Biomedical scientist: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Biochemists and biomedical scientists (SOC 2113)
About £38,887 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +2.3% on last year
£4,093 a month About £3,241 a month after tax 49 thousand full-time jobs
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 £38,735 in 2021 to £49,121 in 2026 (+27%); 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 | £24,139 | £30,073 | £38,735 | £46,674 | x |
| 2022 | £27,928 | £35,505 | £43,279 | £49,994 | x |
| 2023 | £29,062 | £37,453 | £44,815 | £52,486 | x |
| 2024 | £27,994 | £35,087 | £45,925 | £53,562 | x |
| 2025 | £31,485 | £37,980 | £48,000 | £57,165 | x |
| 2026 | £30,672 | £38,621 | £49,121 | £58,247 | 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 £49,121 a year and half earn more. That is 20% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £38,621 and £58,247; one in ten earns less than £30,672.
Ranked by median, it is number 76 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £3,241 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £3,132 in Scotland.
The median for men is £52,257 and for women £46,582, a gap of 11% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £30,672 | £2,556 |
| 20th | £36,544 | £3,045 |
| 25th (P25) | £38,621 | £3,218 |
| 30th | £41,193 | £3,433 |
| 40th | £45,432 | £3,786 |
| Median (50th) | £49,121 | £4,093 |
| 60th | £53,944 | £4,495 |
| 70th | £56,520 | £4,710 |
| 75th (P75) | £58,247 | £4,854 |
| 80th | £59,786 | £4,982 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £52,257 | £51,756 | 21 |
| Women | £46,582 | £50,927 | 28 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £38,887 | £3,241 |
| Scotland | £37,584 | £3,132 |
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 £49,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 47 job titles to SOC 2113 Biochemists and biomedical scientists. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Advanced biomedical scientist
- Biochemist
- Biological chemist
- Biomedical scientist
- Biomedical technologist
- Biotechnologist
- Clinical research assistant
- Clinical research associate
- Clinical scientist
- Clinical technologist
- Clinical trials monitor
- Consultant
- Consultant histopathologist
- Cytogeneticist
- Cytologist
- Dna analyst
- Embryologist
- Endocrinologist
- Engineer
- Forensic chemist
- Forensic examiner
- Genetic engineer
- Genetic technologist
- Geneticist
- Histologist
- Histopathologist
- Lab scientist
- Laboratory scientist
- Medical laboratory science officer
- Medical laboratory scientific officer
- Medical laboratory scientist
- Medical researcher
- Medical technologist
- MLSO
- Osteologist
- Pharmaceutical consultant
- Pharmaceutical scientist
- Research assistant
- Research associate
- Research officer
- Research scientist
- Research worker
- Researcher
- Scientific officer
- Scientist
- Specialist biomedical scientist
- Virologist
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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.