Subtopic: Household Income and Expenditure

The wheel contains all the domains of well-being and the measures contained within each one. In all cases the latest datapoint is shown and where applicable the previous corresponding one. The wheel also contains the units of measurement as these vary depending on the indicator used.

The Economic Position of Households is a quarterly publication which aims to give data users the opportunity to consider the interaction of household income and expenditure and the main drivers of the observed trends.

This short article analyses some of the key trends affecting the incomes of households in the middle of the income distribution. It studies the change in median household income between 1977 and 2010/11 and compares this with changes in GDP per person for both the UK and USA. The article then looks at how the characteristics of the middle fifth of households have changed over time and how the composition of their income has changed during the recent economic downturn and over the longer term.

This story provides a snapshot of households in the middle of the wealth distribution. It focuses on both characteristics of the households and the individuals living within them.

Data on Housing and Consumer Durables taken from the 2011 General Lifestyle Survey.

Data from the 2011 General Lifestyle Survey on occupational and personal pensions for employees and the pension arrangements of the self-employed. The chapter presents both trends over time and detailed data for the 2011 survey year.