Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Barnsley and Wakefield 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.
Barnsley
E08000038 · South Yorkshire Police
Wakefield
E08000036 · West Yorkshire Police
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
252,784
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
116,666 more in Wakefield
369,450
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£36,652
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£2,252 more in Barnsley
£34,400
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£175,733
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£22,786 more in Wakefield
£198,519
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£693
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£107 more in Wakefield
£800
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
3.3%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
0.5 percentage points higher in Wakefield
3.8%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
+291
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
727 more in Wakefield
+1,018
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,326
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£29 more in Barnsley
£2,297
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
30.1
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
2.8 more in Barnsley
27.2
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
27.9%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
2.3 percentage points higher in Barnsley
25.6%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
106.5
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
10.8 more in Wakefield
117.3
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
4.8 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
1.0 years more in Wakefield
5.8 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
22.7%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
5.2 percentage points higher in Wakefield
27.9%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
6.35%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
0.33 percentage points higher in Wakefield
6.68%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
10,742
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
16 more in Wakefield
10,759
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
2,877
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
1 more in Barnsley
2,877
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 252,784 in Barnsley and 369,450 in Wakefield (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £36,652 in Barnsley and £34,400 in Wakefield (2025); and average house price was £175,733 in Barnsley and £198,519 in Wakefield (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
In the latest published figures, population was 252,784 in Barnsley and 369,450 in Wakefield (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £36,652 in Barnsley and £34,400 in Wakefield (2025); and average house price was £175,733 in Barnsley and £198,519 in Wakefield (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 | Barnsley per 1,000 | offences | Wakefield per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 106.5 | 26,912 | 117.3 | 43,331 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.3 | 70 | 0.4 | 149 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 5.5 | 1,378 | 4.2 | 1,549 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.9 | 2,507 | 8.4 | 3,113 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 2.7 | 694 | 3.5 | 1,297 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 3.9 | 998 | 4.0 | 1,491 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 5.7 | 1,429 | 7.2 | 2,648 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 1.0 | 257 | 1.0 | 378 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 7.8 | 1,968 | 9.2 | 3,400 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 1.1 | 279 | 1.2 | 427 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 6.9 | 1,733 | 8.4 | 3,096 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 82 | 0.6 | 225 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 5.6 | 1,418 | 6.2 | 2,298 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 38.6 | 9,749 | 50.5 | 18,667 | 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 (252,784 and 369,450 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.