UK Salary by Region: Median Full-Time Pay 2026

The detail

The ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025 puts median gross annual pay for full-time employees at £39,039 across the UK. Regional variation is wide: the workplace-based median ranges from £49,692 in London down to £34,403 in the North East - a gap of roughly £15,000, or about 44% of the lower figure.

The three highest-paying regions and nations by median full-time pay are: London (£49,692), the South East (£39,983) and Scotland (£39,719). London sits about 27% above the UK median - a premium that partly reflects higher living costs but also a structural concentration of finance, tech, legal and headquarters roles in the capital.

The three lowest are the North East (£34,403), the East Midlands (£35,600) and Yorkshire and The Humber (£35,682), with Wales (£35,796) close behind. Northern Ireland is surveyed separately by NISRA; ONS reported its full-time median weekly pay at £713 in April 2025, among the lowest in the UK.

The rest of the ranking: East of England £38,597, North West £37,361, South West £37,195, West Midlands £37,064. These are workplace-based figures (where the job is located). Residence-based figures differ slightly - commuters into London, for example, earn London wages but are counted in their home region - but the overall pattern of a London and South East premium over the North and Midlands holds under both measures.

Because these are medians for full-time workers only, they exclude part-time earnings, self-employment and investment income. To see the take-home effect of a given regional salary, use our salary calculator - the Income Tax and National Insurance bands are UK-wide except in Scotland, which sets its own Income Tax rates.