Average salary in Birmingham, UK
ONS data for April 2025 · Page updated
Birmingham is the UK's largest city outside London by population, and full-time pay here sits close to the UK median and above the West Midlands average. The upper quartile is high for a regional city, reflecting a large professional services workforce in the centre.
- Median full-time pay
- £38,556
- Change on a year earlier
- +3.4%
- Compared with the UK
- −1%
- Full-time jobs
- 282k
How pay is spread in Birmingham
Line: 10th to 90th percentile. Bar: the middle half of earners (25th to 75th). Mark and label: median. Where ONS doesn't publish the 90th percentile, the line stops at the highest published point.
| Full-time annual pay | Birmingham | West Midlands | UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £23,592 | £23,279 | £23,990 |
| 25th percentile | £29,405 | £27,951 | £29,262 |
| Median | £38,556 | £37,064 | £39,039 |
| 75th percentile | £54,657 | £50,611 | £54,009 |
| 90th percentile | £77,586 | £68,285 | £76,903 |
| Mean | £45,526 | £43,722 | £48,512 |
These are gross annual earnings for full-time employee jobs based in Birmingham, wherever the employee lives. The median is the middle salary: half of full-time jobs pay more, half pay less. The mean is pulled up by a small number of very high earners, so the median is the better guide to a typical salary. Figures cover Birmingham City Council's area, not Solihull, Wolverhampton or the wider West Midlands.
What that means after tax
| Gross salary | Income tax | National Insurance | Take-home a year | A month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £38,556 | £5,197 | £2,079 | £31,280 | £2,607 |
| £54,657 | £9,295 | £3,104 | £42,258 | £3,522 |
The median and 75th percentile salaries above, for the 2026/27 tax year: tax code 1257L, no pension contributions, student loan or benefits in kind. Pension contributions through salary sacrifice would reduce both tax and take-home pay.
Who employs people in Birmingham
HSBC UK has its head office in Birmingham, and the city has large legal, accountancy and financial services offices, a big public sector and university workforce, and strong links to the West Midlands automotive and advanced manufacturing supply chain.
Negotiating pay in Birmingham
National or regional pay bands. Employers headquartered in London often apply a location discount to roles based elsewhere, sometimes 10 to 20%. Ask whether the band for this role is national or regional, and which location your contract will name. A remote or hybrid contract that names your home city can quietly cap your pay for years.
Professional services moves. Large law and accountancy firms often run Birmingham offices on regional bands. If you're moving between firms, compare like-for-like grades and ask about the bonus pool and progression timetable, as well as the base salary.
Manufacturing and engineering roles. Shift allowances, overtime and pension terms can add a lot to total pay. Ask for the full package in writing; see total compensation in the UK.
A city median is a starting point, not a target. What you should ask for depends on your role, level and the employer. Check the pay ranges by role, or see where your salary sits in Birmingham.
Negotiating a job or pay rise in Birmingham?
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Pay in nearby cities
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (provisional), Table 7.7a (work geography). Gross annual pay for full-time employee jobs, April 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. See how we use this data.