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UK salary statistics

Average Salary in the UK

The average UK salary is £39,039 a year for a full-time worker (ONS, April 2025), which leaves about £31,628 after tax. Here is the median vs mean, the take-home, and how it varies by city.

ONS data, April 2025After tax: £31,628Free, no signup
Average UK salary (median, full-time)
£39,039
a year before tax · about £31,628 take-home (£2,636 a month)
Median (typical)Mean (average)
Gross salary£39,039£48,512
Income tax−£5,294−£7,188
National Insurance−£2,118−£2,875
Take-home pay£31,628£38,448
The median is the middle salary, the fairest guide to what a typical worker earns. The mean sits higher because a small number of very high earners pull the average up. Both are income tax and National Insurance only, before any student loan or pension.
ONS ASHE April 2025, full-time employees, United Kingdom. After-tax uses England, Wales and Northern Ireland income tax rates; Scottish rates differ. Verify current figures at gov.uk. Not tax advice.
Simon Chadwick
Simon Chadwick
Founder, Orbit Money
Method: ONS ASHE April 2025 full-time gross annual pay; after-tax computed with HMRC income tax and NIUpdated: 17 July 2026Sources: ONS, Employee earnings in the UK: 2025, ONS ASHE 2025, Table 8.7a (annual pay by area), gov.uk

What is the average salary in the UK?

The average UK salary is £39,039 a year for a full-time employee, on the median measure the ONS publishes as its headline for April 2025. Once income tax and National Insurance come off, that leaves about £31,628 a year, or roughly £2,636 a month. The mean salary is higher, at £48,512, but it is a less useful guide because it is stretched upward by top earners.

Median vs mean, and why the gap matters

Half of full-time workers earn more than the median and half earn less, so it is the number most people should compare themselves to. The mean adds everyone’s pay together and divides by the headcount, which lets a small group of very high salaries lift the figure well above what a typical person takes home. That is why the median (£39,039) sits well below the mean (£48,512). When a job advert or news story quotes an "average", it is worth knowing which of the two it means.

Average salary by city

Pay varies widely across the country. The table below shows median and mean full-time earnings for residents of the largest UK cities, with the after-tax take-home on the median. Figures are ONS ASHE April 2025 on a place-of-residence basis, so they describe what people who live in each city earn.

CityMedianMeanMedian after tax
United Kingdom£39,039£48,512£31,628
London£46,414£65,429£36,938
Edinburgh£43,169£53,089£34,601
Reading£40,700£49,799£32,824
Bristol£39,509£45,859£31,966
Brighton£39,347£48,867£31,849
Glasgow£38,125£43,753£30,970
Sheffield£37,885£43,401£30,797
Liverpool£37,144£41,890£30,263
Cardiff£36,946£42,983£30,121
Leeds£36,716£42,946£29,955
Manchester£36,278£43,133£29,640
Birmingham£35,989£40,836£29,432
Newcastle£35,446£42,563£29,041
Nottingham£30,798£37,358£25,694

See your own take-home

Your salary
Your salary before tax, National Insurance and pension
£
Scotland sets its own income tax bands. National Insurance is the same across the UK.
Salary sacrifice, comes out before tax and NI
%
Take-home pay
£31,628
a year · £31,628 a year
Gross salary£39,039
Income tax−£5,294
National Insurance−£2,118
Take-home a year£31,628
Where your pay goes
Take-home 81%Tax 14%NI 5%
2026/27 estimate, England, Wales and Northern Ireland bands. Verify current figures at gov.uk; not tax advice.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average salary in the UK?
The average UK salary is £39,039 a year for a full-time employee (April 2025), on the median measure the ONS treats as the headline figure. The mean, which is pulled up by very high earners, is higher at £48,512. Both come from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
What is the average UK salary after tax?
On the £39,039 median salary you take home about £31,628 a year, roughly £2,636 a month, once income tax and National Insurance come off (April 2025 rates). That is before any student loan or pension contribution.
What is the difference between the median and mean salary?
The median (£39,039) is the middle salary: half of full-time employees earn more, half earn less. The mean (£48,512) is the total pay divided by the number of workers, so a small number of very high earners drag it upward. The median is the better guide to what a typical worker earns.
Is this the average for full-time or all workers?
These figures are for full-time employees, which is the standard basis for the "average salary" headline. Part-time roles lower the average when included, so full-time is the fairer comparison for someone weighing up a full-time job offer.

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Average salary by city

Average salary LondonAverage salary EdinburghAverage salary ReadingAverage salary BristolAverage salary BrightonAverage salary GlasgowAverage salary SheffieldAverage salary LiverpoolAverage salary CardiffAverage salary LeedsAverage salary ManchesterAverage salary BirminghamAverage salary NewcastleAverage salary Nottingham

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Simon Chadwick
About the author
Simon Chadwick
Founder of Orbit Money

Simon is the founder of Orbit Money, a tool that helps people track subscriptions and recurring spend. He builds Orbit's free money calculators and writes about personal finance for UK and Australian readers.

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Figures are ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (April 2025), full-time employees. After-tax amounts are estimates for guidance, not tax advice.