Net Incomes (Hansard, 15 February 1995)

§ Mr. Burt

The following table gives the change in the real net incomes for quintiles 2, 3 and 4 of the United Kingdom income distribution of families with children for the period 1979 to 1991–92. 1991–92 is the two calendar years combined.

711W

Information is given both before and after housing costs.

Percentage change in real incomes of 2nd, 3rd and 4th quintiles of families with children, 1979 to 1991–92
	Quintile 2 20–40 per cent.	Quintile 3 40–60 per cent.	Quintile 4 60–80 per cent.
Before housing costs	(7)	22	33
After housing costs	(1)	20	32

Notes:

1. In the table quintiles 2,3 and 4 refer to the second from bottom, middle and second from top quintiles respectively.

2. Percentage growth estimates are calculated from the median income of each quintile.

3. Estimates in brackets () are particularly uncertain; see appendix 5 of "Households Below Average Income 1979 to 1991–92—a copy of which is in the Library—for details of the tests applied to estimates of changes in real incomes.

Income of families with children: quintile medians for 1979 and 1991–92
	Quintile 1 bottom 20 per cent.	Quintile 2 20–40 per cent.	Quintile 3 40–60 per cent.	Quintile 4 60–80 per cent.	Quintile 5 Top 20 per cent.
Before housing costs
1979	103	138	165	198	261
1991–92	100	148	202	263	394
After housing costs
1979	86	117	141	172	227
1991–92	76	118	169	226	339

Notes:

1. The figures relate to the median income level in each quintile in April 1994 prices. Estimates are for weekly income and are given to the nearest whole £.

2. The figures given are for equivalised income.

3. All estimates are subject to sampling error.

Before housing costs the income level of the 21st percentile of the income distribution of families with children is the same in 1979 as in 1991–92. After housing costs the equivalent figure is approximately the 29th percentile.