Salary by Profession in the UK: Compare Jobs, Regions and Pay Levels

Compare UK salaries by profession, region and sector. See typical pay for doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers, solicitors, trades, tech jobs and more.

Salary data is one of the fastest ways to benchmark your career decisions, but headline numbers can be misleading. A “good salary” in the UK depends on your profession, location, experience level, pension package, working pattern and what costs you are trying to cover. A newly qualified nurse, a London software developer and a self-employed electrician can all earn respectable incomes while facing very different deductions, commuting costs and progression paths.

This hub brings together our salary-by-profession coverage so you can compare jobs properly. Use it to answer three practical questions: what is typical pay in your field, how does your area compare with the rest of the country, and what should you focus on if you want to increase earnings without being caught out by tax, pension or cost-of-living trade-offs.

UK salary snapshot

For most employees, pay sits in a fairly tight band around the national median, while a smaller number of professions pull the average upward. That is why median salary is often more useful than average salary when you are benchmarking your own role.

Broadly speaking:

  • Healthcare, law, aviation and senior tech roles dominate the highest-paying mainstream professions.
  • Skilled trades can produce strong earnings, especially where overtime, call-out work or self-employment are common.
  • Public-sector salaries usually offer clearer pay scales and stronger pension value, but private-sector roles can move faster at mid and senior levels.
  • Regional pay differences matter, but so do housing costs. A lower gross salary in a cheaper city can still leave you better off in real terms.

If you want the wider context first, start with UK Salary Guide, Median Salary by Age, Average Household Income and Income Distribution Explained.

Top 20 profession salary comparison

The table below is a quick comparison guide for commonly searched UK professions. Figures are typical annual full-time gross pay ranges rather than guaranteed rates for every employer.

Profession Typical UK annual pay Notes
Pilot GBP55,000 to GBP110,000+ Wide gap between early-career and long-haul captains
Solicitor GBP38,000 to GBP90,000+ City firms can run much higher
Barrister GBP40,000 to GBP100,000+ Income can be volatile early on
Doctor GBP36,000 to GBP95,000+ Consultant and specialty progression matters
Dentist GBP45,000 to GBP90,000+ NHS and private mix changes earnings
Train driver GBP50,000 to GBP75,000 Strong unionised pay in many operators
Software developer GBP35,000 to GBP80,000+ London and senior engineering lift pay
DevOps engineer GBP50,000 to GBP85,000+ Premium for cloud and platform skills
Product manager GBP45,000 to GBP85,000+ Tech and finance tend to pay best
Project manager GBP38,000 to GBP70,000+ Sector and certifications matter
Data scientist GBP45,000 to GBP80,000+ Demand strongest in large firms
Cybersecurity specialist GBP45,000 to GBP85,000+ Shortage skills support higher pay
Accountant GBP32,000 to GBP65,000+ Qualification status is decisive
Engineer GBP34,000 to GBP60,000+ Discipline and chartered status matter
Pharmacist GBP38,000 to GBP60,000+ Community, hospital and locum pay differ
Teacher GBP31,000 to GBP52,000 National scales with leadership uplifts
Nurse GBP29,000 to GBP45,000+ Banding and overtime change take-home pay
Police officer GBP30,000 to GBP48,000+ Shift allowances can add more
Electrician GBP33,000 to GBP50,000+ Self-employed specialists can exceed this
Plumber GBP32,000 to GBP50,000+ Emergency and contract work lifts earnings

You can drill into individual roles here:

How pay changes by region

Regional salary comparisons only make sense when you pair them with rent, transport and childcare. London usually leads on cash pay, but the premium is often absorbed by housing. Cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Cardiff and Belfast can produce better disposable-income outcomes for many mid-career workers.

Area Indicative median full-time pay Typical housing pressure What to watch
London GBP44,000 Very high Rent can erode most of the salary premium
Edinburgh GBP37,000 High Strong professional market, expensive central areas
Manchester GBP35,000 Medium Good balance of salaries and opportunity
Birmingham GBP34,000 Medium Broad employer base, lower housing than London
Leeds GBP34,000 Medium Strong for finance, public services and digital
Cardiff GBP33,000 Medium Lower housing costs than many English cities
Belfast GBP32,000 Lower Pay lower than London, costs often lower too

Use these guides for city-level comparisons:

NHS pay bands and public-sector pay scales

Some of the most searched salary questions are about the NHS, teaching and other public services. The reason is simple: pay is structured, widely discussed and tied to progression points rather than individual negotiation alone.

In the NHS, most non-medical staff are paid on Agenda for Change bands. Your band sets the broad range, but your actual income can rise further through unsocial hours payments, overtime, specialisms and location supplements. Doctors, dentists and senior managers sit on different structures.

Public-sector pay has three strengths:

  • predictable progression
  • clearer pension value
  • better visibility on national pay awards

Its trade-off is usually slower upside once you reach the top of a band. In contrast, private-sector careers can jump faster if you change employer, move into management or build scarce technical skills.

Relevant salary guides include:

Private-sector roles and specialist skills

Private-sector pay is often more varied because bonuses, commission, overtime, equity and job-hopping matter more. This is especially true in technology, professional services, commercial management and specialist engineering.

If you work in digital or knowledge-based roles, market pay can change quickly. Cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, data work and product leadership tend to command premiums because the pool of experienced candidates is smaller and the commercial impact is easier for employers to measure.

Start with these specialist guides:

Broader profession guides:

What counts as a good salary?

This is usually the wrong first question. A better question is whether your pay supports your target lifestyle after tax, pension contributions, student loan deductions and local housing costs. Salary thresholds that sound impressive can feel ordinary in expensive parts of the South East, while a lower headline salary can stretch much further elsewhere.

These guides are useful when you want to benchmark a number rather than a profession:

Ways to improve your pay without chasing headline salary alone

Higher income can come from several routes: changing employer, moving sector, building scarce skills, taking extra qualifications, increasing billable hours, or improving the package around salary. Pension contributions, bonus structure, overtime, enhanced parental pay and remote-working flexibility all change the real value of an offer.

Useful next reads:

If you are comparing hourly work, these conversion guides can help: GBP10 per Hour Salary, GBP12 per Hour Salary, GBP15 per Hour Salary, GBP20 per Hour Salary, GBP25 per Hour Salary, GBP30 per Hour Salary and GBP50 per Hour Salary.

FAQ

What are the highest-paying jobs in the UK?

Doctors, dentists, solicitors, barristers, pilots and senior technology roles are usually among the highest-paying mainstream careers. Seniority, sector and location still matter more than job title alone.

What is a typical average salary in the UK?

There is a big difference between average and median. The average is pulled up by higher earners, while the median shows the midpoint. For most career comparisons, median full-time pay is the better benchmark.

How much do nurses, teachers and doctors earn?

All three sit on structured pay systems for much of their careers. Nurses and teachers usually progress through published scales, while doctors follow separate training and specialty structures. Use the profession guides above for the current ranges and career-stage breakdowns.

Is London always the best place to maximise salary?

Not necessarily. London offers the strongest headline salaries in many sectors, but housing and travel costs can reduce the benefit sharply. Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Cardiff and Belfast can offer better affordability for some households.

Is it better to move jobs or negotiate internally?

External moves often produce the biggest salary jumps, especially in private-sector roles. Internal progression can still be worthwhile if it brings pension value, training, promotion pathways or more predictable hours.