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Affluence in Wakefield

How Wakefield ranks on deprivation and income, and the work and qualifications behind it.

Council
Wakefield
Region
Yorkshire and The Humber
Population
104,684 (2024)
Deprivation

How well off Wakefield is

On the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, Wakefield scores 4.5 out of 10, placing it close to the middle of the range for England. Its lowest-scoring category is crime (3.4 out of 10). Scores are ranked within England only, so they can’t be compared across UK nations.

Overall score
4.5/ 10
Most deprivedLeast deprived
Its 58 neighbourhoods, from 1 to 10
12345678910
Most deprivedLeast deprived
By category, lowest first
  • Crime3.4
  • Health and disability3.6
  • Education and skills4.2
  • Employment4.6
  • Income4.9
  • Children in low-income families5.0
  • Older people in low-income households5.1
  • Living environment5.5
  • Barriers to housing and services7.8
Income

Household income

Average yearly household income before tax (2022/23), estimated for local neighbourhoods.

Annual income
£46,463
Before tax, all sources
England
£55,856
Below the national average
Higher than
31%
Of neighbourhoods in England and Wales
Work

Who is in work

56.1% of adults in Wakefield are in work, broadly in line with the England average of 55.7%. 21.2% are retired and 5.6% are full-time students.

WakefieldEngland
Employee, full-time36.6%34.3%
Employee, part-time12.3%11.9%
Self-employed7.2%9.5%
Unemployed3%2.9%
Full-time student5.6%7.9%
Retired21.2%21.5%
Looking after home or family5%4.8%
Long-term sick or disabled5%4.1%
Other4.1%3.1%
Occupations

Social grade

28.7% of adults in Wakefield work in managerial or professional jobs, below the England average of 33.2%.

WakefieldEngland
Higher managerial & professional10.7%13.2%
Lower managerial & professional18.1%19.9%
Intermediate11.6%11.4%
Small employers & self-employed8.7%10.6%
Lower supervisory & technical5.9%5.3%
Semi-routine11.4%11.3%
Routine18.4%12%
Never worked & long-term unemployed9.9%8.5%
Full-time students5.3%7.7%
Education

Highest qualification

27.6% of adults in Wakefield hold a degree or equivalent, below the England average of 33.9%. 22.7% have no qualifications.

WakefieldEngland
Degree level or above27.6%33.9%
A level or equivalent15.4%16.9%
GCSE grade 4/C or above14.2%13.3%
Below GCSE grade 4/C10.8%9.7%
Apprenticeship6.3%5.3%
Other qualifications3.1%2.8%
No qualifications22.7%18.1%

Sources: English Indices of Deprivation 2025; ONS small area income estimates; Census 2021 (ONS). Open Government Licence v3.0.

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