Average salary in Bristol, UK
ONS data for April 2025 · Page updated
Bristol pays well above the UK and South West medians, with one of the strongest upper quartiles of any English city outside London and the South East. It's a common destination for people moving from London who want to keep a London-level career.
- Median full-time pay
- £42,160
- Change on a year earlier
- +6.9%
- Compared with the UK
- +8%
- Full-time jobs
- 196k
How pay is spread in Bristol
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 | Bristol | South West | UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £25,643 | £23,936 | £23,990 |
| 25th percentile | £31,611 | £28,631 | £29,262 |
| Median | £42,160 | £37,195 | £39,039 |
| 75th percentile | £58,871 | £50,000 | £54,009 |
| 90th percentile | £78,279 | £68,482 | £76,903 |
| Mean | £49,180 | £43,852 | £48,512 |
These are gross annual earnings for full-time employee jobs based in Bristol, 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 the City of Bristol council area, not neighbouring South Gloucestershire, where several large aerospace employers are based.
What that means after tax
| Gross salary | Income tax | National Insurance | Take-home a year | A month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £42,160 | £5,918 | £2,367 | £33,875 | £2,823 |
| £58,871 | £10,980 | £3,188 | £44,703 | £3,725 |
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 Bristol
Aerospace and engineering are major employers in the wider Bristol area, alongside financial services, a large creative and technology sector, the universities, and the NHS.
Negotiating pay in Bristol
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.
Moving from London? If you're relocating with the same employer, ask for your pay to stay on the London band rather than accepting a regional cut. If you're moving to a new employer, use London adverts as part of your evidence where the role's scope is the same.
Engineering roles. Aerospace and defence employers often have structured grades with set pay ranges. Ask which grade the role sits in and where in the range you'll start; the starting point is usually where the negotiation is.
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 Bristol.
Negotiating a job or pay rise in Bristol?
Tell us your role and numbers. AI agents research the market for Bristol and your role, then give you a target, a floor and the levers to pull. Free.
Run a free analysisFull negotiation £99 once. £5k+ uplift or a full refund.
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.