Average salary in the North West
Half of full-time employees working in the North West earn less than £38,599 a year and half earn more. ONS figures for the tax year ending 5 April 2026.
About £31,311 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median full-time salary a year, the North West, +3.4% on last year
£3,217 a month £19.72 an hour About £2,609 a month after tax 1,970 thousand full-time jobs
That's 6% less than the UK median of £40,911, and number 7 of the 12 UK nations and English regions.
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £24,645 | £2,054 |
| 20th | £27,800 | £2,317 |
| 25th (P25) | £29,274 | £2,440 |
| 30th | £30,846 | £2,570 |
| 40th | £34,163 | £2,847 |
| Median (50th) | £38,599 | £3,217 |
| 60th | £43,508 | £3,626 |
| 70th | £49,477 | £4,123 |
| 75th (P75) | £52,643 | £4,387 |
| 80th | £57,192 | £4,766 |
| 90th (P90) | £72,148 | £6,012 |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | |
|---|---|---|
| Men | £41,570 | £49,404 |
| Women | £35,007 | £40,225 |
The median for full-time men is £41,570 and for full-time women £35,007, 16% lower. This compares all full-time jobs, not men and women in the same job. ONS's official gender pay gap uses hourly pay excluding overtime, so it gives a different figure.
Pay by occupation group in the North West
| Occupation group | Median here | UK median |
|---|---|---|
| Managers, directors and senior officials | £53,060 | £60,000 |
| Corporate managers and directors | £58,842 | £67,499 |
| Other managers and proprietors | £41,228 | £43,132 |
| Professional occupations | £48,232 | £50,683 |
| Science, research, engineering and technology professionals | £50,944 | £54,513 |
| Health professionals | £46,580 | £47,984 |
| Teaching and other educational professionals | £48,423 | £49,233 |
| Business, media and public service professionals | £47,451 | £51,601 |
| Associate professional occupations | £38,036 | £40,000 |
| Science, engineering and technology associate professionals | £35,911 | £37,287 |
| Health and social care associate professionals | £30,359 | £30,662 |
| Protective service occupations | £47,929 | £50,566 |
| Culture, media and sports occupations | £35,701 | £37,502 |
| Business and public service associate professionals | £40,472 | £43,264 |
| Administrative and secretarial occupations | £30,894 | £31,918 |
| Administrative occupations | £31,317 | £32,042 |
| Secretarial and related occupations | £26,922 | £29,346 |
| Skilled trades occupations | £36,217 | £37,419 |
| Skilled agricultural and related trades | £28,982 | £29,678 |
| Skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades | £39,540 | £40,875 |
| Skilled construction and building trades | £35,061 | £36,959 |
| Textiles, printing and other skilled trades | £31,275 | £31,200 |
| Caring, leisure and other service occupations | £27,752 | £28,497 |
| Caring personal service occupations | £27,579 | £28,276 |
| Leisure, travel and related personal service occupations | £27,826 | £29,358 |
| Community and civil enforcement occupations | x | £33,575 |
| Sales and customer service occupations | £28,385 | £28,276 |
| Sales occupations | £27,400 | £27,532 |
| Customer service occupations | £29,083 | £29,445 |
| Process, plant and machine operatives | £35,235 | £34,936 |
| Process, plant and machine operatives | £33,216 | £32,767 |
| Transport and mobile machine drivers and operatives | £38,352 | £37,730 |
| Elementary occupations | £28,570 | £29,135 |
| Elementary trades and related occupations | £29,381 | £29,853 |
| Elementary administration and service occupations | £28,255 | £29,000 |
Regions are where people work, not where they live. Figures are for full-time employees on adult rates who had been in the same job for more than a year, including bonuses and overtime.
Average salary in other regions
More
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.