Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Preston and Sheffield 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.
Preston
E07000123 · Lancashire Constabulary
Sheffield
E08000039 · South 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
164,498
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
415,019 more in Sheffield
579,517
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£37,214
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£671 more in Sheffield
£37,885
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£187,709
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£31,830 more in Sheffield
£219,539
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£788
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£141 more in Sheffield
£929
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
4.6%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
0.2 percentage points higher in Preston
4.4%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
+1,352
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
1,727 more in Sheffield
+3,079
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,576
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£66 more in Preston
£2,510
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
28.8
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
1.2 more in Preston
27.6
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
27.9%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
0.1 percentage points higher in Preston
27.8%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
128.9
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
15.9 more in Preston
113.0
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
0.8 years more in Sheffield
5.8 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
25.4%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
4.0 percentage points higher in Sheffield
29.4%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
6.92%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
0.29 percentage points higher in Preston
6.63%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
11,129
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
698 more in Sheffield
11,826
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,153
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
197 more in Preston
2,956
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 164,498 in Preston and 579,517 in Sheffield (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £37,214 in Preston and £37,885 in Sheffield (2025); and average house price was £187,709 in Preston and £219,539 in Sheffield (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
In the latest published figures, population was 164,498 in Preston and 579,517 in Sheffield (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £37,214 in Preston and £37,885 in Sheffield (2025); and average house price was £187,709 in Preston and £219,539 in Sheffield (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 | Preston per 1,000 | offences | Sheffield per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 128.9 | 21,204 | 113.0 | 65,509 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.4 | 232 | 0.7 | 392 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 3.7 | 608 | 4.9 | 2,812 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.4 | 1,550 | 9.0 | 5,243 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 4.1 | 669 | 3.9 | 2,249 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 3.0 | 501 | 3.1 | 1,772 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 7.3 | 1,201 | 6.0 | 3,479 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 1.6 | 255 | 1.4 | 791 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 7.3 | 1,199 | 8.3 | 4,790 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 1.3 | 222 | 1.5 | 852 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 8.4 | 1,376 | 10.9 | 6,312 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 0.6 | 101 | 0.9 | 523 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 5.1 | 832 | 6.2 | 3,587 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 44.7 | 7,351 | 37.3 | 21,610 | 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 (164,498 and 579,517 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.