Average salary in Chesterfield
The median full-time salary for jobs in Chesterfield is £37,319 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,532 a month.
Where Chesterfield ranks
Chesterfield ranks 161st of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 8th of 35 in East Midlands. Its average rent ranks 271st of 316, a lower place in the list than its pay. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£1,579 a month) ranks 14th of 316, in the top quarter.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in East Midlands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £37,319 | 161st of 348 | 8th of 35 |
| Median pay, residents | £35,920 | 257th of 348 | 22nd of 35 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,532 | 161st of 348 | 8th of 35 |
| Average rent a month | £758 | 271st of 316 | 31st of 35 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,339.49 | 228th of 348 | 28th of 35 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £1,579 | 14th of 316 | 3rd 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 Chesterfield: Neath Port Talbot (£37,417), Halton (£37,336), South Norfolk (£37,336), Tunbridge Wells (£37,303), East Ayrshire (£37,250) and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (£37,241). UK occupations with a median close to the Chesterfield median of £37,319: managers in storage and warehousing (£37,470), vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians (£37,458), buyers and procurement officers (£37,306) and building and civil engineering technicians (£37,229).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Chesterfield
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Chesterfield rose 7.3%, more than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs. For East Midlands as a whole it was a rise of 5.0%.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £24,212 | £2,018 | £20,952 | £1,746 |
| 25th percentile | £28,036 | £2,336 | £23,706 | £1,975 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £37,319 | £3,110 | £30,389 | £2,532 |
| 75th percentile | £50,056 | £4,171 | £39,560 | £3,297 |
| 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 Chesterfield as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 8.8%.
People who work in Chesterfield and people who live there
The median for people who live in Chesterfield is £35,920, which is £1,399 (3.7%) lower than the £37,319 median for jobs based there. The jobs figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 257th of 348 and the jobs median 161st of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 11.0%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Chesterfield, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Chesterfield, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Chesterfield 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 Chesterfield (£37,319), the average rent of £758 takes 29.9% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£28,036) it takes 38.4%. 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 £37,223 a year. More than half of full-time jobs based in Chesterfield 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 | £758 | 29.9% | £1,579 |
| 1 bedroom | £541 | 21.4% | £1,796 |
| 2 bedrooms | £696 | 27.5% | £1,641 |
Band D is £195 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.
Chesterfield and other areas in East Midlands
Among these 7 areas, Chesterfield has the 2nd highest median and the 2nd highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £30,129 in Boston to £41,924 in Derby.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derby | £41,924 | £860 | £1,757 |
| Chesterfield | £37,319 | £758 | £1,579 |
| Charnwood | £36,696 | £960 | £1,335 |
| Derbyshire Dales | £35,253 | £819 | £1,385 |
| Broxtowe | £32,308 | £942 | £1,072 |
| East Lindsey | £31,350 | £704 | £1,280 |
| Boston | £30,129 | £806 | £1,103 |
The areas either side of Chesterfield in the alphabetical list for East Midlands, highest median first. Each figure is at that area's own median. See all 35 in the East Midlands table.
How Chesterfield compares with East Midlands and the UK
The median for jobs in Chesterfield is £1,719 (4.8%) higher than the East Midlands median, £1,979 (5.0%) lower than the England median and £1,720 (4.4%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chesterfield | £37,319 | £35,920 | £2,532 | £758 |
| East Midlands | £35,600 | £36,194 | £2,429 | £922 |
| 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 Midlands 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 Chesterfield (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £24,212, a quarter pay less than £28,036, half pay less than £37,319 and a quarter pay more than £50,056. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,532 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Chesterfield ranks 161st of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 8th of 35 in East Midlands. Its median of £37,319 is £1,720 (4.4%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Chesterfield was £758 in August 2026: £541 for one bedroom and £696 for two bedrooms. That is 29.9% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Chesterfield is £2,339.49 for 2026/27, about £195 a month, which ranks 228th of 348 council areas and 28th of 35 in East Midlands. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.