Average salary in Bath and North East Somerset
The median full-time salary for jobs in Bath and North East Somerset is £38,040 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,576 a month.
Where Bath and North East Somerset ranks
Bath and North East Somerset ranks 138th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 8th of 26 in South West. Its average rent ranks 23rd of 316, a higher place in the list than its pay. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£492 a month) ranks 301st of 316, in the bottom quarter.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in South West |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £38,040 | 138th of 348 | 8th of 26 |
| Median pay, residents | £40,448 | 130th of 348 | 5th of 26 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,576 | 138th of 348 | 8th of 26 |
| Average rent a month | £1,885 | 23rd of 316 | 1st of 26 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,383.42 | 196th of 348 | 23rd of 26 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £492 | 301st of 316 | 26th of 26 |
1st is the highest. Ranks compare the 348 council areas on this site. How to read these figures.
Areas with the nearest medians to Bath and North East Somerset: Chelmsford (£38,181), Greenwich (£38,128), Preston (£38,066), Spelthorne (£38,007), Bedford (£37,994) and Horsham (£37,981). UK occupations with a median close to the Bath and North East Somerset median of £38,040: librarians (£38,068), publicans and managers of licensed premises (£38,043), database administrators and web content technicians (£37,995) and groundworkers (£37,925).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Bath and North East Somerset
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Bath and North East Somerset rose 4.6%, more than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs. For South West as a whole it was a rise of 4.6%.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £23,806 | £1,984 | £20,660 | £1,722 |
| 25th percentile | £28,800 | £2,400 | £24,256 | £2,021 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £38,040 | £3,170 | £30,908 | £2,576 |
| 75th percentile | £51,611 | £4,301 | £40,492 | £3,374 |
| 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 Bath and North East Somerset as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 5.5%.
People who work in Bath and North East Somerset and people who live there
The median for people who live in Bath and North East Somerset is £40,448, which is £2,408 (6.3%) higher than the £38,040 median for jobs based there. The residents' figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 130th of 348 and the jobs median 138th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 0.5%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Bath and North East Somerset, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Bath and North East Somerset, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Bath and North East Somerset as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 7.2%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Bath and North East Somerset (£38,040), the average rent of £1,885 takes 73.2% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£28,800) it takes 93.3%. 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 £118,007 a year. No more than a quarter of full-time jobs based in Bath and North East Somerset 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 | £1,885 | 73.2% | £492 |
| 1 bedroom | £1,207 | 46.9% | £1,170 |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,523 | 59.1% | £854 |
Band D is £199 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.
Bath and North East Somerset and other areas in South West
Among these 7 areas, Bath and North East Somerset has the 4th highest median and the lowest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £33,806 in Torridge to £42,160 in Bristol.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol | £42,160 | £1,883 | £714 |
| Cheltenham | £41,147 | £1,261 | £1,304 |
| West Devon | £38,696 | £846 | £1,544 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | £38,040 | £1,885 | £492 |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | £37,241 | £1,398 | £927 |
| Wiltshire | £36,370 | £1,082 | £1,180 |
| Torridge | £33,806 | £789 | £1,316 |
The areas either side of Bath and North East Somerset in the alphabetical list for South West, highest median first. Each figure is at that area's own median. See all 26 in the South West table.
How Bath and North East Somerset compares with South West and the UK
The median for jobs in Bath and North East Somerset is £845 (2.3%) higher than the South West median, £1,258 (3.2%) lower than the England median and £999 (2.6%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bath and North East Somerset | £38,040 | £40,448 | £2,576 | £1,885 |
| South West | £37,195 | £37,543 | £2,525 | £1,245 |
| 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 South West 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 Bath and North East Somerset (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £23,806, a quarter pay less than £28,800, half pay less than £38,040 and a quarter pay more than £51,611. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,576 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Bath and North East Somerset ranks 138th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 8th of 26 in South West. Its median of £38,040 is £999 (2.6%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Bath and North East Somerset was £1,885 in August 2026: £1,207 for one bedroom and £1,523 for two bedrooms. That is 73.2% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Bath and North East Somerset is £2,383.42 for 2026/27, about £199 a month, which ranks 196th of 348 council areas and 23rd of 26 in South West. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.