Housing overview
The households and housing section includes a range of articles that describe Lancashire's housing landscape. From the latest numbers of dwellings being built and demolished, to affordable housing and help with homelessness, these topics help illustrate both current pressures and longer term trends in the county’s housing system.
Housing starts and completions data show that development activity varies considerably across the county. Areas including Preston, Wyre, and South Ribble have seen considerable growth over recent years, while areas such as Rossendale and Pendle see lower numbers of new dwellings.
The net additional dwellings and demolitions article shows the overall annual changes in local housing supply, incorporating new builds, conversions and losses. National figures show that demolition levels remain low in Lancashire, meaning most change comes from new construction rather than the replacement of older stock.
Dwelling stock by tenure shows that the majority of Lancashire homes are either owner occupied or privately rented, with relatively low levels of local authority owned accommodation compared with to the national average. Registered social landlords play a significant role in several districts.
The dwelling stock by council tax band article highlights the distribution of properties across the eight valuation bands, with some Lancashire districts, particularly Burnley and Pendle, having very high proportions of homes in band A. This is a fundamental issue for Lancashire's dwelling stock overall, impacting on house prices, vacant dwellings and the quality of the housing stock.
The vacant dwellings article shows how the number of empty homes varies across Lancashire, identifying areas where empty properties could potentially contribute to increasing available housing supply. Although the majority of these properties are brought back into use quickly, this article highlights that the percentage of long-term vacant dwellings in most local authorities in Lancashire is above England.
The homeless households article reveals the number of households that are receiving support with homelessness from the local authorities of Lancashire and estimates of the number of rough sleepers. These data provide valuable insight into current levels of homelessness, the increasing demand for temporary accommodation across Lancashire, and how this has changed over time.
The residential property market in Lancashire is monitored through a range of indicators to assess trends in sales, prices and market activity, helping to provide a broader context for the county’s housing challenges and opportunities. There is a wide range of reasonably priced housing and apartments in rural and urban locations. Average house prices across much of Lancashire lag those nationally, in some cases by a wide margin however, affordability still remains an issue for many.
The additional affordable homes article reveals how the number of homes available for those whose needs are not met by the open housing market varies across Lancashire. These figures help to monitor whether supply is keeping pace with demand, particularly for households requiring lower cost options in areas of relatively less affordable homes.
House price to earnings ratios article provides insight into housing affordability challenges. Both house prices and earnings in Lancashire are generally lower than England and housing is relatively more affordable throughout the county than it is nationally. However, there are wide disparities in affordability across Lancashire's authorities.
The household projections article provides an indication of how the number of households in Lancashire is expected to grow up to 2047. Improvements in life expectancy and the pressures on the traditional family unit mean that a significant increase is expected in both the number of households headed by someone aged over 65 and the number of single-person households.
Page updated 6 March 2026