Wales
Low income by family type
Key points
- Half of all lone parent families are in low income.
- There is a marked difference in the extent to which low income people of different family types fall short of the low income threshold. For example, three-fifths of all low income couples with children are more than £50 per week below the low income threshold compared to three-tenths of low income pensioner households.
Graph 1: By family type
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Graph 2: Depth of low income
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Definitions and data sources
The first graph shows the risks of being in low income for people in different family types. Note that a couple (and therefore both of this adults) is classified as a pensioner couple if either of the adults is of pensionable age.
The second graph shows the numbers of those on low income grouped by family type and divided according to how much additional money the household would need a week to reach the threshold of 60% of contemporary median income after deducting housing costs.
The data source for both graphs is Households Below Average Income, based on the Family Resources Survey (FRS). Income is disposable household income after deducting housing costs and the low income threshold is the same as that used elsewhere, namely 60% of contemporary median household income. In the first graph, the data is equivalised (adjusted) to account for differences in household size and composition whilst in the second it is not equivalised. The self-employed are included in the statistics. Note that in 2007 DWP made some technical changes to how it adjusted household income for household composition (including retrospective changes) and, as a result, the data is slightly different than previously published figures. The averaging over three-year periods has been done to improve statistical reliability.
Overall adequacy of the indicator: high. The FRS is a well-established annual government survey, designed to be representative of the population as a whole.
External links
- See the HM Revenue & Customs site on tax credits.
- See the DWP site on Pension Credit.