Average salary in Barnsley
The median full-time salary for jobs in Barnsley is £35,629 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,431 a month.
Where Barnsley ranks
Barnsley ranks 219th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the lower half, and 5th of 15 in Yorkshire and The Humber. Its average rent ranks 297th of 316, a lower place in the list than its pay. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£1,541 a month) ranks 24th of 316, in the top quarter.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in Yorkshire and The Humber |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £35,629 | 219th of 348 | 5th of 15 |
| Median pay, residents | £36,652 | 236th of 348 | 6th of 15 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,431 | 219th of 348 | 5th of 15 |
| Average rent a month | £696 | 297th of 316 | 10th of 15 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,325.96 | 238th of 348 | 10th of 15 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £1,541 | 24th of 316 | 1st of 15 |
1st is the highest. Ranks compare the 348 council areas on this site. How to read these figures.
Areas with the nearest medians to Barnsley: West Lindsey (£35,748), North Northamptonshire (£35,745), Wolverhampton (£35,740), Lincoln (£35,509), Wirral (£35,483) and Redbridge (£35,464). UK occupations with a median close to the Barnsley median of £35,629: police community support officers (£35,748), customer service supervisors (£35,723), metal machining setters and setter-operators (£35,718) and other drivers and transport operatives n.e.c. (£35,670).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Barnsley
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Barnsley rose 3.3%, less than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs. For Yorkshire and The Humber as a whole it was a rise of 3.7%.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £23,518 | £1,960 | £20,453 | £1,704 |
| 25th percentile | £27,356 | £2,280 | £23,216 | £1,935 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £35,629 | £2,969 | £29,172 | £2,431 |
| 75th percentile | £44,982 | £3,749 | £35,907 | £2,992 |
| 90th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Take-home at England and Wales rates. Not published means ONS did not publish that figure because the estimate is not reliable enough. ONS rates the median for jobs in Barnsley as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 5.3%.
People who work in Barnsley and people who live there
The median for people who live in Barnsley is £36,652, which is £1,023 (2.9%) higher than the £35,629 median for jobs based there. The residents' figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 236th of 348 and the jobs median 219th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 5.7%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Barnsley, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Barnsley, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Barnsley as precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 4.5%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Barnsley (£35,629), the average rent of £696 takes 28.6% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£27,356) it takes 36.0%. For the average rent to be 30% of take-home pay, the rule of thumb in our rent affordability calculator, you would need a salary of at least £33,779 a year. More than half of full-time jobs based in Barnsley pay more than that.
| Property | Average rent a month | Rent as a share of take-home | Left after rent and Band D council tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| All properties | £696 | 28.6% | £1,541 |
| 1 bedroom | £507 | 20.9% | £1,730 |
| 2 bedrooms | £630 | 25.9% | £1,607 |
Band D is £194 a month. This is the average Band D for the council area, including parish precepts, so the exact bill depends on your parish. Rents are ONS figures for August 2026 and may be revised.
Barnsley and other areas in Yorkshire and The Humber
Among these 7 areas, Barnsley has the 4th highest median and the highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £33,802 in Doncaster to £39,337 in York.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| York | £39,337 | £1,199 | £1,264 |
| Sheffield | £37,074 | £931 | £1,378 |
| Wakefield | £35,838 | £806 | £1,447 |
| Barnsley | £35,629 | £696 | £1,541 |
| Bradford | £35,213 | £745 | £1,464 |
| Calderdale | £34,966 | £756 | £1,433 |
| Doncaster | £33,802 | £694 | £1,446 |
The areas either side of Barnsley in the alphabetical list for Yorkshire and The Humber, highest median first. Each figure is at that area's own median. See all 15 in the Yorkshire and The Humber table.
How Barnsley compares with Yorkshire and The Humber and the UK
The median for jobs in Barnsley is £53 (0.1%) lower than the Yorkshire and The Humber median, £3,669 (9.3%) lower than the England median and £3,410 (8.7%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
| Area | Median, jobs there | Median, residents | Take-home a month (England and Wales rates) | Average rent, August 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnsley | £35,629 | £36,652 | £2,431 | £696 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £35,682 | £35,990 | £2,434 | £865 |
| England | £39,298 | £39,243 | £2,651 | £1,459 |
| United Kingdom | £39,039 | £39,039 | £2,636 | £1,400 |
Related pages
Every area in the Yorkshire and The Humber table, salary by job, the take home pay calculator, rent affordability calculator and cost of living calculator.
How this is worked out
Pay: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), 2025 provisional. Take-home: 2026/27 England and Wales rates, tax code 1257L, no pension or student loan. How to read these figures.
Sources
- ASHE Table 7: earnings by place of work, local authority, 2025 provisional (ONS)
- ASHE Table 8: earnings by place of residence, local authority, 2025 provisional (ONS)
- Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics, released 16 September 2026 (ONS)
- Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027 (MHCLG, GOV.UK)
- Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances (GOV.UK)
- National Insurance: how much you pay (GOV.UK)
Figures checked on 12 October 2026. ONS plans to publish its next ASHE figures on 22 October 2026. Read how we calculate or tell us about a mistake.
Frequently asked questions
There is no official definition of a good salary. ONS figures for full-time jobs in Barnsley (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £23,518, a quarter pay less than £27,356, half pay less than £35,629 and a quarter pay more than £44,982. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,431 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Barnsley ranks 219th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the lower half, and 5th of 15 in Yorkshire and The Humber. Its median of £35,629 is £3,410 (8.7%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Barnsley was £696 in August 2026: £507 for one bedroom and £630 for two bedrooms. That is 28.6% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Barnsley is £2,325.96 for 2026/27, about £194 a month, which ranks 238th of 348 council areas and 10th of 15 in Yorkshire and The Humber. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.