Components of disposable household income - Cornwall

Gross disposable household income (GDHI) is the amount of money that all of the individuals in the household sector have available for spending or saving after they have paid direct and indirect taxes and received any direct benefits. GDHI is a concept that is seen to reflect the “material welfare” of the household sector.

 

It should be noted that the figures are not adjusted for inflation hence the increase is not as much as the figures imply.  Also that the Operating surplus figure includes imputed rent for owner-occupied housing which is not actual income.

[Details of components are from Kent County Council]

Cornwall

The table below sets out various variables for Cornwall. It indicates the change in components between 1997 and 2023.  Both resources/income increased primarily secondary resources up 2.9 times compared to 1997.   

 

Resources/income	1997	2023	Change (ratio)
Operating surplus	1967	4149	2.1
Mixed income	1081	2904	2.7
Compensation of employees	5304	13851	2.6
Property income, received	2696	4559	1.7
Primary resources total	11048	25463	2.3
Imputed social contributions/Social benefits received	2537	7322	2.9
Other current transfers, received	190	540	2.8
Secondary resources total	2727	7862	2.9
	13775	33325	2.4

 

Uses/payments increased 2.5 times over the same period. The biggest change was recorded in taxes up by 2.8.

 

Uses/payments	1997	2023	Change (ratio)
Current taxes on income, wealth etc	1093	3095	2.8
Social contributions/Social benefits paid	2237	5009	2.2
Other current transfers, paid	248	685	2.8
Secondary uses total	3578	8789	2.5
GDHI	9630	23216	2.4

 

 

Background notes

Components of gross disposable household income The components of GDHI are divided into two categories – Primary resources and uses and Secondary resources and uses.

Primary resources include:

• Gross operating surplus - the household sector account relates to the household sector’s rental income from buildings, including the imputed rental of owner-occupier dwellings

• Mixed income - mainly comprising income from self employment

• Compensation of employees - the remuneration payable by an employer to an employee in return for the services of labour. It includes wages and salaries in cash or income in kind (e.g. free board and lodging) and the social contributions (actual or imputed) paid by employers for the benefit of their employees (e.g. social security). Employers’ social contributions are regarded as a part of employees’ remuneration, although not paid to the employee directly. They may be actual or imputed and secure entitlements for the employee to social benefits

• Property income received - income from the ownership of financial assets and tangible non produced assets (land and sub-soil assets)

 

Primary uses include just one component:

• Property income paid - comprises interest (paid on consumer or housing loans) and rent on land.

  

Secondary resources include two sub-components:

• Imputed social contributions - those paid directly by employers to their current employees and/or former employees, as well as other eligible persons. Payments are made directly to the entitled individuals without involving a social security fund, insurance enterprise, autonomous pension fund or the like. Social benefits other than social transfers in kind are divided into four sub-components: social security benefits in cash, privately funded benefits, unfunded employee social benefits and social assistance in cash

• Other current transfers received - these are unrequited payments, with nothing received in exchange. In the household sector this comprises non-life insurance claims and miscellaneous current transfers Secondary uses include three sub-components:

• Current taxes on income and wealth - compulsory, unrequited payments made by the household sector to the government sector and are sub-divided into taxes on income and other current taxes

• Social contributions/social benefits paid - made by individuals to social insurance schemes to make provision for social benefits (for example, State Pension)

• Other current transfers - on the uses side of the allocation of secondary income account are sub-divided into non-life insurance premiums and miscellaneous current transfers.

 

[GDHI, Kent Analytics, Kent County Council].

 

Gross disposable household income (GDHI) is the amount of money that all of the individuals in the household sector have available for spending or saving after they have paid direct and indirect taxes and received any direct benefits.

It should be noted that these estimates relate to totals for all individuals within the household sector for a region rather than to an average household or family unit. GDHI per head are estimates of values for each person, not each household.

[ONS].

 

Source

Kent County Council. (2021), Gross Disposable Household Income (GDHI), 2021, Kent Analytics.

 

Office for National Statistics, (2025), Regional gross disposable household income: local authorities, 1997- 2023, 10th Sept 2025.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/regionalaccounts/grossdisposablehouseholdincome/datasets/regionalgrossdisposablehouseholdincomelocalauthorities

The data is at current basic prices which means it is not adjusted for inflation.