Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Luton and Wolverhampton 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.
Luton
E06000032 · Bedfordshire Police
Wolverhampton
E08000031 · West Midlands 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
236,380
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
45,054 more in Wolverhampton
281,434
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£34,732
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£1,126 more in Wolverhampton
£35,858
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£289,790
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£73,122 more in Luton
£216,668
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,221
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£279 more in Luton
£942
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
6.5%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
0.2 percentage points higher in Wolverhampton
6.7%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
+4,265
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
436 more in Luton
+3,829
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,440
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£99 more in Wolverhampton
£2,539
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
29.5
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
3.0 more in Wolverhampton
32.6
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
36.5%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
0.7 percentage points higher in Luton
35.8%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
93.8
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
4.3 more in Wolverhampton
98.1
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
8.3 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
2.3 years more in Luton
6.0 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
42.2%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
10.7 percentage points higher in Luton
31.5%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
7.03%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
0.05 percentage points higher in Wolverhampton
7.08%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
12,608
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
591 more in Luton
12,017
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,309
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
47 more in Luton
3,262
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 236,380 in Luton and 281,434 in Wolverhampton (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £34,732 in Luton and £35,858 in Wolverhampton (2025); and average house price was £289,790 in Luton and £216,668 in Wolverhampton (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
In the latest published figures, population was 236,380 in Luton and 281,434 in Wolverhampton (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £34,732 in Luton and £35,858 in Wolverhampton (2025); and average house price was £289,790 in Luton and £216,668 in Wolverhampton (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 | Luton per 1,000 | offences | Wolverhampton per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 93.8 | 22,164 | 98.1 | 27,611 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.6 | 135 | 0.7 | 190 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 2.5 | 581 | 3.1 | 875 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.3 | 1,482 | 7.9 | 2,236 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 4.8 | 1,128 | 2.5 | 693 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 2.0 | 474 | 2.0 | 556 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 5.9 | 1,394 | 6.2 | 1,741 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 1.4 | 342 | 1.9 | 527 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 6.2 | 1,472 | 5.1 | 1,447 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 1.5 | 364 | 1.2 | 341 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 8.0 | 1,888 | 11.8 | 3,310 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 1.0 | 233 | 0.8 | 221 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 6.8 | 1,601 | 7.3 | 2,051 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 33.4 | 7,894 | 43.3 | 12,200 | 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 (236,380 and 281,434 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.