Only 15.6% of UK homes are Band D: the most common council tax band in every area
Analysis of 29,855,389 dwellings in 350 billing authorities. Published 16 September 2026; data last updated .
Band A is the most common council tax band in the UK. Of the 29.9 million homes in the 2025 valuation lists, 64.1% are in bands A to C, 15.6% are in Band D and 20.4% are in bands E and above. Band A alone is the most common band in 111 of 350 councils; Band D is the most common in only 42.
Every March the same headline appears: the average Band D council tax bill has risen again. The figure is real, but the home it describes is not typical. Band D is the statutory reference point that lets councils be compared; it is not where most people live. We took the official dwelling counts for every band in every UK billing authority and asked a simpler question: which band are homes actually in?
The UK picture
| Band | Dwellings | Share of homes |
|---|---|---|
| Band A | 6,817,537 | 22.8% |
| Band B | 5,907,465 | 19.8% |
| Band C | 6,404,238 | 21.5% |
| Band D | 4,646,221 | 15.6% |
| Band E | 3,096,021 | 10.4% |
| Band F | 1,687,312 | 5.7% |
| Band G | 1,108,594 | 3.7% |
| Band H | 182,331 | 0.6% |
| Band I | 5,670 | 0.0% |
Band I exists only in Wales. Counts are VOA rounded to the nearest 10 in England and Wales.
Bands A to C hold 64.1% of homes. Band D holds 15.6%. Weight each council's 2026/27 band charges by the number of homes in each band and the bill a typical home pays comes to £2,174.83, against a simple average of the 350 councils' Band D charges of £2,337.15.
England, Wales and Scotland
| Nation | Councils | Most common band | Bands A to C | Band D | Bands E and above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 296 | Band A | 65.2% | 15.7% | 19.2% |
| Wales | 22 | Band C | 57.0% | 16.3% | 26.8% |
| Scotland | 32 | Band B | 57.5% | 14.1% | 28.4% |
Wales was revalued in 2003 with a ninth band added, which lifts its distribution up the scale. Scotland kept 1991 values, so its shape resembles the north of England. England's bands rest on 1991 values everywhere, which is why the regional table below tracks the property market of 35 years ago rather than today's.
Every region ranked
| Region | Homes | Most common band | Bands A to C | Band D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 1,287,880 | Band A | 83.1% | 8.8% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 2,547,190 | Band A | 79.2% | 9.8% |
| North West | 3,466,260 | Band A | 78.1% | 10.5% |
| East Midlands | 2,233,530 | Band A | 76.7% | 11.1% |
| West Midlands | 2,637,250 | Band A | 74.6% | 11.5% |
| South West | 2,704,550 | Band B | 64.4% | 16.0% |
| East of England | 2,863,810 | Band C | 60.8% | 17.7% |
| Scotland | 2,623,149 | Band B | 57.5% | 14.1% |
| Wales | 1,484,560 | Band C | 57.0% | 16.3% |
| South East | 4,169,740 | Band C | 51.1% | 20.2% |
| London | 3,837,470 | Band C | 43.9% | 25.4% |
Where Band A dominates
In 111 councils Band A, the lowest band, is the most common band of all. The concentration is highest in the northern and Midlands cities and the former industrial towns whose 1991 values sat below the £40,000 Band A threshold.
| Rank | Council | Region | Band A share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kingston upon Hull | Yorkshire and The Humber | 65.9% |
| 2 | South Tyneside | North East | 62.7% |
| 3 | City of Nottingham | East Midlands | 62.5% |
| 4 | Lincoln | East Midlands | 60.6% |
| 5 | Pendle | North West | 60.4% |
| 6 | Burnley | North West | 59.9% |
| 7 | Leicester City | East Midlands | 59.8% |
| 8 | Sunderland | North East | 59.7% |
| 9 | Liverpool | North West | 59.4% |
| 10 | Stoke-on-Trent | West Midlands | 58.8% |
Where Band D really is typical
Band D is the most common band in just 42 councils, almost all of them in outer London and the Home Counties commuter belt, where 1991 prices sat in the £68,001 to £88,000 window. Hillingdon tops the list with 40.1% of its homes in Band D.
| Rank | Council | Region | Band D share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hillingdon | London | 40.1% |
| 2 | Hounslow | London | 36.6% |
| 3 | Broxbourne | East of England | 34.3% |
| 4 | Spelthorne | South East | 33.9% |
| 5 | Havering | London | 33.3% |
| 6 | Watford | East of England | 32.9% |
| 7 | Hertsmere | East of England | 32.6% |
| 8 | Ealing | London | 32.5% |
| 9 | Merton | London | 32.3% |
| 10 | Harrow | London | 31.0% |
What this means for your own band
The band distribution in your council is the backdrop against which your own band should be judged. If your street's most common band is B and your similar sized home is in C, that is the pattern the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) itself uses when it assesses a challenge: like for like properties in the same area should share a band. Every council page on this site shows the local distribution, and the free postcode checker shows the bands of the homes around you. Challenging is free through gov.uk; if the comparables support it, our £9.99 evidence pack does the research for you.
Methodology and how to cite this
Dwelling counts are the VOA's Council Tax Stock of Properties (CTSOP1.1, stock at 31 March 2025) for England and Wales and the Scottish Government's dwelling counts by band for Scotland, aggregated by billing authority, region and nation. Charges are the 2026/27 area Band D figures from MHCLG, the Welsh Government and the Scottish Government, with other bands derived from the statutory multipliers. All sources are Open Government Licence v3.0. The full council level table is free to download and reuse from our open data page; the pipeline is documented in the repository README linked there.
Journalists and researchers are welcome to quote any figure on this page. Suggested attribution: "Council Tax Challenger analysis of VOA council tax stock of properties data", linking to https://counciltaxchallenger.co.uk/council-tax/most-common-band. For a regional or council level cut not shown here, email support@comtev.com.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common council tax band in the UK?
Band A, with 22.8% of the 29.9 million homes in the 2025 valuation lists for England, Wales and Scotland. Bands A, B and C together hold 64.1% of homes. Band D, the band used for every headline "average bill", holds 15.6%.
What is the most common council tax band in England?
Band A: 23.7% of England's 25.7 million homes, according to the VOA's council tax stock of properties at 31 March 2025. 65.2% of English homes are in bands A to C and 15.7% are in Band D.
Why is the average council tax bill quoted for Band D?
Band D is the statutory reference band: every council sets its Band D charge and the other bands are fixed fractions of it, so it is the only figure that can be compared across councils. It is not the typical home. Weighting every council's band charges by the homes actually in each band gives an average bill of £2,174.83, against a simple average Band D charge of £2,337.15.
Which council has the most Band A homes?
Kingston upon Hull, where 65.9% of homes are Band A. The top ten is dominated by northern and Midlands cities and former industrial towns, where 1991 values were lowest. At the other end, City of London has 0.0% of its homes in Band A.
Does being in a higher band than my neighbours mean my band is wrong?
Not on its own, but it is the first sign worth checking. Bands were set from 1991 values (2003 in Wales) and similar homes on the same street should be in the same band. Of 39,590 challenges the VOA resolved in the year to March 2024, 27% ended in a lower band. Challenging is free through gov.uk.
Related guides and data
- How Much Is Council Tax? Band A to H Costs for 2026/27
- Council Tax Bands Explained: A to H (and I) in 2026
- Council Tax Band Wrong? What To Do Next (2026 Guide)
- Council Tax Band Flat vs House: What Actually Sets It?
- Council tax calculator for every UK council
- The highest and cheapest council tax in the UK