Average UK Salary 2026

The detail

Journalists typically cite £39,039 as the UK's "average" salary — technically it's the median for full-time pay (ONS ASHE 2025). The median (50th percentile) is a better "typical" measure than the mean because pay has a fat upper tail: a handful of six-figure earners pull the mean up without reflecting the typical person.

The full-time mean is £48,512 — roughly £9,500 higher than the median. The gap between mean and median measures inequality in the distribution. UK pay inequality by this metric has been broadly stable over the last decade, despite inflation and regional divergence.

Including part-time workers, the all-employees median drops to £32,890. This lower figure covers all jobs regardless of hours — hence the apparent discrepancy between different "average UK salary" claims (HMRC total-income medians, which include non-employees, are different again).

Regional variation is wide: median full-time pay in London is £49,692; in the North East £34,403 (ONS ASHE 2025). The London premium of about 27% partly reflects higher cost of living but also a structural skew toward finance, tech and legal roles.