A concise walkthrough of the Office for National Statistics LFS datasets covering household size, family types and related measures for England, Scotland and Wales
The Office for National Statistics provides a suite of files derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) that present estimates of households and families for England, Scotland and Wales and the regions of England. These resources include not only headcounts but also measures of uncertainty that help users understand the statistical precision of each estimate.
The collection includes multiple yearly editions; users can download files for the 2026 edition, 2026 edition, 2026 edition, 2026 edition and 2026 edition in spreadsheet form (xlsx). The measures of uncertainty indicate sampling variability and are essential when comparing regional or temporal differences.
The items linked under the bulletin Families and households in the UK: 2026 gather related tables and datasets that expand on household composition and family arrangements. These include breakdowns by family type—such as married couples, cohabiting couples and lone parents—alongside tables showing household size and counts of people living alone.
Other files focus on the number of people in families by family type and the presence of children, and there are specific series that report on the number of young adults aged 15 to 34 and 20 to 34 living with their parents.
What the datasets contain and how they are organised
The collection is arranged by theme and geography. At its core the package contains files with counts of households by household size and separate tables for households by types of household and families. Each table is presented for England, Scotland and Wales, with further detail at the level of the regions of England. The data are produced from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), where LFS refers to a rotating household survey designed to measure labour market and related characteristics. Every spreadsheet includes columns for the estimate and for the uncertainty measures so analysts can assess the reliability of comparisons or trends.
Household size files (2026–2026)
The dataset series for households by household size is available across the five most recent yearly editions. The files deliver counts for one-person households up to larger household sizes, broken down by country and English region. Editions supplied include the 2026 edition (xlsx, 128.8 KB), the 2026 edition (xlsx, 149.0 KB), the 2026 edition (xlsx, 139.9 KB), the 2026 edition (xlsx, 135.4 KB) and the 2026 edition (xlsx, 120.6 KB). Each file is suitable for export into analysis software and contains the estimate plus associated sampling error indicators.
Family structure and related population files
Complementary tables focus on family composition and the number of people in families or households by specific types. These cover counts of married couples, cohabiting couples, and lone parents, and include breakdowns by the presence of children. The related series also provide figures for people in households by types of household and families, enabling cross-tabulation of household and family attributes. Additionally, dedicated tables list totals of young adults living with parents, allowing researchers to explore transitions to independent living and the sociodemographic factors associated with that pattern.
Using the data: practical applications and caveats
These datasets are frequently used by policy teams, academic researchers and local planners to monitor living arrangements, project housing demand and design family-focused services. The inclusion of measures of uncertainty means that analysts should apply appropriate statistical thresholds when interpreting small differences between areas or years. For robust findings, users often combine the LFS tables with other administrative sources or census data. When reporting, remember that estimates derived from sample surveys are not exact counts and should be presented with their uncertainty intervals.
Access, citation and practical tips
All files referenced here are available through the Office for National Statistics bulletin and the related data pages; each edition is downloadable as an xlsx spreadsheet. When using the material, cite the bulletin title and the edition year to ensure reproducibility. For time series analysis, align the edition years (2026–2026) and account for any methodological notes provided in the accompanying documents. If you need to compare regions or countries, consult the columns with measures of uncertainty before drawing firm conclusions.
