Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Birmingham and Preston compared
Every measure Civometry publishes for both areas, side by side. Each figure is its publisher’s own for the period named beside it, and the difference between the two is stated in the middle. Neither area is called better: which direction counts as better depends on what you are asking, and the page does not decide that for you. Where the two figures are not comparable — a different period, or nothing published for one side — the row says so instead of showing a difference.
Birmingham
E08000025 · West Midlands Police
Preston
E07000123 · Lancashire Constabulary
Getting better or worse
−1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
The same in both
−1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
Population
1,176,960
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
1,012,462 more in Birmingham
164,498
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£35,989
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£1,225 more in Preston
£37,214
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£234,150
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£46,441 more in Birmingham
£187,709
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,093
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£305 more in Birmingham
£788
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
10.0%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
5.4 percentage points higher in Birmingham
4.6%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
+9,703
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
8,351 more in Birmingham
+1,352
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,363
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£213 more in Preston
£2,576
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
38.1
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
9.4 more in Birmingham
28.8
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
41.7%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
13.8 percentage points higher in Birmingham
27.9%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
124.0
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
4.9 more in Preston
128.9
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
6.5 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
1.5 years more in Birmingham
5.0 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
36.4%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
11.0 percentage points higher in Birmingham
25.4%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
6.57%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
0.35 percentage points higher in Preston
6.92%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
12,711
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
1,583 more in Birmingham
11,129
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,364
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
211 more in Birmingham
3,153
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 1,176,960 in Birmingham and 164,498 in Preston (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £35,989 in Birmingham and £37,214 in Preston (2025); and average house price was £234,150 in Birmingham and £187,709 in Preston (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
In the latest published figures, population was 1,176,960 in Birmingham and 164,498 in Preston (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £35,989 in Birmingham and £37,214 in Preston (2025); and average house price was £234,150 in Birmingham and £187,709 in Preston (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
Recorded crime by category
Offences per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to June 2026, from the same archive and the same window for both areas.
| Category | Birmingham per 1,000 | offences | Preston per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 124.0 | 145,894 | 128.9 | 21,204 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.6 | 698 | 1.4 | 232 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 5.7 | 6,702 | 3.7 | 608 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.5 | 11,157 | 9.4 | 1,550 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 4.1 | 4,832 | 4.1 | 669 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 2.2 | 2,564 | 3.0 | 501 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 7.5 | 8,860 | 7.3 | 1,201 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 3.0 | 3,506 | 1.6 | 255 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 7.4 | 8,755 | 7.3 | 1,199 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 3.2 | 3,709 | 1.3 | 222 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 10.7 | 12,627 | 8.4 | 1,376 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 1.4 | 1,642 | 0.6 | 101 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 10.4 | 12,274 | 5.1 | 832 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 52.8 | 62,138 | 44.7 | 7,351 | 34.7 |
| Violent crime | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
Police-recorded crime counts offences reported to and recorded by the police. It is affected by whether people report crime and by changes in police recording practice, so it does not measure all crime that happens. The Crime Survey for England and Wales is the better guide to long-term trends in the crimes it covers. Police recorded crime is not designated as National Statistics.
What this comparison rests on
Two figures are only subtracted when they are the same measure over the same period. Populations differ (1,176,960 and 164,498 residents on the latest estimates used here), so counts are shown alongside rates rather than instead of them. Nothing on this page is weighted, indexed or scored: every difference is one published number minus another, and the rows that cannot be compared say why.