Average salary in Glasgow, UK
ONS data for April 2025 · Page updated
Glasgow is Scotland's largest city and its full-time median is above both the UK and Scottish figures. It has a deep labour market for financial services, engineering and public sector roles, with pay at the top end lower than Edinburgh's.
- Median full-time pay
- £40,554
- Change on a year earlier
- +2.5%
- Compared with the UK
- +4%
- Full-time jobs
- 260k
How pay is spread in Glasgow
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 | Glasgow | Scotland | UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £25,135 | £24,591 | £23,990 |
| 25th percentile | £30,314 | £29,635 | £29,262 |
| Median | £40,554 | £39,719 | £39,039 |
| 75th percentile | £53,753 | £52,500 | £54,009 |
| 90th percentile | £71,952 | £71,307 | £76,903 |
| Mean | £46,485 | £45,586 | £48,512 |
These are gross annual earnings for full-time employee jobs based in Glasgow, 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 Glasgow City Council's area.
Take-home pay in Scotland depends on Scottish income tax bands, which differ from the rest of the UK. Use the Scottish rates on GOV.UK to work out take-home pay for a salary in Glasgow.
Who employs people in Glasgow
Major employers include financial services firms with large operations centres, the NHS and local government, universities, and engineering and shipbuilding on the Clyde. The city also has a growing technology and digital sector.
Negotiating pay in Glasgow
Scottish income tax. If you live in Scotland you pay Scottish rates, with more bands and a 42% higher rate that starts below the rest-of-UK threshold. Above roughly £30,000, the same gross salary takes home a little less than it would in England, so compare offers on take-home pay if you're weighing a move across the border.
Scottish public sector pay is set separately. NHS Scotland, Scottish local government and Scottish Government staff have their own pay settlements, which can differ from those in England. When comparing a public sector role with an English equivalent, compare the Scottish pay scale directly.
Edinburgh is a fair comparison. For financial services and tech roles, employers in both cities recruit from the same pool. If the same job pays more in Edinburgh, that's reasonable evidence for a higher Glasgow offer.
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 Glasgow.
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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.