Median vs mean — why both numbers matter
When people ask "what's the UK average salary?", they usually want one number — and the answer is that two different averages tell genuinely different stories.
Median (~£37,500) is the middle earner. Line up every full-time UK worker by salary; the one in the middle earns about £37,500. Half earn less; half earn more. This is the most representative answer for "what does a typical worker earn."
Mean (~£41,600) is total earnings divided by total earners. It's pulled up by very high earners — a single £500,000 salary moves the mean much more than 10 salaries at £30,000. The mean is useful for total-income calculations (national wage bill, tax projections) but overstates what a "typical" worker takes home.
The gap between median and mean tells you something: in the UK, it's about £4,000. That's a moderate gap — bigger than in more equal countries, smaller than in highly unequal ones. The gap has widened slightly since 2010 as top-end earnings have grown faster than the rest.
How earnings are distributed
ASHE 2024 publishes the full percentile breakdown. Approximate UK full-time annual earnings at each percentile:
| Percentile | Approximate annual salary | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | £22,000 | Bottom decile |
| 25th | £28,500 | Lower quartile |
| 40th | £33,000 | |
| 50th | £37,500 | UK median |
| 60th | £41,500 | |
| 75th | £52,000 | Upper quartile (~£50k earner) |
| 90th | £70,000 | Top decile |
| 95th | £87,000 | |
| 99th | £165,000 | Top 1% |
So £50,000 is roughly the 75th percentile (top 25%). £75,000 is around the 88-90th percentile (top 10-12%). £100,000 is in the top 5%.
These are full-time only percentiles. Including part-time workers shifts everything down: the all-employees median is closer to £29,000-£30,000, and £50,000 would rank higher within that broader population.
Regional variation
UK earnings vary substantially by region. ASHE 2024 regional medians for full-time workers:
| Region | Approximate median |
|---|---|
| London | £44,500 |
| South East | £40,000 |
| Scotland | £37,000 |
| East of England | £36,500 |
| South West | £35,500 |
| North West | £35,000 |
| West Midlands | £34,500 |
| East Midlands | £34,000 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £33,500 |
| North East | £33,000 |
| Wales | £33,500 |
| Northern Ireland | £33,000 |
London's median is roughly 20% above the UK average. Northern Ireland's is roughly 12% below. This regional spread matters more than the headline UK number for most decisions — a £50,000 salary in London is around the regional median; the same salary in the North East is comfortably above it.
The gap has actually narrowed slightly in recent years as remote work has shifted some London-rate jobs to non-London locations. Whether this trend continues remains to be seen.
Earnings by age
Median earnings rise with age in the UK, then plateau:
| Age range | Approximate median full-time salary |
|---|---|
| 18-21 | £22,000 |
| 22-29 | £28,000 |
| 30-39 | £35,000 |
| 40-49 | £37,000 (peak) |
| 50-59 | £36,000 |
| 60+ | £33,000 |
The 40s plateau reflects mid-career peak earnings; the slight decline after 50 reflects a mix of part-time arrangements, sector transitions, and the small minority who exit the workforce early.
This pattern matters for benchmarking. A 25-year-old earning £37,500 is well above their age-peer median (£28,000); a 45-year-old on the same £37,500 is around the median for their bracket.
Gender pay gap context
ONS publishes a separate annual analysis of the gender pay gap. Headline figures from 2024:
- Gender pay gap (median, all employees): approximately 13-14% in favour of men
- Gender pay gap (median, full-time employees): approximately 7-8% in favour of men
The gap is smaller for full-time workers because part-time work — disproportionately taken up by women — is concentrated in lower-paid sectors. The gap has narrowed slowly over the past decade but remains material across most industries.
Median earnings broken down by gender (full-time, 2024):
- Men: approximately £39,000
- Women: approximately £36,000
These figures use ASHE's full-time-employee methodology consistent with the other figures on this page.
Industry variation
The "UK average" hides huge industry-by-industry variation. Approximate 2024 median full-time salaries by sector:
| Sector | Approximate median |
|---|---|
| Financial services | £52,000 |
| Information and communication | £50,000 |
| Professional services | £42,000 |
| Public sector / education | £37,000 |
| Healthcare | £36,000 |
| Manufacturing | £36,000 |
| Construction | £37,000 |
| Retail / wholesale | £28,000 |
| Hospitality | £24,000 |
Financial services and tech run roughly 35-40% above the UK median; hospitality and retail run 25-35% below. Within each sector, regional and seniority variation adds further spread.
How the average has changed
UK earnings growth in recent years has been historically strong in nominal terms but modest in real terms (adjusted for CPI):
- 2020-2021: nominal growth ~4%, real growth flat
- 2022: nominal growth ~6%, real growth negative (-3%) due to peak inflation
- 2023: nominal growth ~7%, real growth ~0% as inflation eased
- 2024: nominal growth ~5%, real growth ~2-3%
The personal allowance and higher-rate threshold have been frozen since 2021 — a deliberate policy. As wages rise but thresholds don't, more workers cross into higher tax brackets. This is fiscal drag: a stealth tax rise without changing headline rates.
The freeze is currently legislated through April 2031. For workers near the higher-rate threshold (£50,270), wage growth between now and 2031 will increasingly push earnings into the 40% Income Tax band.
Calculating what an "average" salary leaves you with
Take-home pay for the UK median £37,500 salary in 2026/27:
- Income Tax: £4,986
- National Insurance: £1,994
- Annual take-home: £30,520
- Monthly take-home: £2,543
That's an effective rate of about 19%. Pension contributions and student loan would reduce that further; salary sacrifice pension contributions would add tax-efficient long-term savings.
For any salary, the Take-Home Pay Calculator shows the full breakdown including Scotland comparison and customisable scenarios.
In summary
The "UK average salary" most commonly cited is the ONS ASHE full-time median of around £37,500. Mean is £41,600. Both are useful; median is more representative of typical workers. The figure varies significantly by region (~£33,000 in the North East to ~£45,000 in London), by age (peaking in the 40s), by sector, and by gender. For comparing a specific salary to "average," it's usually most useful to look at percentile rather than headline median.
The next ASHE release (covering 2025 earnings) publishes autumn 2026. We update this page within a week of each ONS release.