Average salary in Leeds, UK
ONS data for April 2025 · Page updated
Leeds is the largest financial and legal centre in Yorkshire. Its full-time median sits a little below the UK figure, partly because the council area takes in a wide surrounding district, but it is above the Yorkshire and the Humber median, and the city's upper quartile is not far below the UK's.
- Median full-time pay
- £37,821
- Change on a year earlier
- +2.9%
- Compared with the UK
- −3%
- Full-time jobs
- 298k
How pay is spread in Leeds
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 | Leeds | Yorkshire and The Humber | UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £24,095 | £23,397 | £23,990 |
| 25th percentile | £28,591 | £27,690 | £29,262 |
| Median | £37,821 | £35,682 | £39,039 |
| 75th percentile | £51,686 | £48,430 | £54,009 |
| 90th percentile | £72,293 | £65,286 | £76,903 |
| Mean | £44,250 | £41,318 | £48,512 |
These are gross annual earnings for full-time employee jobs based in Leeds, 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 Leeds City Council area, which is large and includes suburbs and surrounding towns.
What that means after tax
| Gross salary | Income tax | National Insurance | Take-home a year | A month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £37,821 | £5,050 | £2,020 | £30,751 | £2,563 |
| £51,686 | £8,106 | £3,044 | £40,535 | £3,378 |
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 Leeds
Banking, insurance and legal services are major employers, alongside the NHS, universities and a growing digital sector. Channel 4 moved its national headquarters to Leeds, and several large technology and media employers run engineering hubs in the city.
Negotiating pay in Leeds
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.
Use the upper quartile, not the median. Because the Leeds median covers a large area with many lower-paid jobs, it can understate what city-centre professional roles pay. Use adverts for the same title in Leeds city centre, and recruiter salary guides, as well as the ONS figures.
Counter-offers are common in tight markets. Financial services and tech employers in Leeds compete for the same people. If your employer counters when you resign, read should you accept a counter-offer? before deciding.
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 Leeds.
Negotiating a job or pay rise in Leeds?
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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.