Average salary in Dorset
The median full-time salary for jobs in Dorset is £35,311 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,412 a month.
Where Dorset ranks
Dorset ranks 230th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the lower half, and 16th of 26 in South West. Its average rent ranks 151st of 316, close to where its pay ranks. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£1,126 a month) ranks 198th of 316, in the lower half.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in South West |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £35,311 | 230th of 348 | 16th of 26 |
| Median pay, residents | £37,462 | 209th of 348 | 16th of 26 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,412 | 230th of 348 | 16th of 26 |
| Average rent a month | £1,056 | 151st of 316 | 13th of 26 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,765.02 | 1st of 348 | 1st of 26 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £1,126 | 198th of 316 | 16th 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 Dorset: Wealden (£35,347), Gosport (£35,341), Northumberland (£35,323), Dudley (£35,281), Redcar and Cleveland (£35,278) and Derbyshire Dales (£35,253). UK occupations with a median close to the Dorset median of £35,311: welding trades (£35,344), farmers (£35,295), IT operations technicians (£35,259) and CAD, drawing and architectural technicians (£35,221).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Dorset
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Dorset 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 | £23,228 | £1,936 | £20,244 | £1,687 |
| 25th percentile | £26,922 | £2,244 | £22,903 | £1,909 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £35,311 | £2,943 | £28,944 | £2,412 |
| 75th percentile | £46,408 | £3,867 | £36,933 | £3,078 |
| 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 Dorset as precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 4.7%.
People who work in Dorset and people who live there
The median for people who live in Dorset is £37,462, which is £2,151 (6.1%) higher than the £35,311 median for jobs based there. The residents' figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 209th of 348 and the jobs median 230th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 7.7%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Dorset, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Dorset, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Dorset as precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 3.6%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Dorset (£35,311), the average rent of £1,056 takes 43.8% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£26,922) it takes 55.3%. 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 £54,626 a year. No more than a quarter of full-time jobs based in Dorset 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 | £1,056 | 43.8% | £1,126 |
| 1 bedroom | £732 | 30.3% | £1,450 |
| 2 bedrooms | £967 | 40.1% | £1,215 |
Band D is £230 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.
Dorset and other areas in South West
Among these 7 areas, Dorset has the 4th highest median and the 4th highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £33,474 in Forest of Dean to £41,147 in Cheltenham.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheltenham | £41,147 | £1,261 | £1,304 |
| East Devon | £40,224 | £968 | £1,523 |
| Exeter | £35,968 | £1,318 | £925 |
| Dorset | £35,311 | £1,056 | £1,126 |
| Cornwall | £33,889 | £1,000 | £1,111 |
| Cotswold | £33,872 | £1,252 | £875 |
| Forest of Dean | £33,474 | £828 | £1,270 |
The areas either side of Dorset 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 Dorset compares with South West and the UK
The median for jobs in Dorset is £1,884 (5.1%) lower than the South West median, £3,987 (10.1%) lower than the England median and £3,728 (9.5%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorset | £35,311 | £37,462 | £2,412 | £1,056 |
| 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 Dorset (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £23,228, a quarter pay less than £26,922, half pay less than £35,311 and a quarter pay more than £46,408. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,412 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Dorset ranks 230th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the lower half, and 16th of 26 in South West. Its median of £35,311 is £3,728 (9.5%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Dorset was £1,056 in August 2026: £732 for one bedroom and £967 for two bedrooms. That is 43.8% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Dorset is £2,765.02 for 2026/27, about £230 a month, which ranks 1st of 348 council areas and 1st of 26 in South West. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.