Luton: local statistics
Luton is a unitary authority in the East of England, home to an estimated 236,380 people (mid-2025). This page brings together 10 official figures for the area, each with its period, publisher and the address it was read from. See also who has power over Luton, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
The claimant count for Luton stood at 10,285 in August 2026, or 6.6% of residents aged 16 to 64, compared with 3.3% in the East of England. That compares with 6.9% a year before. Over the last five years it peaked at 7.2% in August 2021 and was lowest at 4.8% in January 2023.
The Annual Population Survey estimates that 66.1% of Luton residents aged 16 to 64 were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, with a margin of error of 4.4 points either way, against 78.3% across the East of England. Its lowest reading in the series was 66.1% and its highest 71.1%.
Median weekly pay for full-time employees who live in Luton was £709.00 in April 2025, or £34,732 over a year. That is 11.9% below the figure for the East of England and the 40th highest of 45 in the East of England. Measured by where people work rather than where they live, the median is £758.30, £49.30 higher. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was £489.00: a change of +45% before inflation.
In 2022 to 2024, women in Luton had a life expectancy at birth of 82.6 years; for men it was 78.6, compared with 83.3 and 79.5 years across England. For women that is 0.5 years more than in 2012 to 2014; for men, 0.4 more. It is 39th of 45 in the East of England, counting from the highest for women.
The average house price in Luton was £284,946 in July 2026, a rise of 0.5% in twelve months. That is 36th of 45 in the East of England, counting from the highest (regional average £337,518). This July figure is the highest in the series, 27% up on July 2016. Dividing the average price by the median annual pay of full-time employees living in Luton (£34,732) gives a ratio of 8.2. That ratio is close to the middle of all 45 council areas in the East of England (25th highest ratio).
In March 2026, 9,365 VAT or PAYE-registered businesses were based in Luton, 21% more than in 2016. That is 40 for every 1,000 residents, the 3rd lowest of all 45 council areas in the East of England.
The police recorded 83.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Luton in the year to March 2026 (19,654 offences in all), 12th of 42 in the East of England, counting from the highest rate. The rate was 82.3 in the year to March 2025. The highest rate in the series was 96.6, in the year to March 2019. Fraud is not included.
A Band D home in Luton pays an average of £2,439.93 in council tax in 2026-27, up £119.50 on 2025-26. It is the 17th highest of 45 in the East of England. Ten years earlier, in 2016-17, it was £1,546.34.
236,380 people lived in Luton in mid-2025, according to the ONS, down 0.7% on mid-2024. The ten-year change since mid-2015 is +8.6%, against +8.5% for the East of England as a whole. That is close to the middle of all 45 council areas in the East of England (22nd fastest growth). The series peaked at 238,047 in mid-2024.
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 217,612 |
| 2016 | 220,952 |
| 2017 | 220,752 |
| 2018 | 221,532 |
| 2019 | 223,106 |
| 2020 | 224,132 |
| 2021 | 224,958 |
| 2022 | 227,839 |
| 2023 | 233,813 |
| 2024 | 238,047 |
| 2025 | 236,380 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £224,651 |
| July 2017 | £244,736 |
| July 2018 | £242,932 |
| July 2019 | £236,770 |
| July 2020 | £232,470 |
| July 2021 | £252,809 |
| July 2022 | £277,888 |
| July 2023 | £271,900 |
| July 2024 | £271,317 |
| July 2025 | £283,392 |
| July 2026 | £284,946 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £489.00 a week |
| 2016 | £504.00 a week |
| 2017 | £528.50 a week |
| 2018 | £541.80 a week |
| 2019 | £560.50 a week |
| 2020 | £578.10 a week |
| 2021 | £583.00 a week |
| 2022 | £616.20 a week |
| 2023 | £623.90 a week |
| 2024 | £670.70 a week |
| 2025 | £709.00 a week |
Average Band D council tax
| 2016-17 | £1,546.34 |
| 2017-18 | £1,614.88 |
| 2018-19 | £1,708.98 |
| 2019-20 | £1,778.76 |
| 2020-21 | £1,849.70 |
| 2021-22 | £1,943.41 |
| 2022-23 | £2,003.71 |
| 2023-24 | £2,106.64 |
| 2024-25 | £2,210 |
| 2025-26 | £2,320.43 |
| 2026-27 | £2,439.93 |
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents
| 2015/16 | 75.4 per 1,000 |
| 2016/17 | 79.2 per 1,000 |
| 2017/18 | 84.8 per 1,000 |
| 2018/19 | 96.6 per 1,000 |
| 2019/20 | 95.2 per 1,000 |
| 2020/21 | 80.8 per 1,000 |
| 2021/22 | 86.8 per 1,000 |
| 2022/23 | 86.5 per 1,000 |
| 2023/24 | 81.0 per 1,000 |
| 2024/25 | 82.3 per 1,000 |
| 2025/26 | 83.1 per 1,000 |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 68.6% |
| 2016/17 | 68.3% |
| 2017/18 | 70.1% |
| 2018/19 | 71.1% |
| 2019/20 | 70.6% |
| 2020/21 | 70.0% |
| 2021/22 | 70.0% |
| 2022/23 | 69.4% |
| 2023/24 | 68.7% |
| 2024/25 | 66.6% |
| 2025/26 | 66.1% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 82.1 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 82.2 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 82.1 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 82.2 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 82.3 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 82.5 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 82.2 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 81.9 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 81.3 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 82.0 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 82.6 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 7,715 |
| 2017 | 10,800 |
| 2018 | 8,015 |
| 2019 | 8,345 |
| 2020 | 8,580 |
| 2021 | 8,855 |
| 2022 | 9,335 |
| 2023 | 8,995 |
| 2024 | 9,030 |
| 2025 | 9,055 |
| 2026 | 9,365 |
Questions about Luton
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in Luton?
The ONS claimant count was 10,285 in August 2026, 6.6% of 16 to 64-year-olds. It counts benefit claims, not unemployment.
What is the average salary in Luton?
Median pay for full-time employees living in Luton was £709.00 a week in April 2025 (£34,732 a year), from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
What is life expectancy in Luton?
82.6 years for women and 78.6 for men (2022 to 2024, ONS).
What is the average house price in Luton?
HM Land Registry's figure for July 2026 is £284,946.
What is the crime rate in Luton?
Home Office figures show 19,654 offences in the year to March 2026, or 83.1 per 1,000 people, not counting fraud.
How much is Band D council tax in Luton?
£2,439.93 on average for 2026-27, including police, fire and parish precepts (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government).
What is the population of Luton?
236,380 in mid-2025, the latest ONS mid-year estimate.
Who has power over Luton
Every body that makes decisions for Luton, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 3: Local councils
- Luton council spending, reserves, debt and council tax
- Luton in official figures this page
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- Luton North: Sarah Owen (Labour) MP
- Luton South and South Bedfordshire: Rachel Hopkins (Labour) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
Each value above links to the official file or query it was read from, on 14 October 2026. What each figure measures.
- Recorded crime: Years before April 2020 come from the earlier Home Office table.
More on this area and these figures
- Council money: spending, reserves and debt
- Figures for the whole region: the East of England
- UK figures: UK unemployment rate · UK employment rate · UK average weekly earnings growth
- Other council areas in the East of England: Basildon · Bedford · Colchester · East Suffolk · Huntingdonshire · Peterborough
Related questions
- What is the unemployment rate in my area?
- What is the average salary in my area?
- How healthy is my area?
- What is the average house price in my area?
- Which council am I in?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.