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A useful starting point in looking at the characteristics of households is to examine the relationship between household income and other aspects of their circumstances such as household structure, educational qualifications, housing tenure and possession of consumer durables.
The income available to households is commonly related to the number of people in the household, and particularly the number of adults. For example, 73% of households with an income of less than £6,000 contain only one adult compared with 16% of households with an income of £20,000 or more (no table).
Table 1 shows the proportion of each household type in the various income bands. This shows that half of single adult households have a net annual income of £10,000 or less, as do nearly two-thirds of single parent families. Over 80% of single pensioner households are also in this income group. Conversely, small adult households and small family households are the most likely to have a net income of over £20,000 per year.
Sex, income and working status
The highest income householder (HIH) (see definition in Section 11) is more likely to be female in households that contain no working adults. For example, where the HIH is female, 64% of households contain no working adults compared with 34% of households where the HIH is male (no table).
Only 7% of households with a male HIH are single parent or single pensioner households, compared with 42% where the HIH is female (no table).
Households with a female HIH have lower incomes than those headed by a male. Table 2 shows the annual incomes of households where the HIH is male and female respectively.
Over 60% of households with a female HIH have an annual net income of £10,000 or less compared with 35% of households where the HIH is male.
| Table 1: Income and household type |
Row percentages |
| Household type |
Net household income |
|||||
|
Up to£6,000 |
£6,001 to£10,000 |
£10,001 to£15,000 |
£15,001 to£20,000 |
over£20,000 |
Base =100% |
|
| Single adult |
23 |
27 |
28 |
12 |
11 |
622 |
| Small adult |
9 |
16 |
23 |
20 |
32 |
416 |
| Single parent |
16 |
50 |
24 |
6 |
4 |
196 |
| Small family |
3 |
13 |
19 |
24 |
41 |
399 |
| Large family |
5 |
9 |
27 |
21 |
37 |
206 |
| Large adult |
11 |
20 |
27 |
15 |
27 |
274 |
| Older smaller |
14 |
40 |
28 |
11 |
7 |
533 |
| Single pensioner |
52 |
33 |
11 |
2 |
2 |
493 |
| All |
19 |
27 |
23 |
13 |
18 |
3139 |
Note: Sample size reduced because of refusals and insufficient data on income questions
| Table 2: Income and sex of the Highest Income Householder |
Column percentages |
| Annual net household income |
Sex of Highest Income Householder |
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Male |
Female |
All |
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| Less than £6,000 |
12 |
29 |
19 |
| £6,001 to £10,000 |
23 |
32 |
27 |
| £10,001 to £15,000 |
23 |
23 |
23 |
| £15,001 to £20,000 |
17 |
8 |
13 |
| Over £20,000 |
25 |
8 |
18 |
| Base = 100% |
1892 |
1247 |
3139 |
Note: Sample size reduced because of refusals and insufficient data on income questions
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