London households had £15,925 more to spend than North East in 2024, ONS figures show

Official data puts London’s gross disposable household income per head at £36,487 in 2024 — nearly £16,000 above the North East’s £20,562 and well ahead of the UK average of £25,965.

London’s households had £36,487 per head available to spend or save in 2024, the figures show — the highest of any UK country or English region. The North East recorded the lowest at £20,562, a gap of £15,925 between the top and bottom regions. The UK average sat at £25,965, according to the Office for National Statistics in its annual Regional Gross Disposable Household Income release.

Gross disposable household income measures what’s left after taxes, social contributions and other deductions are taken out, and after wages, benefits and other income are received. It’s essentially the money households can actually use.

Kent sits within the South East, a region that typically records GDHI per head above the UK average of £25,965, which places county households broadly in a stronger position compared with lower-income regions such as the North East. But no Kent-specific figure appeared in the ONS release summarised in the tweet, and any county-level breakdown would require separate verification from ONS datasets or local-authority sources. Kent County Council does point residents to the ONS GDHI bulletin for household income data.

The regional gap matters for spending power, retail demand and the affordability of everyday costs — areas where differences of several thousand pounds per head can have a real effect on local economies and household budgets.