UK Income Percentiles 2025 — How Does Your Salary Compare?

"Good" is relative, but the data gives us useful benchmarks. The median full-time salary in the UK is £39,039 per year in the ONS 2025 provisional release — so anything above that puts you in the top half of the measured full-time employee group.

If you earn £50,000 or more, you are in the top 25% of all UK workers. That is broadly considered a "good" salary by most measures — it is enough to live comfortably outside London and provides meaningful saving capacity.

At £80,000, you join the top 5%. By most definitions, this is an excellent salary. At £170,000, you are in the top 1% — a threshold that many people significantly underestimate.

It is worth noting that these figures include all full-time workers across the UK, including both public and private sector roles. Your perception of "good" may differ depending on your industry, location, and stage of career.

London consistently has the highest median earnings in the UK. The London median full-time salary is higher than the national median of £39,039. Regional comparisons should be treated as approximate because workforce composition differs between locations.

However, higher salaries in London are significantly offset by the cost of living, particularly housing. Average rent in London is more than double the national average. After housing costs, many London workers have less disposable income than their counterparts earning less in other regions.

Other high-paying regions include the South East (median ~£37,000) and Scotland (median ~£35,500). The lowest median earnings tend to be in the North East (~£30,500) and parts of Wales.

Earning more is one way to improve your financial position, but keeping more of what you earn is equally important. Tax-efficient strategies can make a significant difference to your take-home pay:

• Salary sacrifice — redirect pre-tax income into your pension, reducing your tax bill and potentially avoiding the 60% tax trap.
• Pension contributions — one of the most powerful tax reliefs available. Higher-rate taxpayers get 40% tax relief on pension contributions.
• Salary calculator — understand exactly how much you take home after all deductions.

Even small changes — like using salary sacrifice for childcare vouchers or cycle-to-work schemes — can move you from one take-home bracket to another.