West Lancashire: local statistics
West Lancashire is a district council area in the North West, home to an estimated 123,564 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 West Lancashire, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
In the year to March 2026, 5,934 offences were recorded by police in West Lancashire: 48.0 per 1,000 people, the 2nd lowest rate of the 35 council areas in the North West. That compares with 46.4 per 1,000 the year before. The highest rate in the series was 60.5, in the year to March 2019. Fraud is not included.
An estimated 81.0% of people aged 16 to 64 living in West Lancashire were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, according to the ONS Annual Population Survey, with a margin of error of 7.4 points either way; the figure for the North West was 73.8%. Its lowest reading in the series was 64.7% and its highest 85.9%.
A typical home in West Lancashire cost £236,194 in July 2026, on the UK House Price Index, up 5.2% on a year before. Among council areas that puts it the 9th highest of the 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, 41% up on July 2016. The average price is 6.2 times the median annual pay of full-time employees who live in West Lancashire. That ratio is the 11th highest ratio of the 35 council areas in the North West.
The median full-time employee living in West Lancashire was paid £787.80 a week before tax in April 2025 (£38,102 a year). That is 7.2% above the figure for the North West and the 8th highest of 35 in the North West. Measured by where people work rather than where they live, the median is £678.80, £109.00 lower. In 2015 the residents' median was £500.70, so it has risen 57% before inflation.
In 2022 to 2024, women in West Lancashire had a life expectancy at birth of 82.3 years; for men it was 79.8, compared with 83.3 and 79.5 years across England. For women that is 0.5 years less than in 2012 to 2014; for men, 0.3 more. It is the 9th highest for women of 35 in the North West.
In August 2026, 2,065 people in West Lancashire were on the claimant count, 2.8% of residents aged 16 to 64, compared with 4.2% in the North West. A year earlier the rate was 2.7%. Over the last five years it peaked at 4.0% in August 2021 and was lowest at 2.6% in September 2023.
The ONS estimates that 123,564 people lived in West Lancashire in mid-2025, a change of +1.2% in a year. The ten-year change since mid-2015 is +8.8%, against +8.2% for the North West as a whole, the 14th fastest growth of 35 in the North West. No earlier year in the series was higher.
For 2026-27 the average Band D council tax bill in West Lancashire is £2,456.23, up £94.11 on 2025-26. It is the 22nd highest of the 35 council areas in the North West. In 2016-17 the figure was £1,605.49, so it has risen 53%.
The ONS counted 5,135 VAT or PAYE-registered businesses in West Lancashire in March 2026, 3% more than in 2016. There are 42 per 1,000 residents, the 14th highest of the 35 council areas in the North West.
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 113,536 |
| 2016 | 114,243 |
| 2017 | 115,210 |
| 2018 | 115,366 |
| 2019 | 115,744 |
| 2020 | 116,198 |
| 2021 | 117,099 |
| 2022 | 119,436 |
| 2023 | 120,263 |
| 2024 | 122,054 |
| 2025 | 123,564 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £167,441 |
| July 2017 | £171,870 |
| July 2018 | £177,568 |
| July 2019 | £177,314 |
| July 2020 | £182,592 |
| July 2021 | £190,681 |
| July 2022 | £203,318 |
| July 2023 | £217,358 |
| July 2024 | £218,787 |
| July 2025 | £224,591 |
| July 2026 | £236,194 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £500.70 a week |
| 2016 | £497.80 a week |
| 2017 | £537.70 a week |
| 2018 | £577.20 a week |
| 2019 | £582.40 a week |
| 2020 | £543.20 a week |
| 2021 | £564.70 a week |
| 2022 | £581.90 a week |
| 2023 | £692.60 a week |
| 2024 | £717.20 a week |
| 2025 | £787.80 a week |
Average Band D council tax
| 2016-17 | £1,605.49 |
| 2017-18 | £1,661.18 |
| 2018-19 | £1,754.50 |
| 2019-20 | £1,838.25 |
| 2020-21 | £1,908.37 |
| 2021-22 | £1,985.64 |
| 2022-23 | £2,064.42 |
| 2023-24 | £2,152.51 |
| 2024-25 | £2,253.03 |
| 2025-26 | £2,362.12 |
| 2026-27 | £2,456.23 |
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents
| 2015/16 | 41.3 per 1,000 |
| 2016/17 | 44.3 per 1,000 |
| 2017/18 | 50.7 per 1,000 |
| 2018/19 | 60.5 per 1,000 |
| 2019/20 | 54.8 per 1,000 |
| 2020/21 | 46.2 per 1,000 |
| 2021/22 | 48.4 per 1,000 |
| 2022/23 | 46.7 per 1,000 |
| 2023/24 | 48.0 per 1,000 |
| 2024/25 | 46.4 per 1,000 |
| 2025/26 | 48.0 per 1,000 |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 72.0% |
| 2016/17 | 68.2% |
| 2017/18 | 64.7% |
| 2018/19 | 69.3% |
| 2019/20 | 70.5% |
| 2020/21 | 71.1% |
| 2021/22 | 70.4% |
| 2022/23 | 68.0% |
| 2023/24 | 85.9% |
| 2024/25 | 75.1% |
| 2025/26 | 81.0% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 82.8 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 82.6 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 82.4 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 82.4 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 82.1 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 82.5 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 82.5 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 82.6 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 82.6 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 82.4 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 82.3 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 4,965 |
| 2017 | 5,080 |
| 2018 | 5,015 |
| 2019 | 5,125 |
| 2020 | 5,105 |
| 2021 | 5,050 |
| 2022 | 5,105 |
| 2023 | 5,185 |
| 2024 | 5,260 |
| 2025 | 5,075 |
| 2026 | 5,135 |
Questions about West Lancashire
What is the crime rate in West Lancashire?
Home Office figures show 5,934 offences in the year to March 2026, or 48.0 per 1,000 people, not counting fraud.
What is the average house price in West Lancashire?
£236,194 in July 2026, on HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index (+5.2% on a year).
What is the average salary in West Lancashire?
£787.80 a week before tax, the median for full-time employees who live there (April 2025, ONS).
What is life expectancy in West Lancashire?
For 2022 to 2024 the ONS gives 79.8 years for men and 82.3 for women.
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in West Lancashire?
The ONS claimant count was 2,065 in August 2026, 2.8% of 16 to 64-year-olds. It counts benefit claims, not unemployment.
What is the population of West Lancashire?
The ONS estimates 123,564 people lived in West Lancashire in mid-2025.
How much is Band D council tax in West Lancashire?
£2,456.23 on average for 2026-27, including police, fire and parish precepts (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government).
Who has power over West Lancashire
Every body that makes decisions for West Lancashire, 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
- West Lancashire council spending, reserves, debt and council tax
- West Lancashire 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
- Southport: Patrick Hurley (Labour) MP
- West Lancashire: Ashley Dalton (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: Crime Survey for England and Wales: headline crime · UK employment rate · UK average house price
- Other council areas in the North West: Blackpool · Chorley · Halton · Lancaster · South Ribble · Wyre
Related questions
- How do I find the crime rate in my area?
- What is the average house price in my area?
- What is the average salary in my area?
- How healthy is my area?
- Which council am I in?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.