The median gross annual salary for full-time employees in the UK is £40,911, according to ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) data for April 2026, the latest ASHE release (provisional, published 22 October 2026; ONS revises it a year later). This is the middle salary: half of all full-time employees earn more, half earn less. The mean salary (the arithmetic average) for full-time employee jobs is £52,109 in the same release (ASHE 2026 provisional, Table 1.7a), higher than the median because high earners pull it upward.
Whether you are benchmarking your own salary, planning a career move, or simply curious where you stand, this guide breaks down UK earnings by region, sector, age and working pattern.
For how salaries vary by specific job title, see our Average Salary by Job guide. For regional breakdowns, see the Salary by Profession hub.
UK Average Salary at a Glance — 2026
| Measure | Full-time | Part-time |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | £40,911 | n/a |
| Median weekly pay | £811.20 | n/a |
| Median hourly pay (excl. overtime) | £20.81 | n/a |
Source: ONS ASHE, April 2026 data (provisional, published 22 October 2026). Full-time means more than 30 paid hours a week (25 or more for the teaching professions). The annual median is for employees who had been in their job for at least a year; the weekly and hourly figures cover all full-time employee jobs. The bulletin gives only the part-time weekly change (up 2.9% on the year), not a part-time level.
Median vs Mean: Which Should You Use?
Most people asking “what is the average UK salary?” want to know where they stand relative to the typical worker. For this, the median is the right measure.
The median (£40,911 for full-time employees) is the middle salary: half of full-time workers earn less and half earn more. The mean is the total of all salaries divided by the number of workers, and a small number of very high earners pulls it above the median.
If someone tells you the “average” UK salary is over £50,000, they may be citing the mean. The median of £40,911 is more useful for knowing whether your salary is above or below what a typical worker earns.
Where You Rank: UK Salary Percentiles
| If you earn… | Approx. position |
|---|---|
| £25,000 | Below median |
| £30,000 | Below median |
| £40,911 | Exactly median |
| £45,000 | Above median |
| £50,000 | Comfortably above median |
Note: these positions compare a salary with the full-time median. The self-employed, part-time workers and those with multiple income streams are distributed differently.
Average Salary by Region
Salaries vary across the UK. The ONS publishes median earnings by region in its ASHE tables, and London has historically paid the most. For region-level figures, see the ONS release “Employee earnings in the UK: 2026”. For more on the capital, see our Average Salary in London guide.
Average Salary by Sector
Pay differs a lot by industry. Our Average Salary by Sector guide covers it in more detail.
Average Salary by Age
Earnings differ by age band, and part-time choices and sector mix affect the older bands.
The overall median gross annual earnings for full-time employees were £40,911 in April 2026 (provisional), and the age-band medians sit either side of that figure. See our Average Salary by Age guide for the median in each age band.
The Gender Pay Gap
The UK has a persistent gender pay gap. For April 2026 (provisional), ONS reported the gap for full-time employees at 6.8% (median hourly earnings excluding overtime), down from 7.2% in April 2025. For all employees (including part-time), the gap was 12.3%, down from 13.0% in April 2025. Full-time men’s median hourly pay was £21.51 and women’s was £20.05.
| Measure | Men | Women | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median hourly pay (full-time, excl. overtime), April 2026 | £21.51 | £20.05 | 6.8% |
The gap is wider when all workers (including part-time) are included, as women make up a significantly larger share of part-time employment.
Sectors with the highest gender pay gaps include finance, construction and technology. The public sector has a smaller pay gap than the private sector.
Employers in England, Scotland and Wales with 250 or more employees on their snapshot date must report their gender pay gap figures each year, and anyone can search and compare them on the government’s gender pay gap service.
How the National Living Wage Sets the Floor
The National Living Wage (NLW) sets the minimum legal pay rate and anchors the bottom of the pay distribution:
| Rate | April 2026 |
|---|---|
| National Living Wage (21+) | £12.71/hour |
| 18–20 rate | £10.85/hour |
| Under 18 / apprentice rate | £8.00/hour |
| Full-time NLW (37.5 hrs/week, 52 weeks) | £24,785/year |
Workers on the National Living Wage earn around £24,785/year, approximately 61% of the median full-time salary of £40,911. For more on minimum wage rules, see our National Minimum Wage guide.
Take-Home Pay on the Average Salary
A salary of £40,911 results in the following take-home pay under 2026/27 tax rates:
| Item | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | £40,911 | £3,409 |
| Income tax (20% basic rate, after £12,570 personal allowance) | −£5,668 | −£472 |
| National Insurance (8% on £12,570–£50,270) | −£2,267 | −£189 |
| Net take-home | £32,976 | £2,748 |
Assumes standard personal allowance, no other adjustments.
To calculate take-home pay for any salary, use our Take-Home Pay Calculator.
What Has Happened to Salaries in Recent Years
| Year | UK median full-time salary (ASHE, April) | Approximate change |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | £31,285 | — |
| 2022 | £33,000 | +5.7% |
| 2023 | £34,963 | +5.8% |
| 2024 | £37,439 | +7.1% |
| 2025 | £39,039 | +4.3% |
| 2026 | £40,911 | +4.5% |
Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) bulletins for 2021 to 2026. The 2021 and 2022 figures are median annual pay for the tax year ending 5 April; the 2023 to 2026 figures are median gross annual earnings in April. The 2024 change is calculated from the 2023 and 2024 figures shown. The 2025 figure is the provisional estimate as first published. ONS later revised it to £39,157, and the 2026 change of +4.5% (2026 is provisional) is measured against that revised figure, so it is not the change between the two figures shown.
Salary growth accelerated sharply in 2022–2023 as employers competed for workers in a tight labour market and the cost of living crisis drove pay demands, and again in 2023–2024. Growth moderated in 2024–2025 but has generally run above CPI, meaning real wages have been recovering after the 2022 inflation shock.
Is Your Salary Above or Below Average?
A salary of £40,911 is the UK median for full-time employees (April 2026, provisional). But context matters:
- Location: The same salary goes much further in Preston than in central London
- Sector: £39k in finance is below average; in hospitality, it is well above
- Age and experience: Early-career workers earning £39k in their late 20s are performing strongly; mid-career workers in their 40s at the same level may be below their peers
- Hours: The median is for full-time (30+ hours). If you work part-time, compare on an hourly basis
For city-specific salary benchmarks, see our guides to average salary in Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh.