Financial and insurance activities has the highest median full-time salary of any UK industry: £61,653 in April 2026, against £30,606 in accommodation and food services, the lowest. The median for all full-time employees is £40,911. These figures are from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) for April 2026, which are provisional: ONS revises them a year later.
This page gives the median for each of the 20 industry sections ONS uses (the Standard Industrial Classification, SIC 2007) and the public and private sector figures, and explains what they do and don’t tell you about your own pay.
For the national picture, see Average Salary UK 2026. For age-based benchmarks, see median salary by age. To find out what specific jobs pay, see the Salary by Profession hub, and for a quick verdict on your own pay, is my salary good?
Median UK Salary by Industry: 2026
Median gross annual pay for full-time employees, by the industry of the employer, April 2026:
| Industry (SIC 2007 section) | Median full-time salary | vs UK median |
|---|---|---|
| Financial and insurance activities | £61,653 | +51% |
| Mining and quarrying | £58,983 | +44% |
| Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply | £56,512 | +38% |
| Information and communication | £55,000 | +34% |
| Professional, scientific and technical activities | £48,951 | +20% |
| Construction | £44,578 | +9% |
| Water supply, sewerage and waste management | £43,151 | +5% |
| Public administration and defence | £42,986 | +5% |
| Transportation and storage | £41,789 | +2% |
| Education | £41,464 | +1% |
| Manufacturing | £40,355 | −1% |
| Real estate activities | £37,892 | −7% |
| Administrative and support services | £37,836 | −8% |
| Human health and social work | £37,796 | −8% |
| Other service activities | £35,002 | −14% |
| Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles | £34,752 | −15% |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | £33,984 | −17% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | £33,941 | −17% |
| Households as employers | £33,309 | −19% |
| Accommodation and food services | £30,606 | −25% |
| All full-time employees | £40,911 |
Source: ONS ASHE 2026 provisional, Table 4.7a (annual pay, gross, full-time employee jobs, median), rounded to the pound. Employees on adult rates who have been in the same job for at least a year. Extraterritorial organisations (section U) are not published. The “vs UK median” column compares each figure with £40,911.
The median is the middle salary: half of full-time employees in the industry earn more and half earn less. It isn’t pulled up by a few very high earners the way an average (mean) is, which matters most in finance, where the mean is far above the median.
The Highest-Paying Industries
Financial and insurance activities
Finance and insurance has the highest median of the 20 sections, at £61,653. It covers banks, insurers, pension funds, fund managers and the firms that serve them. Pay within the industry spreads very widely. Its mean (average) full-time pay is far above its median, because a minority of jobs are very highly paid.
Mining and quarrying
Mining and quarrying has the second-highest median, at £58,983. It includes oil and gas extraction, which pays well above the rest of the section. It’s one of the smallest industries in the survey, so its median moves more from year to year than larger ones.
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply
Energy supply has the third-highest median, at £56,512. Water supply, sewerage and waste management, a separate section, has a median of £43,151.
Information and communication
Information and communication, which includes software, telecoms, publishing and broadcasting, has the fourth-highest median, at £55,000.
Professional, scientific and technical activities
Law firms, accountants, consultancies, architects, engineering firms and research organisations make up this section, which has the fifth-highest median, at £48,951.
The Lowest-Paying Industries
Accommodation and food services
Hotels, restaurants, pubs and catering have the lowest median, at £30,606. These figures cover full-time employees only; for the legal minimum hourly rates, see the minimum wage rates for 2026/27.
Worked example: a full-time hotel receptionist paid the accommodation and food median of £30,606 earns £10,305 a year less than the median full-time employee (£40,911 − £30,606). On the finance and insurance median of £61,653, they would earn 2.01 times as much. To see what any of these salaries leaves after tax, use the take-home pay calculator.
Arts, entertainment and recreation
Arts, entertainment and recreation has the third-lowest median, at £33,941. It includes sport and leisure centres, gambling, museums and performing arts.
Agriculture, forestry and fishing
Agriculture, forestry and fishing has the fourth-lowest median, at £33,984.
Wholesale and retail trade
Shops, wholesalers and motor trade repair have a median of £34,752, the fifth-lowest of the 20. It is one of the largest industries in the survey by number of full-time jobs.
Public vs Private Sector Pay
| Sector | Median full-time salary | vs UK median |
|---|---|---|
| Public sector | £42,839 | +5% |
| Private sector | £40,204 | −2% |
| Non-profit body or mutual association | £39,354 | −4% |
Source: ONS ASHE 2026 provisional, Table 13.7a (annual pay, gross, full-time employee jobs, median), rounded to the pound.
The median public sector salary is £2,635 above the private sector’s. The comparison is of pay only. Employers also pay much more into public sector pensions: in 2024 the median employer contribution, as a share of qualifying earnings, was 27% for men and 26% for women in the public sector, against 6% and 5% in the private sector (ONS, Employee workplace pensions in the UK, 2024 provisional). The two groups also do different mixes of jobs, so the gap isn’t a like-for-like comparison of the same job.
What to Do if You Earn Below Your Industry’s Median
- Compare like with like. An industry median mixes every job, age and region. Early in your career, being below it is normal; the median by age is a fairer benchmark.
- Allow for where you work. Median pay by region of work runs from £36,460 in the North East to £53,132 in London (ASHE 2026, Table 7.7a); see average salary by region and city.
- Look at current job adverts. What employers advertise for your role and area now is the most direct evidence of your market rate.
- Build a case. If adverts pay more than you get, a structured request backed by them is the most direct route. See how to ask for a pay rise.
- Consider moving industry. Analytical, communication and project management skills often transfer between industries.
Related Guides
- Average Salary UK 2026: national median and mean
- Median salary by age
- Salary by Profession hub: individual job salary guides
- How to Ask for a Pay Rise
- Take-Home Pay Calculator: what any salary leaves after tax