Average salary in Blackburn with Darwen
The median full-time salary for jobs in Blackburn with Darwen is £36,223 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,467 a month.
Where Blackburn with Darwen ranks
Blackburn with Darwen ranks 200th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the lower half, and 15th of 35 in North West. Its average rent ranks joint 291st of 316, a lower place in the list than its pay. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£1,548 a month) ranks 21st of 316, in the top quarter.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in North West |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £36,223 | 200th of 348 | 15th of 35 |
| Median pay, residents | £33,076 | 329th of 348 | 33rd of 35 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,467 | 200th of 348 | 15th of 35 |
| Average rent a month | £714 | joint 291st of 316 | 31st of 35 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,455.27 | 140th of 348 | 23rd of 35 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £1,548 | 21st of 316 | 9th of 35 |
1st is the highest. Ranks compare the 348 council areas on this site. How to read these figures.
Areas with the nearest medians to Blackburn with Darwen: Wiltshire (£36,370), Stroud (£36,363), Swansea (£36,261), Dundee City (£36,219), Cannock Chase (£36,211) and Maidstone (£36,199). UK occupations with a median close to the Blackburn with Darwen median of £36,223: other vocational and industrial trainers (£36,357), bus and coach drivers (£36,340), shopkeepers and owners, retail and wholesale (£36,304) and science, engineering and production technicians n.e.c. (£36,102).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Blackburn with Darwen
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Blackburn with Darwen rose 2.0%, less than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs. For North West as a whole it was a rise of 6.2%.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £23,124 | £1,927 | £20,169 | £1,681 |
| 25th percentile | £26,819 | £2,235 | £22,829 | £1,902 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £36,223 | £3,019 | £29,600 | £2,467 |
| 75th percentile | £48,414 | £4,035 | £38,378 | £3,198 |
| 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 Blackburn with Darwen as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 7.1%.
People who work in Blackburn with Darwen and people who live there
The median for people who live in Blackburn with Darwen is £33,076, which is £3,147 (8.7%) lower than the £36,223 median for jobs based there. The jobs figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 329th of 348 and the jobs median 200th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 13.0%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Blackburn with Darwen, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Blackburn with Darwen, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Blackburn with Darwen as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 6.4%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Blackburn with Darwen (£36,223), the average rent of £714 takes 28.9% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£26,819) it takes 37.5%. 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 £34,779 a year. More than half of full-time jobs based in Blackburn with Darwen 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 | £714 | 28.9% | £1,548 |
| 1 bedroom | £535 | 21.7% | £1,727 |
| 2 bedrooms | £662 | 26.8% | £1,600 |
Band D is £205 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.
Blackburn with Darwen and other areas in North West
Among these 7 areas, Blackburn with Darwen has the highest median and the highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £31,087 in Burnley to £36,223 in Blackburn with Darwen.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackburn with Darwen | £36,223 | £714 | £1,548 |
| Wirral | £35,483 | £859 | £1,355 |
| Wigan | £33,669 | £746 | £1,388 |
| Bolton | £33,008 | £894 | £1,180 |
| Blackpool | £32,553 | £719 | £1,318 |
| Wyre | £31,130 | £743 | £1,213 |
| Burnley | £31,087 | £631 | £1,316 |
The areas either side of Blackburn with Darwen in the alphabetical list for North West, highest median first. Each figure is at that area's own median. See all 35 in the North West table.
How Blackburn with Darwen compares with North West and the UK
The median for jobs in Blackburn with Darwen is £1,138 (3.0%) lower than the North West median, £3,075 (7.8%) lower than the England median and £2,816 (7.2%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackburn with Darwen | £36,223 | £33,076 | £2,467 | £714 |
| North West | £37,361 | £37,445 | £2,535 | £969 |
| 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 North 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 Blackburn with Darwen (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £23,124, a quarter pay less than £26,819, half pay less than £36,223 and a quarter pay more than £48,414. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,467 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Blackburn with Darwen ranks 200th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the lower half, and 15th of 35 in North West. Its median of £36,223 is £2,816 (7.2%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Blackburn with Darwen was £714 in August 2026: £535 for one bedroom and £662 for two bedrooms. That is 28.9% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Blackburn with Darwen is £2,455.27 for 2026/27, about £205 a month, which ranks 140th of 348 council areas and 23rd of 35 in North West. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.