| Lancaster | 21.7% |
| Pendle | 18.9% |
| Preston | 16.6% |
| Ribble Valley | Suppressed [1] |
| Rossendale | Suppressed [1] |
| South Ribble | 14.6% |
| West Lancashire | 21.8% |
| Wyre | 24.5% |
| Lancashire-12 | 19.4% |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 20.1% |
| Blackpool | 24.2% |
| North West | 16.8% |
| England | 15.9% |
Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, via LG Inform.
[1] Figures for Ribble Valley and Rossendale are supressed due to small sample sizes. However, based on gross hourly pay percentiles from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, the estimated proportion of jobs paying below the real living wage falls between 10-20% in Ribble Valley and between 30-40% in Rossendale.
Page updated 15 August 2025