Senior officers in fire, ambulance, prison and related services: salary in the UK
About £47,494 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time
£5,307 a month About £3,958 a month after tax
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
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.
Pay by year
The median went from £47,129 in 2021 to £63,684 in 2026 (+35%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | x | x | £47,129 | x | x |
| 2022 | x | x | x | x | x |
| 2023 | x | x | x | x | x |
| 2024 | x | x | x | x | x |
| 2025 | x | x | x | x | x |
| 2026 | x | x | £63,684 | x | x |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £63,684 a year and half earn more. That is 56% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
Ranked by median, it is number 16 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
The mean (£77,585) is well above the median: a minority in this job earn much more than most.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £3,958 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £3,806 in Scotland.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | x | x |
| 20th | x | x |
| 25th (P25) | x | x |
| 30th | x | x |
| 40th | £60,734 | £5,061 |
| Median (50th) | £63,684 | £5,307 |
| 60th | x | x |
| 70th | x | x |
| 75th (P75) | x | x |
| 80th | x | x |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £75,287 | £83,684 | x |
| Women | x | £55,496 | x |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £47,494 | £3,958 |
| Scotland | £45,670 | £3,806 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £64,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 55 job titles to SOC 1163 Senior officers in fire, ambulance, prison and related services. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Area controller
- Area manager
- Brigade manager
- Chief ambulance officer
- Chief fire officer
- Chief fraud investigating officer
- Chief fraud investigation officer
- Chief fraud officer
- Chief immigration officer
- Chief investigating officer
- Chief investigation officer
- Chief officer
- Chief preventive officer
- Chief prison officer
- Chief warder
- Commandant
- Commander
- Company officer
- Controller
- District officer
- Divisional fire officer
- Divisional officer
- Fire brigade officer
- Fire captain
- Fire inspector
- Fire protection officer
- Fire salvage officer
- Fire service officer
- Fire superintendent
- Firemaster
- First officer
- Governor
- Group manager
- Local authority fire officer
- Manager
- Principal fire control officer
- Principal officer
- Principal prison officer
- Prison governor
- Salvage corps officer
- Salvage officer
- Second officer
- Senior controller
- Senior fire officer
- Senior inspector
- Senior officer
- Senior prison officer
- Shift manager
- Station commander
- Station manager
- Station officer
- Superintendent
- Surveyor
- Surveyor of customs and excise
- Third officer
Similar occupations
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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.