This page includes a dashboard summary of low income and unemployment data such as Universal Credit claimant count across Surrey geographies and the downloadable data. The dashboard was created by the Population Insight Team at Surrey County Council to provide a Surrey-level summary and the ability for you to select your desired area (District and Borough, Ward, or LSOA) for a more focused summary.
The Tableau dashboard is also available on Tableau Public.
A summary which focuses on child poverty and disadvantage in Surrey can be found on Surrey-I here.
A summary of pensioners in poverty in Surrey can be found on Surrey-i here.
A summary on fuel poverty in Surrey can be found on Surrey-i here.
Highlights:
(May 2024 update)
- As of April 2024, 66,020 residents of Surrey are on Universal Credit (UC).
- The greatest proportion of claimants are in work (38.4%), followed by those not in work but with no requirement to seek work (32.2%). These people are likely to be incapable of work due to illness, severe disability, caring duties, or past the age of retirement. 29.4% of claimants are not in work, but seeking it.
- There are 54,205 households in Surrey on Universal Credit (February 2024, these figures are released later than the individual-level data).
- Since May 2022 there has been a consistent growth in the number of individuals and households in Surrey on Universal Credit. Compared to April of the previous year, the number of Surrey residents on Universal Credit has risen by 6,489 people (10.9%). Between February 2023 and 2024, the number of Surrey households on Universal Credit has risen by 4,547 households (9.2%).
- In April 2024, the age group with the highest proportion of Surrey residents receiving Universal Credit is those between 30 to 34 years old, at an estimated 13%. Over one in ten residents aged 25 to 44 in Surrey are also recipients of Universal Credit.
- As of February 2024, there are 26,191 Surrey households on Universal Credit which include children (representing 53.5% of households on UC). There are 21,113 single person households (those not living in a couple, or with dependent children) on Universal Credit in Surrey.
- In Surrey, the ratio of women to men in employment and receiving Universal Credit is higher (60.9%) compared to the ratio of those out of work and on Universal Credit (52.4%). This indicates a gender imbalance in low-paid employment, necessitating a "top up" of income through benefits.
Source:
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) via Stat-Xplore
