Average salary in Dumfries and Galloway
The median full-time salary for jobs in Dumfries and Galloway is £34,239 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,347 a month.
Where Dumfries and Galloway ranks
Dumfries and Galloway ranks 266th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the bottom quarter, and 30th of 32 in Scotland. Its Band D council tax ranks 340th of 348 across all areas and 27th of 32 in Scotland. There is no rent rank because ONS does not publish rents for Scottish council areas.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in Scotland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £34,239 | 266th of 348 | 30th of 32 |
| Median pay, residents | £34,895 | 290th of 348 | 28th of 32 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,347 | 267th of 348 | 30th of 32 |
| Band D council tax a year | £1,578.65 | 340th of 348 | 27th of 32 |
1st is the highest. Ranks compare the 348 council areas on this site. How to read these figures.
Areas with the nearest medians to Dumfries and Galloway: North Kesteven (£34,457), Teignbridge (£34,315), Nuneaton and Bedworth (£34,283), Shropshire (£34,232), East Staffordshire (£34,210) and North Lincolnshire (£34,129). UK occupations with a median close to the Dumfries and Galloway median of £34,239: teaching professionals n.e.c. (£34,396), routine inspectors and testers (£34,360), archivists and curators (£34,237) and computer system and equipment installers and servicers (£34,237).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Dumfries and Galloway
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Dumfries and Galloway fell 0.2%, while the UK median for all full-time jobs rose 4.3%. That is a change of less than 1%. For Scotland as a whole it was a rise of 3.7%.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £23,261 | £1,938 | £20,307 | £1,692 |
| 25th percentile | £27,211 | £2,268 | £23,151 | £1,929 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £34,239 | £2,853 | £28,164 | £2,347 |
| 75th percentile | £46,406 | £3,867 | £36,227 | £3,019 |
| 90th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Take-home at Scottish rates. Not published means ONS did not publish that figure because the estimate is not reliable enough. ONS rates the median for jobs in Dumfries and Galloway as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 8.1%.
People who work in Dumfries and Galloway and people who live there
The median for people who live in Dumfries and Galloway is £34,895, which is £656 (1.9%) higher than the £34,239 median for jobs based there. The two figures are close. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 290th of 348 and the jobs median 266th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a fall of 0.2%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Dumfries and Galloway, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Dumfries and Galloway, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Dumfries and Galloway as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 7.5%.
Take-home pay and council tax
On the median salary for jobs in Dumfries and Galloway, take-home pay is about £2,347 a month at Scottish income tax rates. Band D council tax in Dumfries and Galloway for 2026/27 is £1,578.65 a year, about £132 a month, leaving about £2,215 a month before rent or a mortgage and other bills.
This is the Band D charge set by the council. It does not include Scottish Water's water and sewerage charges, which are billed with council tax. We do not show rents for Dumfries and Galloway: ONS publishes Scottish rents for Broad Rental Market Areas, which do not match council areas, so there is no council area rent to compare with pay.
Dumfries and Galloway and other areas in Scotland
Among these 7 areas, Dumfries and Galloway has the lowest median and the lowest amount left after Band D council tax. Medians run from £34,239 in Dumfries and Galloway to £44,229 in East Dunbartonshire.
| Area | Median salary | Take-home a month | Left after Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Dunbartonshire | £44,229 | £2,928 | £2,782 |
| City of Edinburgh | £43,715 | £2,907 | £2,771 |
| Argyll and Bute | £40,067 | £2,692 | £2,543 |
| East Ayrshire | £37,250 | £2,525 | £2,382 |
| Dundee City | £36,219 | £2,464 | £2,320 |
| Clackmannanshire | £36,036 | £2,453 | £2,313 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | £34,239 | £2,347 | £2,215 |
The areas either side of Dumfries and Galloway in the alphabetical list for Scotland, highest median first. Each figure is at that area's own median. See all 32 in the Scotland table.
How Dumfries and Galloway compares with Scotland and the UK
The median for jobs in Dumfries and Galloway is £5,480 (13.8%) lower than the Scotland median and £4,800 (12.3%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
| Area | Median, jobs there | Median, residents | Take-home a month (Scottish rates) | Average rent, August 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dumfries and Galloway | £34,239 | £34,895 | £2,347 | Not available |
| Scotland | £39,719 | £39,905 | £2,671 | £1,013 |
| United Kingdom | £39,039 | £39,039 | £2,631 | £1,400 |
Related pages
Every area in the Scotland 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 Scottish 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)
- Council tax datasets: Council Tax by band 2026/27 (Scottish Government)
- Scottish Income Tax (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 Dumfries and Galloway (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £23,261, a quarter pay less than £27,211, half pay less than £34,239 and a quarter pay more than £46,406. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,347 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Dumfries and Galloway ranks 266th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the bottom quarter, and 30th of 32 in Scotland. Its median of £34,239 is £4,800 (12.3%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The median full-time salary for jobs in Dumfries and Galloway is £34,239. At Scottish income tax rates for 2026/27, with National Insurance, tax code 1257L and no pension or student loan, take-home pay is about £28,164 a year or £2,347 a month.
Band D council tax in Dumfries and Galloway is £1,578.65 for 2026/27, about £132 a month, which ranks 340th of 348 council areas and 27th of 32 in Scotland. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.