What Is the Average UK Salary in 2025/26?
The median gross annual salary for full-time workers in the UK is £37,430 for 2024/25, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), published in October 2024. This represents the middle point of all full-time UK employee earnings — half of full-time workers earn more than this and half earn less.
The mean (arithmetic average) salary is approximately £44,000, but this figure is significantly inflated by a small number of very high earners at the top end of the pay scale. For most purposes, the median is a more representative measure of what a typical UK employee earns day to day.
On a weekly basis, the median full-time worker earns £728 per week, and on an hourly basis, the median is £18.16 per hour. For part-time workers, the median hourly rate is slightly higher on a proportional basis (£12.96/hour), but annual earnings are far lower due to fewer hours worked.
It is worth noting that these figures cover all full-time employees, including those on minimum wage and those earning six-figure salaries. The distribution of UK earnings is heavily right-skewed — a large proportion of workers cluster between £20,000 and £40,000, while a small proportion earn £100,000 or more, pulling the mean significantly above the median.
Average UK Salary by Sector
Earnings vary enormously across different industries. The UK Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) data from the ONS ASHE 2024 survey reveals the following median full-time salaries by broad sector:
| Sector | Median Full-Time Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Finance and Insurance | £52,500 |
| Information and Communication (IT) | £51,200 |
| Energy and Utilities | £48,500 |
| Mining and Quarrying | £47,000 |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical | £45,000 |
| Construction | £38,000 |
| Real Estate | £36,500 |
| Manufacturing | £37,000 |
| Healthcare and Social Work | £33,500 |
| Retail Trade | £25,000 |
| Accommodation and Food Service | £24,000 |
The Finance and Insurance sector consistently tops the UK earnings table, driven by high salaries in banking, investment management, and insurance underwriting — particularly in London and Edinburgh. The Information and Communication sector (encompassing software development, telecommunications, and IT services) is the second highest paying and has seen particularly strong wage growth as demand for digital skills continues to outpace supply.
At the other end of the scale, Accommodation and Food Service (hospitality) remains the lowest paying sector, with many workers earning at or close to the National Living Wage. Retail also features near the bottom, though specialist retail roles command significantly more than frontline positions.
Average UK Salary by Region
Geography plays a major role in UK earnings. London's financial services industry and high concentration of head office functions drives average pay significantly above the national median, while many regions of the north and Celtic nations lag behind.
| Region | Median Full-Time Annual Salary | vs National Median |
|---|---|---|
| London | £44,870 | +20% |
| South East | £39,860 | +6.5% |
| East of England | £37,500 | +0.2% |
| Scotland | £37,000 | -1.2% |
| West Midlands | £35,000 | -6.5% |
| North West | £35,000 | -6.5% |
| East Midlands | £34,500 | -7.8% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £34,000 | -9.2% |
| South West | £34,000 | -9.2% |
| Wales | £33,000 | -11.8% |
| North East | £33,000 | -11.8% |
| Northern Ireland | £31,500 | -15.9% |
London's premium over the national median is substantial, but it must be viewed alongside the region's cost of living. Average monthly rent in London exceeded £2,121 in 2024 (Rightmove data), compared with a UK average of around £1,285. After accounting for housing costs, transport, and other London-specific expenses, many workers in the capital find that their effective purchasing power is not dramatically higher than counterparts in lower-cost regions.
Scotland's median salary (£37,000) is close to the national average and benefits from a strong financial services sector in Edinburgh and technology firms in Glasgow. Wales and Northern Ireland continue to have the lowest earnings, reflecting a smaller high-value service sector and a greater reliance on public sector employment, which tends to pay below private sector equivalents in these areas.
Average UK Salary by Age
Earnings follow a predictable lifecycle pattern in the UK: rising sharply through the twenties and thirties as workers gain experience and seniority, peaking in the forties and early fifties, then declining somewhat as some older workers shift to part-time roles or lower-intensity positions ahead of retirement.
| Age Group | Median Full-Time Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 16–17 | £14,000 |
| 18–21 | £21,000 |
| 22–29 | £30,000 |
| 30–39 | £42,000 |
| 40–49 | £45,000 |
| 50–59 | £43,000 |
| 60+ | £38,000 |
Workers aged 40–49 represent the peak earning decade, with a median of £45,000 — some 20% above the overall median. This reflects accumulated experience, promotion to senior roles, and, in many cases, specialist qualifications that took years to obtain. The slight drop from age 50 onwards partly reflects the fact that some higher earners take early retirement or semi-retire, while others move into less demanding (and lower-paid) roles.
Young workers aged 16–21 are largely governed by the National Minimum Wage (NMW) age bands, which set a floor for entry-level earnings. The significant jump between the 22–29 and 30–39 cohorts reflects career progression from entry-level graduate roles into mid-career positions.
Gender Pay Gap in the UK
The UK gender pay gap remains a significant feature of the labour market. According to ONS ASHE 2024:
- Full-time workers: The median gender pay gap is 7.5% — women working full-time earn approximately 7.5% less per hour than men working full-time.
- All workers (including part-time): The overall median gap widens to 13.1%, driven by the fact that women make up the large majority of part-time workers, who generally earn lower hourly rates than full-time equivalents.
- Mean pay gap: The mean gender pay gap for all employees is approximately 14.3%.
The gap has narrowed substantially since the 1970s — from over 30% — but progress has slowed in recent years. Key drivers of the remaining gap include occupational segregation (women overrepresented in lower-paid caring and service roles), the impact of career breaks for childcare, and fewer women in senior leadership positions.
Top 10 Highest Paid Jobs in the UK
The ONS data and supplementary surveys from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and Glassdoor reveal the following as the ten highest-paying occupations in the UK by typical annual salary:
| Job Title | Typical Annual Salary Range |
|---|---|
| Medical Consultant / Surgeon | £100,000 – £150,000+ |
| Chief Executive Officer (CEO) | £95,000 – £250,000+ |
| Air Traffic Controller | £75,000 – £100,000 |
| Commercial Airline Pilot | £75,000 – £120,000 |
| IT Director / Chief Technology Officer | £80,000 – £130,000 |
| Finance Director / CFO | £85,000 – £150,000 |
| Barrister (senior) | £70,000 – £200,000+ |
| Investment Banker | £70,000 – £120,000 (base) |
| Dentist (principal) | £65,000 – £100,000 |
| Engineering Director | £75,000 – £120,000 |
It is important to distinguish between base salary and total compensation. In investment banking and senior executive roles, bonuses, share options, and other benefits can substantially exceed base pay — meaning total earnings can be two to five times the quoted salary figure.
How the Average UK Salary Has Changed Over 10 Years
The UK median full-time salary has followed the following trajectory over the past decade, reflecting economic cycles, policy changes, and the impact of inflation:
| Year | Median Full-Time Salary | Approximate Inflation-Adjusted (2024 prices) |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | £26,500 | ~£34,000 |
| 2016 | £27,600 | ~£34,500 |
| 2017 | £28,600 | ~£34,800 |
| 2018 | £29,600 | ~£35,100 |
| 2019 | £30,800 | ~£36,000 |
| 2020 | £31,500 | ~£36,200 |
| 2021 | £33,000 | ~£36,500 |
| 2022 | £33,000 | ~£33,500 (high inflation) |
| 2023 | £35,404 | ~£35,000 |
| 2024 | £37,430 | £37,430 |
In nominal terms, median pay has risen by approximately 41% between 2015 and 2024. However, after accounting for consumer price inflation — which surged to over 11% in late 2022 — real wage growth over the decade has been far more modest. The 2021–2023 cost-of-living crisis effectively wiped out much of the previous decade's real pay gains for many workers. The period 2023–2024 has seen stronger nominal wage growth, running at 5–6% annually, which has recently started to outpace inflation once more.
Average UK Salary vs Take-Home Pay
Gross salary figures do not reflect what workers actually receive in their bank accounts. After income tax, National Insurance contributions, and any student loan repayments, take-home pay is significantly lower than the gross figure. For the median full-time worker earning £37,430:
- Annual take-home pay: approximately £29,300
- Monthly take-home pay: approximately £2,442
- Effective tax rate: approximately 21.7% (income tax + NI combined)
Use our take-home pay calculator to calculate exactly what you keep from any salary, including the effect of pension contributions, student loan deductions, and salary sacrifice arrangements.