← Hampshire

Hampshire · 13 council areas · matched measures · 2022–2026

How does each area compare on the same measure?

Pick a measure, then one or two of the 13 council areas. Every measure keeps its own definition, period and England or Great Britain comparator; survey estimates and mixed-period measures are shown but not ranked. Claimant rates, for example, run from 1.8% in Hart to 4.5% in Portsmouth.

Evidence last reviewed 3 October 2026

Compare areas

How does each area compare on the same measure?

Claimant rate: from 1.8% in Hart to 4.5% in Portsmouth

People claiming Universal Credit or Jobseeker’s Allowance who are required to look for work, as a percentage of residents aged 16–64, August 2026. Not the unemployment rate.

Ceremonial Hampshire’s 13 council areas (11 districts, Portsmouth and Southampton) · August 2026
August 2026England 4.0%
  • Portsmouth4.5%
  • Southampton4.2%
  • Gosport3.6%
  • Havant3.3%
  • Rushmoor3.0%
  • Basingstoke and Deane2.7%
  • Eastleigh2.3%
  • New Forest2.3%
  • Winchester2.1%
  • East Hampshire2.1%
  • Fareham2.0%
  • Test Valley2.0%
  • Hart1.8%
Portsmouth has the highest claimant rate (4.5%) and Hart the lowest (1.8%); 2 of 13 areas are above England’s 4.0%. An administrative count, not unemployment: some claimants are in low-paid work and asked to look for more, and many unemployed people claim nothing. Not seasonally adjusted; the latest month is provisional.

Ceremonial Hampshire’s 13 council areas (11 districts, Portsmouth and Southampton) · August 2026 · Official statistic

Sources, definitions and data — Claimant rate: from 1.8% in Hart to 4.5% in Portsmouth
Geography:
Ceremonial Hampshire’s 13 council areas (11 districts, Portsmouth and Southampton)
Measure:
% of residents aged 16–64
Period:
August 2026
Status:
Official statistic
Calculation:
As published by the source.
Compare with:
England 4.0%, August 2026

Source: ONS Claimant Count via Nomis (NM_162_1, measure 2), Claimants as a proportion of residents aged 16–64. Chart HANTS-02.

View the data as a table
Area% of residents aged 16–64Period
Portsmouth4.5%August 2026
Southampton4.2%August 2026
Gosport3.6%August 2026
Havant3.3%August 2026
Rushmoor3.0%August 2026
Basingstoke and Deane2.7%August 2026
Eastleigh2.3%August 2026
New Forest2.3%August 2026
Winchester2.1%August 2026
East Hampshire2.1%August 2026
Fareham2.0%August 2026
Test Valley2.0%August 2026
Hart1.8%August 2026

What counts as a fair comparison

Same measure, same period, same denominator. Persistent absence is a share of enrolled pupils at schools in the area; the employment rate is a share of residents aged 16–64. Neither can be turned into a county rate by weighting with total population, so the county figures on the Hampshire page are ranges.

Survey estimates are not league tables. Employment rates come from the Annual Population Survey, whose council-area samples are small; a gap of a few points may be noise. Resident earnings come from a sample survey too.

Mismatched periods are flagged, not hidden. Recorded crime is police.uk street-level data for all 13 areas over the same 12 months, but England’s rate comes from the ONS official series for a different year, so that comparison is approximate.

Do not merge geographies. Council areas, wards, parliamentary constituencies and NHS catchments are different units. Hospital trust figures are not residents’ outcomes.

Every registered figure

Every measure we hold for the 13 areas, including those without an England comparator. A cell reading “Data pending” means no verified published figure is available for that area yet; it is a gap, not an estimate, and that area cannot be ranked on that measure.

Comparison of population, labour market, earnings, housing, deprivation, crime, health, education, politics and council finance metrics across all 13 Hampshire authorities
MetricPortsmouthSouthamptonWinchesterBasingstoke and DeaneEast HampshireEastleighFarehamGosportHartHavantNew ForestRushmoorTest Valley
Population
Population (total)

⚠ Not like-for-like: these figures cover different reference periods (Mid-2024; 2026-07-31), because each authority publishes its own. Read them individually — do not rank authorities on this row.

212936 peopleMid-2024259424 people2026-07-31135632 people2026-07-31193110 people2026-07-31129975 people2026-07-31142933 people2026-07-31115428 people2026-07-3182921 people2026-07-31103162 people2026-07-31126985 people2026-07-31176116 people2026-07-31105751 people2026-07-31135201 people2026-07-31
Median age36.4 yearsmid-202434.3 yearsmid-202442.5 yearsmid-202440.9 yearsmid-202447 yearsmid-202441.8 yearsmid-202447.7 yearsmid-202443.9 yearsmid-202443.6 yearsmid-202446 yearsmid-202452.4 yearsmid-202438 yearsmid-202444.1 yearsmid-2024
Labour market
Employment rate77.8 percentApr 2025-Mar 202673.3 percentApr 2025-Mar 202679.3 percentApr 2025-Mar 202680.2 percentApr 2025-Mar 202678.5 percentApr 2025-Mar 202680.7 percentApr 2025-Mar 202687.6 percentApr 2025-Mar 202673.7 percentApr 2025-Mar 202678.3 percentApr 2025-Mar 202682.4 percentApr 2025-Mar 202679.8 percentApr 2025-Mar 202682 percentApr 2025-Mar 202676.9 percentApr 2025-Mar 2026
Economic inactivity rate18.2 percentApr 2025-Mar 202622.4 percentApr 2025-Mar 202618.3 percentApr 2025-Mar 202617.2 percentApr 2025-Mar 202618.2 percentApr 2025-Mar 202617.3 percentApr 2025-Mar 202611.9 percentApr 2025-Mar 202625.1 percentApr 2025-Mar 202617.7 percentApr 2025-Mar 202614.1 percentApr 2025-Mar 202618.3 percentApr 2025-Mar 202616.1 percentApr 2025-Mar 202622.2 percentApr 2025-Mar 2026
Claimant count rate4.5 percentAugust 20264.2 percentAugust 20262.1 percentAugust 20262.7 percentAugust 20262.1 percentAugust 20262.3 percentAugust 20262 percentAugust 20263.6 percentAugust 20261.8 percentAugust 20263.3 percentAugust 20262.3 percentAugust 20263 percentAugust 20262 percentAugust 2026
Model-based unemployment rate4.3 percentApr 2025-Mar 20264.8 percentApr 2025-Mar 20263.3 percentApr 2025-Mar 20263.2 percentApr 2025-Mar 20263.2 percentApr 2025-Mar 20262.9 percentApr 2025-Mar 20262.3 percentApr 2025-Mar 20263.7 percentApr 2025-Mar 20263.3 percentApr 2025-Mar 20263.7 percentApr 2025-Mar 20262.8 percentApr 2025-Mar 20263.2 percentApr 2025-Mar 20262.7 percentApr 2025-Mar 2026
Earnings
Median gross annual earnings of full-time residents

Median gross annual earnings of full-time residents

36457.2 GBP per year202537668.8 GBP per year202544486 GBP per year202542801.2 GBP per year202546872.8 GBP per year202542640 GBP per year202543456.4 GBP per year202536946 GBP per year202548256 GBP per year202538230.4 GBP per year202538110.8 GBP per year202537871.6 GBP per year202541355.6 GBP per year2025
Housing
Median house price260000 GBPYear ending Mar 2026260000 GBPYear ending Mar 2026467500 GBPYear ending Mar 2026372500 GBPYear ending Mar 2026420000 GBPYear ending Mar 2026337500 GBPYear ending Mar 2026345000 GBPYear ending Mar 2026252000 GBPYear ending Mar 2026450000 GBPYear ending Mar 2026317500 GBPYear ending Mar 2026385000 GBPYear ending Mar 2026360000 GBPYear ending Mar 2026355000 GBPYear ending Mar 2026
Median private rent950 GBP per month1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023900 GBP per month1 October 2022 to 30 September 20231200 GBP per month1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023998 GBP per month1 October 2022 to 30 September 20231100 GBP per month1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023950 GBP per month1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023975 GBP per month1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023850 GBP per month1 October 2022 to 30 September 20231103 GBP per month1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023975 GBP per month1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023995 GBP per month1 October 2022 to 30 September 20231000 GBP per month1 October 2022 to 30 September 20231050 GBP per month1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023
House price to earnings ratio7.1 ratioYear ending Mar 2026 house price / 2025 earnings6.9 ratioYear ending Mar 2026 house price / 2025 earnings10.5 ratioYear ending Mar 2026 house price / 2025 earnings8.7 ratioYear ending Mar 2026 house price / 2025 earnings9 ratioYear ending Mar 2026 house price / 2025 earnings7.9 ratioYear ending Mar 2026 house price / 2025 earnings7.9 ratioYear ending Mar 2026 house price / 2025 earnings6.8 ratioYear ending Mar 2026 house price / 2025 earnings9.3 ratioYear ending Mar 2026 house price / 2025 earnings8.3 ratioYear ending Mar 2026 house price / 2025 earnings10.1 ratioYear ending Mar 2026 house price / 2025 earnings9.5 ratioYear ending Mar 2026 house price / 2025 earnings8.6 ratioYear ending Mar 2026 house price / 2025 earnings
Deprivation
Share of neighbourhoods in the most deprived 10% nationally (IMD 2025)12 percent of LSOAs202511.84 percent of LSOAs20250 percent of LSOAs20250 percent of LSOAs20250 percent of LSOAs20250 percent of LSOAs20250 percent of LSOAs20258.93 percent of LSOAs20250 percent of LSOAs202511.39 percent of LSOAs20251.75 percent of LSOAs20250 percent of LSOAs20250 percent of LSOAs2025
Crime
Police-recorded crime rate per 1,000 population

Police-recorded crime. Recording practices and reporting can affect comparisons.

112.5 offences per 1,000 populationSeptember 2025 to August 2026118.8 offences per 1,000 populationSeptember 2025 to August 202654.8 offences per 1,000 populationSeptember 2025 to August 202659.8 offences per 1,000 populationSeptember 2025 to August 202641.8 offences per 1,000 populationSeptember 2025 to August 202655.5 offences per 1,000 populationSeptember 2025 to August 202652.2 offences per 1,000 populationSeptember 2025 to August 202667.8 offences per 1,000 populationSeptember 2025 to August 202637.1 offences per 1,000 populationSeptember 2025 to August 202676.6 offences per 1,000 populationSeptember 2025 to August 202651.6 offences per 1,000 populationSeptember 2025 to August 202668 offences per 1,000 populationSeptember 2025 to August 202652.6 offences per 1,000 populationSeptember 2025 to August 2026
Health outcomes
Life expectancy at birthMale: 78.1 · Female: 82.6 years2022 to 2024Male: 78.0 · Female: 82.6 years2022 to 2024Male: 82.4 · Female: 86.3 years2022 to 2024Male: 81.5 · Female: 84.3 years2022 to 2024Male: 82.3 · Female: 85.0 years2022 to 2024Male: 81.7 · Female: 85.2 years2022 to 2024Male: 81.5 · Female: 85.3 years2022 to 2024Male: 79.0 · Female: 82.3 years2022 to 2024Male: 83.7 · Female: 86.2 years2022 to 2024Male: 80.1 · Female: 83.4 years2022 to 2024Male: 81.7 · Female: 85.3 years2022 to 2024Male: 80.5 · Female: 83.4 years2022 to 2024Male: 82.0 · Female: 84.9 years2022 to 2024
Education
Special schools located in the authority5 schools2026-08-019 schools2026-08-012 schools2026-08-019 schools2026-08-017 schools2026-08-011 schools2026-08-018 schools2026-08-010 schools2026-08-012 schools2026-08-016 schools2026-08-0112 schools2026-08-014 schools2026-08-018 schools2026-08-01
Permanent exclusion rate (all state-funded schools)0.09 rate per 100 pupils2023/240.1 rate per 100 pupils2023/240.03 rate per 100 pupils2023/240.07 rate per 100 pupils2023/240.03 rate per 100 pupils2023/240.02 rate per 100 pupils2023/240.09 rate per 100 pupils2023/240.08 rate per 100 pupils2023/240.02 rate per 100 pupils2023/240.05 rate per 100 pupils2023/240.05 rate per 100 pupils2023/240.07 rate per 100 pupils2023/240.02 rate per 100 pupils2023/24
Persistent absence rate (school-location)19.7 percent2024/2521.5 percent2024/2514.7 percent2024/2515.6 percent2024/2515.1 percent2024/2515.6 percent2024/2515.2 percent2024/2519.7 percent2024/2512.7 percent2024/2519.5 percent2024/2517.2 percent2024/2515.2 percent2024/2513.9 percent2024/25
Politics
Council political controlLiberal Democrat majority party / composition2026-08-01Labour majority party / composition2026-08-01Liberal Democrat-led administration party / composition2026-08-01Liberal Democrat-led administration party / composition2026-08-01Conservative-led coalition with Whitehill & Bordon Community Party party / composition2026-08-01Liberal Democrat-led administration party / composition2026-08-01Conservative control party / composition2026-08-01Conservative minority administration party / composition2026-08-01Joint Liberal Democrat and Community Campaign Hart administration party / composition2026-08-01Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green coalition administration party / composition2026-08-01Conservative control party / composition2026-08-01Labour-led administration; no overall control party / composition2026-08-01Conservative control party / composition2026-08-01
Parliamentary representationPortsmouth North — Amanda Martin (Labour); Portsmouth South — Stephen Morgan (Labour) seats / result2024 general electionSouthampton Itchen — Darren Paffey (Labour); Southampton Test — Satvir Kaur (Labour) seats / result2024 general electionWinchester — Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat) seats / result2024 general electionBasingstoke — Luke Murphy (Labour) seats / result2024 general electionEast Hampshire — Damian Hinds (Conservative) seats / result2024 general electionEastleigh — Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat) seats / result2024 general electionFareham and Waterlooville — Suella Braverman (Reform UK) seats / result2024 general electionGosport — Caroline Dinenage (Conservative) seats / result2024 general electionNorth East Hampshire — Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat) seats / result2024 general electionHavant — Alan Mak (Conservative) seats / result2024 general electionNew Forest East — Sir Julian Lewis (Conservative); New Forest West — Desmond Swayne (Conservative) seats / result2024 general electionAldershot — Alex Baker (Labour) seats / result2024 general electionNorth West Hampshire — Kit Malthouse (Conservative); Romsey and Southampton North — Caroline Nokes (Conservative) seats / result2024 general election
Council finance
Band D council tax (authority element)1908.41 GBP per year2026-271998.18 GBP per year2026-27194.1 GBP per year2026-27151.42 GBP per year2026-27156.92 GBP per year2026-27131.71 GBP per year2026-27197.14 GBP per year2026-27270.88 GBP per year2026-27210.2 GBP per year2026-27246.87 GBP per year2026-27211.92 GBP per year2026-27246.87 GBP per year2026-27180.76 GBP per year2026-27

Table shows every common metric tracked for Hampshire. Cells marked “Data pending” are measures with no verified published value for that area yet, so the area is left out of any ranking on them. Council tax cells marked †(Portsmouth, Southampton) are a whole unitary-authority council tax bill, not comparable to the other 11 authorities’ district/borough element only — shown for completeness, not as a like-for-like ranking.

Who can change this?

Raise an issue with the body that holds the power. Responsibilities follow the two-tier split: the 11 districts share Hampshire County Council for schools, social care and public health, while Portsmouth and Southampton run all of these themselves.

Who holds the levers in Hampshire
IssueLocal councilCounty / combined authorityNHS and policeCentral government
Housing supply and affordabilityDistrict or unitary council: local plan, planning decisions, homelessness duty, its own council housing where heldHighways, schools and other infrastructure that sites need—MHCLG: national planning policy and housing targets; Homes England: affordable-housing funding
Work and benefitsDistrict or unitary council: local economic development and employment supportHampshire and the Solent Combined County Authority: adult skills (from August 2027) and strategic growthNHS: health-related support to stay in workDWP and Jobcentre Plus: Universal Credit and conditionality
School attendanceDistrict or unitary council: the local authority for schoolsHampshire County Council (11 districts) or the city council (Portsmouth, Southampton): attendance support under DfE’s statutory guidanceNHS: children’s mental health servicesDfE: funding and attendance policy; schools and academy trusts
Health and life expectancyDistrict or unitary council: housing standards, leisure, environmental healthHampshire County Council (11 districts) or the city council (Portsmouth, Southampton): public health duty and grantNHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB: commissioning; GP practices and trusts: careDHSC: NHS funding and public health grant
Crime and safetyDistrict or unitary council: Community Safety Partnership, licensing, CCTV—Police and Crime Commissioner: police plan and budget; Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary: operationsHome Office: police funding formula and law
Sources and methods (12)

Method notes

  • Each local page’s headline is chosen by a site rule, not written by hand: among measures with a matched England comparator and one period for all 13 areas, the selector scores |distance from the Hampshire median| + 0.5 × |distance from England|, both in cross-area standard deviations, and takes the highest. Survey estimates (employment rate), measures with mixed periods, and crime (its England comparator is a different source) cannot lead. Below a score of 0.75 the page uses a neutral fallback.
  • County figures are never invented. Rates are shown as ranges across the 13 areas, with the lowest and highest named, because a pooled employment rate needs each area’s employed and 16–64 population counts and a pooled absence rate needs pupil enrolments — this site holds neither. Population is a genuine sum.
  • England comparators: claimant count, absence, life expectancy and deprivation share the local period. So does the house-price-to-earnings ratio. Crime is compared with England’s ONS rate for the year to March 2026, a different source, which is flagged beside the figure. The employment comparator is Great Britain because Nomis publishes no England figure in that series.
  • Ranks are given only for administrative measures with one period. Survey estimates show no rank.
  • Winchester figures cover Winchester district, not just the city.
  • Crime (September 2025 to August 2026): every crime police.uk published for the 13 areas, fetched month by month from the police.uk API for a polygon around each council area, de-duplicated and assigned to the area its anonymised map point falls in (unsimplified ONS boundaries; 17 points on the coast that fell between boundary lines went to the nearest area within 1 km). Anti-social behaviour and British Transport Police records are kept out of crime totals. Rates use ONS mid-2025 resident populations. The method and script are in scripts/police-uk/; a check against the site’s separately built police.uk archive series for Portsmouth and Southampton (assigned by neighbourhood code, not by map point) agrees to within one crime a month.
  • Crime is checked against the ONS official figures (police force area and Community Safety Partnership tables, year ending March 2026). Over the same 12 months (April 2025 to March 2026), police.uk shows 135,156 crimes in the 13 areas against 137,696 in the ONS tables (−1.8%). Area by area the two are within 3.4% of each other; police.uk is lower in most areas and slightly higher in a few. For the whole force, including the Isle of Wight, police.uk is 4.1% below ONS, mostly because ONS also counts 3,316 offences it could not place in any area.
  • Crime is not used to lead a page: the comparator for England is a different source, and resident-based rates overstate risk where many non-residents visit. Areas are ranked only with that caveat beside the rank.