St. Helens: local statistics
St. Helens is a metropolitan borough in the North West, home to an estimated 189,890 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 St. Helens, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
Homes in St. Helens sold for an average of £185,154 in July 2026, a rise of 7.3% in twelve months. It ranks as the 29th highest of all 35 council areas in the North West; the average for the North West was £221,445. This July figure is the highest in the series, 68% up on July 2016. Dividing the average price by the median annual pay of full-time employees living in St. Helens (£37,306) gives a ratio of 5.0. That ratio is 31st of 35 in the North West, counting from the highest ratio.
Average Band D council tax in St. Helens is £2,403.38 for 2026-27, up £114.85 on 2025-26. That makes it the 29th highest of all 35 council areas in the North West. Ten years earlier, in 2016-17, it was £1,503.59.
In 2022 to 2024, women in St. Helens had a life expectancy at birth of 81.0 years; for men it was 77.5, compared with 83.3 and 79.5 years across England. For women that is 0.4 years less than in 2012 to 2014; for men, 0.1 less. It is 26th of 35 in the North West, counting from the highest for women.
St. Helens had an estimated 189,890 residents in mid-2025, a change of +0.8% in a year. That is 11,594 more people than in mid-2015, a rise of 6.5% (the North West: +8.2%), the 23rd fastest growth of 35 in the North West. No earlier year in the series was higher.
In April 2025 the middle full-time earner living in St. Helens took home £747.80 a week before tax (£37,306 a year). It is the 13th highest of all 35 council areas in the North West, and 1.8% more than across the North West. For full-time jobs located in St. Helens the median is £646.60 a week (−£101.20 on the residents' figure). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was £479.10: a change of +56% before inflation.
In the year to March 2026, 16,310 offences were recorded by police in St. Helens: 85.9 per 1,000 people, the 14th highest rate of all 35 council areas in the North West. That compares with 84.9 per 1,000 the year before. In the year to March 2016 it was 66.9 per 1,000. Fraud is not included.
An estimated 75.7% of people aged 16 to 64 living in St. Helens were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, according to the ONS Annual Population Survey, with a margin of error of 4.2 points either way, against 73.8% across the North West. Its lowest reading in the series was 69.5% and its highest 76.6%.
The ONS counted 5,695 VAT or PAYE-registered businesses in St. Helens in March 2026, 4% more than in 2016. That is 30 for every 1,000 residents, the 2nd lowest of all 35 council areas in the North West.
In August 2026, 4,375 people in St. Helens were on the claimant count, 3.7% of residents aged 16 to 64; the rate for the North West was 4.2%. A year earlier the rate was 3.8%. Since August 2021 the rate has ranged between 3.6% (July 2026) and 5.5% (August 2021).
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 178,296 |
| 2016 | 179,229 |
| 2017 | 180,150 |
| 2018 | 180,937 |
| 2019 | 181,541 |
| 2020 | 182,102 |
| 2021 | 183,394 |
| 2022 | 184,858 |
| 2023 | 186,659 |
| 2024 | 188,397 |
| 2025 | 189,890 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £110,131 |
| July 2017 | £114,129 |
| July 2018 | £117,148 |
| July 2019 | £118,515 |
| July 2020 | £124,794 |
| July 2021 | £145,597 |
| July 2022 | £165,930 |
| July 2023 | £160,720 |
| July 2024 | £168,331 |
| July 2025 | £172,483 |
| July 2026 | £185,154 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £479.10 a week |
| 2016 | £500.00 a week |
| 2017 | £497.70 a week |
| 2018 | £517.60 a week |
| 2019 | £552.30 a week |
| 2020 | £536.80 a week |
| 2021 | £577.20 a week |
| 2022 | £621.80 a week |
| 2023 | £665.00 a week |
| 2024 | £689.50 a week |
| 2025 | £747.80 a week |
Average Band D council tax
| 2016-17 | £1,503.59 |
| 2017-18 | £1,571.26 |
| 2018-19 | £1,664.91 |
| 2019-20 | £1,752.17 |
| 2020-21 | £1,821.46 |
| 2021-22 | £1,913.06 |
| 2022-23 | £1,971.86 |
| 2023-24 | £2,073.68 |
| 2024-25 | £2,174.60 |
| 2025-26 | £2,288.53 |
| 2026-27 | £2,403.38 |
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents
| 2015/16 | 66.9 per 1,000 |
| 2016/17 | 75.2 per 1,000 |
| 2017/18 | 80.8 per 1,000 |
| 2018/19 | 88.3 per 1,000 |
| 2019/20 | 93.4 per 1,000 |
| 2020/21 | 88.7 per 1,000 |
| 2021/22 | 114.9 per 1,000 |
| 2022/23 | 113.5 per 1,000 |
| 2023/24 | 97.0 per 1,000 |
| 2024/25 | 84.9 per 1,000 |
| 2025/26 | 85.9 per 1,000 |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 69.5% |
| 2016/17 | 70.0% |
| 2017/18 | 69.7% |
| 2018/19 | 74.1% |
| 2019/20 | 74.0% |
| 2020/21 | 73.8% |
| 2021/22 | 76.6% |
| 2022/23 | 76.1% |
| 2023/24 | 73.3% |
| 2024/25 | 75.5% |
| 2025/26 | 75.7% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 81.4 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 81.3 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 81.0 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 81.0 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 81.0 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 81.3 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 81.1 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 80.9 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 80.4 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 80.5 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 81.0 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 5,490 |
| 2017 | 5,605 |
| 2018 | 5,535 |
| 2019 | 5,445 |
| 2020 | 5,745 |
| 2021 | 5,905 |
| 2022 | 5,950 |
| 2023 | 5,720 |
| 2024 | 5,580 |
| 2025 | 5,510 |
| 2026 | 5,695 |
Questions about St. Helens
What is the average house price in St. Helens?
£185,154 in July 2026, on HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index (+7.3% on a year).
How much is Band D council tax in St. Helens?
£2,403.38 on average for 2026-27, including police, fire and parish precepts (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government).
What is life expectancy in St. Helens?
81.0 years for women and 77.5 for men (2022 to 2024, ONS).
What is the population of St. Helens?
189,890 in mid-2025, the latest ONS mid-year estimate.
What is the average salary in St. Helens?
£747.80 a week before tax, the median for full-time employees who live there (April 2025, ONS).
What is the crime rate in St. Helens?
Home Office figures show 16,310 offences in the year to March 2026, or 85.9 per 1,000 people, not counting fraud.
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in St. Helens?
4,375 in August 2026 (3.7% of residents aged 16 to 64), on the ONS claimant count, which is not the unemployment rate.
Who has power over St. Helens
Every body that makes decisions for St. Helens, 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
- St. Helens council spending, reserves, debt and council tax
- St. Helens 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
- St Helens North: David Baines (Labour) MP
- St Helens South and Whiston: Ms Marie Rimmer (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 North West
- UK figures: UK average house price · Life expectancy at birth (UK) · UK population
- Other council areas in the North West: Blackburn with Darwen · Bury · Knowsley · Preston · Warrington · Westmorland and Furness
Related questions
- What is the average house price in my area?
- How much has council tax gone up this year?
- How healthy is my area?
- What is the population of my area?
- Which council am I in?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.