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 Much Do Doctors Earn?
- How Much Do Nurses Earn?
- How Much Do Teachers Earn?
- How Much Do Police Officers Earn?
- How Much Do Solicitors Earn?
- How Much Do Pilots Earn?
- How Much Do Engineers Earn?
- How Much Do Electricians Earn?
- How Much Do Plumbers Earn?
- How Much Do Dentists Earn?
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:
- Average Salary in London
- Average Salary in Manchester
- Average Salary in Birmingham
- Average Salary in Edinburgh
- Average Salary in Cardiff
- Average Salary in Belfast
- Best-Paying Cities in the UK
- London vs North Salary Comparison
- Salary Needed to Live in London
- Cheapest Places to Live on a Good Salary
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:
- Mental Health Nurse Salary
- Healthcare Assistant Salary
- Teaching Assistant Salary
- Lecturer Salary
- How Much Do Midwives Earn?
- How Much Do Physiotherapists Earn?
- How Much Do Paramedics Earn?
- How Much Do Pharmacists Earn?
- How Much Do Radiographers Earn?
- How Much Do Social Workers Earn?
- How Much Do Civil Servants Earn?
- How Much Do Firefighters Earn?
- How Much Do Soldiers Earn?
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:
- Cybersecurity Salary
- Data Analyst Salary
- DevOps Engineer Salary
- IT Manager Salary
- Product Manager Salary
- Project Manager Salary
- UX Designer Salary
- Mechanic Salary
- Gas Engineer Salary
- HVAC Engineer Salary
- Welder Salary
- Care Worker Salary
Broader profession guides:
- How Much Do Accountants Earn?
- How Much Do Architects Earn?
- How Much Do Builders Earn?
- How Much Do Carpenters Earn?
- How Much Do Chefs Earn?
- How Much Do Data Scientists Earn?
- How Much Do Delivery Drivers Earn?
- How Much Do Estate Agents Earn?
- How Much Do Graphic Designers Earn?
- How Much Do HGV Drivers Earn?
- How Much Do HR Managers Earn?
- How Much Do Journalists Earn?
- How Much Do Marketing Managers Earn?
- How Much Do Optometrists Earn?
- How Much Do Psychologists Earn?
- How Much Do Retail Managers Earn?
- How Much Do Software Developers Earn?
- How Much Do Train Drivers Earn?
- How Much Do Uber Drivers Earn?
- How Much Do Vets Earn?
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:
- Is GBP25k a Good Salary?
- Is GBP30k a Good Salary?
- Is GBP40k a Good Salary?
- Is GBP50k a Good Salary?
- Is GBP60k a Good Salary?
- Is GBP80k a Good Salary?
- Is GBP100k a Good Salary?
- Is GBP40k a Good Salary in London?
- Is GBP25k a Good Graduate Salary?
- Is GBP30k a Good Salary for My Age?
- Is GBP50k a Good Salary for a Family?
- Am I Middle Class on My Salary?
- Top 10 Percent Income
- Top 5 Percent Income
- Top 1 Percent Income
- Wealth vs Income Percentiles
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:
- How to Ask for a Pay Rise
- How to Increase Income
- Gross vs Net Income Explained
- How to Read a Payslip
- Hourly to Salary Calculator
- Salaried vs Hourly Pay
- Salary Sacrifice Guide
- Is Salary Sacrifice Worth It?
- I Got a Pay Rise: What Should I Do?
- Student Loan Repayment Explained
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.