Average salary in Derby
The median full-time salary for jobs in Derby is £41,924 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,809 a month.
Where Derby ranks
Derby ranks 54th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the top quarter, and 1st of 35 in East Midlands. Its average rent ranks 223rd of 316, a lower place in the list than its pay. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£1,757 a month) ranks 5th of 316, in the top quarter.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in East Midlands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £41,924 | 54th of 348 | 1st of 35 |
| Median pay, residents | £36,428 | 242nd of 348 | 19th of 35 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,809 | 54th of 348 | 1st of 35 |
| Average rent a month | £860 | 223rd of 316 | 18th of 35 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,306 | 250th of 348 | 32nd of 35 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £1,757 | 5th of 316 | 1st 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 Derby: Slough (£42,027), Crawley (£41,977), St Albans (£41,967), Tewkesbury (£41,639), Milton Keynes (£41,516) and Basingstoke and Deane (£41,470). UK occupations with a median close to the Derby median of £41,924: other health professionals n.e.c. (£42,079), children's nurses (£41,963), environmental health professionals (£41,725) and electrical service and maintenance mechanics and repairers (£41,662).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Derby
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Derby rose 5.5%, 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 | £24,858 | £2,072 | £21,417 | £1,785 |
| 25th percentile | £30,079 | £2,507 | £25,176 | £2,098 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £41,924 | £3,494 | £33,705 | £2,809 |
| 75th percentile | £57,162 | £4,764 | £43,711 | £3,643 |
| 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 Derby as precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 4.2%.
People who work in Derby and people who live there
The median for people who live in Derby is £36,428, which is £5,496 (13.1%) lower than the £41,924 median for jobs based there. The jobs figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 242nd of 348 and the jobs median 54th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 4.1%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Derby, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Derby, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Derby as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 5.8%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Derby (£41,924), the average rent of £860 takes 30.6% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£30,079) it takes 41.0%. 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 £42,890 a year. No more than half of full-time jobs based in Derby 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 | £860 | 30.6% | £1,757 |
| 1 bedroom | £608 | 21.6% | £2,009 |
| 2 bedrooms | £778 | 27.7% | £1,839 |
Band D is £192 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.
Derby and other areas in East Midlands
Among these 7 areas, Derby has the highest median and the highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £31,350 in East Lindsey 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 |
| Erewash | £35,073 | £834 | £1,367 |
| Broxtowe | £32,308 | £942 | £1,072 |
| East Lindsey | £31,350 | £704 | £1,280 |
The areas either side of Derby 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 Derby compares with East Midlands and the UK
The median for jobs in Derby is £6,324 (17.8%) higher than the East Midlands median, £2,626 (6.7%) higher than the England median and £2,885 (7.4%) higher 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derby | £41,924 | £36,428 | £2,809 | £860 |
| 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 Derby (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £24,858, a quarter pay less than £30,079, half pay less than £41,924 and a quarter pay more than £57,162. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,809 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Derby ranks 54th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the top quarter, and 1st of 35 in East Midlands. Its median of £41,924 is £2,885 (7.4%) higher than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Derby was £860 in August 2026: £608 for one bedroom and £778 for two bedrooms. That is 30.6% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Derby is £2,306 for 2026/27, about £192 a month, which ranks 250th of 348 council areas and 32nd of 35 in East Midlands. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.