Average salary in Manchester, UK
ONS data for April 2025 · Page updated
Full-time jobs in Manchester pay more than both the UK and North West medians, and pay grew faster here in the latest ONS figures than in most large UK cities. The city centre concentrates the region's best-paid professional jobs, so the Manchester figure runs well above the Greater Manchester average.
- Median full-time pay
- £40,479
- Change on a year earlier
- +9.1%
- Compared with the UK
- +4%
- Full-time jobs
- 287k
How pay is spread in Manchester
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 | Manchester | North West | UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £25,247 | £23,400 | £23,990 |
| 25th percentile | £30,693 | £27,992 | £29,262 |
| Median | £40,479 | £37,361 | £39,039 |
| 75th percentile | £55,381 | £51,167 | £54,009 |
| 90th percentile | £80,442 | £70,142 | £76,903 |
| Mean | £49,668 | £43,731 | £48,512 |
These are gross annual earnings for full-time employee jobs based in Manchester, 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 Manchester City Council area, which includes the city centre but not Salford, Trafford or the rest of Greater Manchester.
What that means after tax
| Gross salary | Income tax | National Insurance | Take-home a year | A month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £40,479 | £5,582 | £2,233 | £32,664 | £2,722 |
| £55,381 | £9,584 | £3,118 | £42,678 | £3,557 |
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 Manchester
Manchester's largest employers include the universities and NHS trusts, alongside a big financial and professional services sector, a growing technology and digital scene, and media businesses at nearby MediaCityUK in Salford. Many national firms run large regional offices in the city centre.
Negotiating pay in Manchester
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.
Compare against London, not just the North West. Manchester tech and professional roles are increasingly hired by companies that also recruit in London. If the role's scope matches a London job, use London adverts as part of your evidence, and ask how the employer arrived at the regional figure.
The cost-of-living argument is weak. Avoid arguing that Manchester is cheaper to live in, because that argues for lower pay. Argue from the role's market rate and scope instead. Our UK negotiation guide shows how to build that case.
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 Manchester.
Negotiating a job or pay rise in Manchester?
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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.