Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Knowsley 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.
Knowsley
E08000011 · Merseyside Police
Preston
E07000123 · Lancashire Constabulary
Getting better or worse
−3
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
2 more in Preston
−1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
Population
163,723
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
775 more in Preston
164,498
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£37,543
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£329 more in Knowsley
£37,214
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£189,116
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£1,407 more in Knowsley
£187,709
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£844
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£56 more in Knowsley
£788
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
4.2%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
0.4 percentage points higher in Preston
4.6%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
+261
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
1,091 more in Preston
+1,352
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,488
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£87 more in Preston
£2,576
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
36.2
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
7.4 more in Knowsley
28.8
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
34.2%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
6.3 percentage points higher in Knowsley
27.9%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
92.3
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
36.6 more in Preston
128.9
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
5.0 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
The same in both
5.0 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
27.0%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
1.6 percentage points higher in Knowsley
25.4%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
6.63%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
0.29 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
9,610
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
1,518 more in Preston
11,129
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
2,850
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
303 more in Preston
3,153
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 163,723 in Knowsley and 164,498 in Preston (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £37,543 in Knowsley and £37,214 in Preston (2025); and average house price was £189,116 in Knowsley 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 163,723 in Knowsley and 164,498 in Preston (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £37,543 in Knowsley and £37,214 in Preston (2025); and average house price was £189,116 in Knowsley 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 | Knowsley per 1,000 | offences | Preston per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 92.3 | 15,114 | 128.9 | 21,204 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.4 | 66 | 1.4 | 232 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 1.8 | 294 | 3.7 | 608 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.9 | 1,462 | 9.4 | 1,550 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 8.2 | 1,349 | 4.1 | 669 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 2.3 | 378 | 3.0 | 501 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 4.4 | 725 | 7.3 | 1,201 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 0.9 | 155 | 1.6 | 255 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 8.8 | 1,435 | 7.3 | 1,199 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 0.6 | 101 | 1.3 | 222 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 5.0 | 821 | 8.4 | 1,376 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 29 | 0.6 | 101 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 2.2 | 357 | 5.1 | 832 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 37.3 | 6,108 | 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 (163,723 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.