Average Salary in the UK: Latest ONS Figures and Take-Home Pay

Median vs mean: which "average" to use

The median is the middle earner: half of full-time employees earn more, half earn less. The ONS treats the median as its headline measure because it is not distorted by top salaries. The mean adds all pay together and divides by the number of employees.

Average monthly pay in the UK

Dividing the full-time annual median by 12 gives average monthly pay of about £3,253 gross. Using the weekly median (£766.60 x 52 / 12) gives about £3,322. The two differ because the annual figure only covers employees who have been in the same job for at least a year, while the weekly figure covers everyone paid in the survey week.

After income tax and NI in 2026/27, a £39,039 salary in England leaves £31,627.68 a year, or £2,635.64 a month. Income tax is £5,293.80 and NI £2,117.52.

Average salary by region (full-time, by workplace)

London leads by a wide margin; the North East is lowest. Scotland ranks third.

Average salary by age (full-time)

Earnings typically peak in the 40s and dip slightly after 50.

Take-home pay at typical salaries (2026/27)

London median (£49,692): income tax £7,424.40, NI £2,969.76, take-home £39,297.84 (about £3,275 a month).

Scotland median (£39,719): Scottish income tax £5,492.06, NI £2,171.92, take-home £32,055.02 (about £2,671 a month).

UK mean (£48,512): income tax £7,188.40, NI £2,875.36, take-home £38,448.24.

These figures exclude pension contributions and student loans, which most employees also pay.

How the ONS measures earnings

ASHE is based on a 1% sample of employee jobs taken from HMRC PAYE records, with pay measured for a single week in April. It covers employees only, not the self-employed. The 2025 figures are provisional and may be revised when the 2026 release is published. Figures by region are by place of work, so London includes commuters.

How does your salary compare? Full-time percentiles

ONS ASHE 2025 percentiles for full-time annual gross pay across the UK show where your salary sits. For example, a £50,000 salary is just below the 70th percentile.

What the median salary leaves after tax in England and Scotland

On the same £39,039 median salary, a Scottish taxpayer takes home £55.46 less than someone in England in 2026/27 (£31,572.22 against £31,627.68), because the 21% intermediate rate applies above about £29,500.

To match the English take-home on the median, a Scottish employee would need a gross salary of about £39,117. The difference is small at this level but grows quickly once the 42% higher rate starts at £43,663.

How to use ONS earnings data when you ask for a pay rise

Use the most specific ONS figure you can find, not the headline. A national median mixes all jobs, ages and regions, and the differences between them are larger than most pay rises.

• Start with your occupation. ASHE publishes medians by occupation code (SOC), and these vary far more than regions do.
• Adjust for region by workplace. ASHE regional tables are by where people work, so a London-based role pays London rates even if you commute from outside.
• Compare like with like. The annual median only covers people in the same job for 12 months. Use weekly or hourly medians if you have recently moved jobs or work part-time.
• Compare percentiles, not only medians. Senior or specialist roles sit at the 75th or 90th percentile of their occupation, not the middle.
• Convert any offer to take-home pay. A £3,000 rise is worth about £2,160 to a basic-rate taxpayer in England, or £1,740 at the higher rate.

Why the mean is so much higher than the median

UK earnings are skewed. A small number of very high earners raises the mean without affecting the median, which is why the full-time mean (£48,512) is about £9,500 above the median (£39,039).

The same pattern shows in London, where the mean is about £20,600 above the median, against roughly £5,500 in the North East. For most people the median is the better yardstick. The mean is useful mainly for working out total earnings across a group, such as the total pay bill.

What ASHE does not tell you

• It excludes the self-employed, so freelancers and sole traders are not in these figures.
• It measures gross pay in April, before tax, and does not include employer pension contributions or benefits in kind such as company cars.
• Annual figures cover employees in the same job for at least a year, which tends to leave out recent job changers.
• Provisional figures are revised a year later, usually by small amounts.