Most articles that try to answer this question tell you the UK average salary and leave it there. That is not an answer. What counts as a good salary depends on where you live, what you do, how old you are, and what you are comparing yourself to. The Office for National Statistics ASHE 2025 data, released in October 2025, gives us the most complete picture available. This guide uses those figures to give you concrete, honest numbers — not vague reassurances.
UK median full-time salary
£39,039
Annual pay growth (2025)
+4.3%
Real terms increase (CPIH)
+1.1%
The UK Median Salary in 2025: Start Here
The median full-time annual salary in the UK was £39,039 in April 2025, up from £37,439 in April 2024. That is a 4.3% increase in cash terms, but only 1.1% once inflation is stripped out.
Median weekly pay was £766.60. Multiply that by 52 weeks and you get £39,039 a year. The increase sounds healthy until you remember that real wages have barely moved.
What "median" means: half of all full-time employees earn above this figure, half earn below. The median is a more honest benchmark than the mean, which gets pulled upwards by very high earners at the top of the distribution.
Part-time is a different picture entirely. Median weekly pay for part-time employees was £280.00, which annualises to roughly £14,560. If you work part-time, comparing yourself to the full-time median is not a useful exercise.
What "Good" Actually Means: The Percentiles
The median is a starting point, not a definition. Here is a more useful breakdown to put any salary in context:
| Salary level | What it means |
|---|---|
| Below £25,000 | Below the 25th percentile for full-time workers |
| £25,000 to £39,000 | Lower half of full-time earners |
| £39,039 | UK median for full-time workers |
| £39,000 to £60,000 | Upper half, above median |
| £60,000 | Top 15% of UK full-time earners |
| Above £80,000 | Top 5% |
| Above £100,000 | Top 2%, personal allowance tapering begins |
Here is the thing most people miss: what counts as "good" shifts dramatically by location. A £40,000 salary in Manchester goes much further than the same salary in London. The number on your payslip is only part of the picture.
What You Actually Take Home
Gross salary is a fantasy number. What actually matters is what arrives in your bank account after income tax and National Insurance.
| Gross annual salary | Monthly take-home (approx) |
|---|---|
| £25,000 | £1,745 |
| £30,000 | £2,094 |
| £35,000 | £2,344 |
| £39,039 (median) | £2,636 |
| £45,000 | £2,893 |
| £50,000 | £3,293 |
| £60,000 | £3,778 |
| £70,000 | £4,175 |
These figures are approximate, based on 2025/26 income tax and NI rates, the standard personal allowance of £12,570 and no pension deductions.
Use our free Take Home Pay Calculator to see your exact figures, including pension contributions, student loan repayments and any other deductions. The table above gives you the ballpark; the calculator gives you the precise number.
Salary by Region: Why Location Changes Everything
The regional gap in UK earnings is significant and it matters more than most people acknowledge. London consistently has the highest median full-time weekly pay in the UK. The North East has the lowest. The difference between the two is not marginal.
| Region | Approx median full-time salary |
|---|---|
| London | £50,000+ |
| South East | £42,000 |
| East of England | £40,000 |
| Scotland | £38,000 |
| South West | £36,000 |
| West Midlands | £36,000 |
| East Midlands | £36,000 |
| North West | £35,000 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £35,000 |
| Wales | £34,000 |
| North East | £33,000 |
| Northern Ireland | £33,000 |
These are estimated medians derived from ONS ASHE 2025 weekly data. Northern Ireland saw the fastest earnings growth at 7.4%; the South East the slowest at 2.9%.
A £35,000 salary in Newcastle puts you above the local median. The same salary in London puts you well below the regional median, and you will feel it every month in rent, transport and the basic cost of living. Raw salary comparisons without regional context tell you very little.
Salary by Sector and Occupation
Where you work matters as much as where you live. ONS ASHE 2025 shows public sector median weekly pay at £807.67, compared with £752.28 in the private sector. The public sector pays more at the median, largely because of the concentration of higher-skilled professional roles in health, education and government.
The occupational spread is wide. At the top, managers, directors and senior officials command weekly pay well above £900. Professional occupations such as lawyers, engineers, accountants and doctors sit in second place. At the other end, caring and elementary occupations earn the least in absolute terms, though caring roles saw the biggest pay growth in 2025 at 7.1%.
Here are approximate annual medians for specific occupations based on ONS ASHE 2025:
| Occupation | Approx median annual salary |
|---|---|
| Software developer | £55,000 to £60,000 |
| Solicitor/lawyer | £55,000 to £65,000 |
| Chartered accountant | £55,000 |
| Civil engineer | £50,000 |
| Police officer | £42,000 |
| Secondary school teacher | £42,000 |
| Electrician | £42,000 |
| Qualified nurse | £38,000 to £40,000 |
| Delivery driver (LGV) | £36,000 |
| Care worker | £24,000 to £26,000 |
| Retail assistant | £22,000 to £24,000 |
These are medians. Half in each role earn more, half earn less.
Salary by Age: When Do Earnings Peak?
ONS ASHE 2025 shows earnings tend to peak for employees in their 40s. Younger workers are still building experience and seniority; older workers often move into part-time roles or lower-earning positions. This pattern has been consistent for years.
The longer story is less comfortable. In real terms, adjusted for inflation, most age groups in their 30s, 40s and 50s only just returned to their 2008 pre-financial crisis earnings levels by April 2025. Seventeen years of progress wiped out and rebuilt. Younger workers aged 16 to 20 are the clear exception: they now earn approximately 27% more in real terms than in 2008, almost entirely because of successive increases to the National Living Wage.
Is £30,000 a Good Salary in the UK?
Directly: it is below the UK median of £39,039 for full-time workers, but it is not an unusual salary. Millions of people earn in this range, particularly in retail, hospitality, care, administration and early-career roles.
On £30,000 you take home approximately £2,094 a month after tax and NI. Whether that is comfortable depends almost entirely on where you live and your housing costs. In Manchester, Leeds or Cardiff it is workable. In London it is tight.
Is £50,000 a Good Salary in the UK?
Yes, in national terms. £50,000 puts you well above the UK median and into the upper portion of earners. Your monthly take-home is approximately £3,293.
Two things to watch at this level. First, you are just below the higher rate income tax threshold of £50,270. Cross that and you move to 40% tax on any additional earnings. Second, the High Income Child Benefit Charge applies if you or your partner receive Child Benefit and either of you earns above £60,000. Worth being aware of before the next pay rise.
Is £100,000 a Good Salary in the UK?
By any objective measure, yes. £100,000 puts you in the top 2% of UK earners. However, your personal allowance begins to taper above £100,000, reducing by £1 for every £2 of income above that threshold. By £125,140 your personal allowance has gone entirely, creating an effective 60% marginal tax rate on earnings in that band.
Pension contributions are one of the most practical tools here. Contributing to a pension reduces your adjusted net income and can preserve some or all of the personal allowance. If you are regularly earning in this range, speaking to a financial adviser about drawdown strategy is worth the cost.
Use Our Salary Comparison Tool
Want to see exactly how your salary compares to UK averages by region and occupation? Use our free UK Salary Comparison Tool to benchmark your pay against ONS data instantly.
To see your exact monthly take-home after all deductions, including pension, student loan and NI, use our Take Home Pay Calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average UK salary in 2025?
The median full-time annual salary is £39,039 according to ONS ASHE 2025 data published in October 2025. This is the midpoint: half of full-time employees earn more, half earn less. The mean is higher because it is pulled up by very high earners, which is why the median is the more useful benchmark for most people.
What is considered a good salary in the UK for a single person?
A single person earning £35,000 to £40,000 is around the national median for full-time workers. Whether it feels good depends largely on location. In London, this salary will be stretched by rent and transport. Outside London, particularly in the North and Midlands, it provides a comfortable standard of living for most single people.
What salary do you need to buy a house?
Most lenders offer up to 4x to 4.5x annual salary as a mortgage. On a salary of £39,039 you could borrow roughly £156,000 to £175,000 on your own. Joint applicants with a combined income of £70,000 might borrow £280,000 to £315,000. House prices vary enormously by location, making this highly dependent on where you are buying. Use our Mortgage Affordability Calculator to model your specific situation with deposit size and outgoings included.
How much do you pay in tax on a £40,000 salary?
On £40,000 you pay 20% income tax on earnings above the £12,570 personal allowance, which comes to approximately £5,486. You also pay National Insurance at 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £40,000, around £2,194. Combined deductions are roughly £7,680, leaving a monthly take-home of approximately £2,693.
Which UK sector pays the most?
Financial and insurance activities saw the strongest weekly earnings growth in 2025 at 10.3%, and consistently produces some of the highest-paid roles in the country. Information and communication (technology) is the other consistently top-paying sector. Professional, scientific and technical roles follow closely. Public sector roles pay more than private sector at the median, but the highest individual salaries are concentrated in finance and technology.
Is a £60,000 salary good in the UK?
Yes. £60,000 puts you in roughly the top 10 to 15% of UK earners. You pay 40% tax on earnings above £50,270, which reduces the effective benefit of each additional pound, but your monthly take-home is approximately £3,778. This is a comfortable salary across most of the UK, including London, though the capital's housing costs will still make themselves felt.