Average salary in Brentwood
The median full-time salary for jobs in Brentwood is £38,821 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,623 a month.
Where Brentwood ranks
Brentwood ranks 115th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 15th of 45 in East of England. Its average rent ranks joint 47th of 316, close to where its pay ranks. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£815 a month) ranks joint 272nd of 316, in the bottom quarter.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in East of England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £38,821 | 115th of 348 | 15th of 45 |
| Median pay, residents | £47,494 | 26th of 348 | 6th of 45 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,623 | 115th of 348 | 15th of 45 |
| Average rent a month | £1,620 | joint 47th of 316 | 8th of 45 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,258.14 | 277th of 348 | 44th of 45 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £815 | joint 272nd of 316 | 39th of 45 |
1st is the highest. Ranks compare the 348 council areas on this site. How to read these figures.
Areas with the nearest medians to Brentwood: Eastleigh (£38,983), Test Valley (£38,976), Monmouthshire (£38,844), Portsmouth (£38,815), Hinckley and Bosworth (£38,796) and Cherwell (£38,768). UK occupations with a median close to the Brentwood median of £38,821: security system installers and repairers (£39,002), inspectors of standards and regulations (£38,963), road construction operatives (£38,833) and office managers (£38,630).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Brentwood
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Brentwood fell 11.8%, while the UK median for all full-time jobs rose 4.3%. Only 33 of 345 council areas had a change this large in either direction. ONS figures for one area come from a sample, so they can move a lot from one year to the next. For East of England as a whole it was a rise of 4.4%.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 25th percentile | £28,025 | £2,335 | £23,698 | £1,975 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £38,821 | £3,235 | £31,471 | £2,623 |
| 75th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 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 Brentwood as acceptable, so use it with caution: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 14%.
People who work in Brentwood and people who live there
The median for people who live in Brentwood is £47,494, which is £8,673 (22.3%) higher than the £38,821 median for jobs based there. The residents' figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 26th of 348 and the jobs median 115th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a fall of 5.1%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Brentwood, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Brentwood, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Brentwood as acceptable, so use it with caution: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 11%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Brentwood (£38,821), the average rent of £1,620 takes 61.8% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£28,025) it takes 82.0%. 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 £93,522 a year. No more than half of full-time jobs based in Brentwood 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 | £1,620 | 61.8% | £815 |
| 1 bedroom | £1,107 | 42.2% | £1,328 |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,399 | 53.3% | £1,036 |
Band D is £188 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.
Brentwood and other areas in East of England
Among these 7 areas, Brentwood has the 3rd highest median and the 6th highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £33,621 in Breckland to £45,762 in Cambridge.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge | £45,762 | £1,805 | £1,028 |
| Broxbourne | £39,583 | £1,685 | £791 |
| Brentwood | £38,821 | £1,620 | £815 |
| Bedford | £37,994 | £1,173 | £1,194 |
| Broadland | £37,937 | £938 | £1,429 |
| Braintree | £37,704 | £1,213 | £1,153 |
| Breckland | £33,621 | £928 | £1,179 |
The areas either side of Brentwood in the alphabetical list for East of England, highest median first. Each figure is at that area's own median. See all 45 in the East of England table.
How Brentwood compares with East of England and the UK
The median for jobs in Brentwood is £224 (0.6%) higher than the East of England median, £477 (1.2%) lower than the England median and £218 (0.6%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brentwood | £38,821 | £47,494 | £2,623 | £1,620 |
| East of England | £38,597 | £40,863 | £2,609 | £1,289 |
| 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 East of England 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 Brentwood (2025) show how pay is spread: a quarter pay less than £28,025 and half pay less than £38,821. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,623 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Brentwood ranks 115th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 15th of 45 in East of England. Its median of £38,821 is £218 (0.6%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Brentwood was £1,620 in August 2026: £1,107 for one bedroom and £1,399 for two bedrooms. That is 61.8% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Brentwood is £2,258.14 for 2026/27, about £188 a month, which ranks 277th of 348 council areas and 44th of 45 in East of England. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.