Average salary in Harlow
The median full-time salary for jobs in Harlow is £37,948 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,570 a month.
Where Harlow ranks
Harlow ranks 144th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 20th of 45 in East of England. Its average rent ranks 62nd of 316, close to where its pay ranks. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£857 a month) ranks 268th of 316, in the bottom quarter.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in East of England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £37,948 | 144th of 348 | 20th of 45 |
| Median pay, residents | £38,380 | 179th of 348 | 32nd of 45 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,570 | 143rd of 348 | 20th of 45 |
| Average rent a month | £1,521 | 62nd of 316 | 11th of 45 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,298.69 | 255th of 348 | 37th of 45 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £857 | 268th of 316 | 38th 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 Harlow: Horsham (£37,981), Perth and Kinross (£37,972), Dover (£37,968), Broadland (£37,937), Inverclyde (£37,929) and Fife (£37,885). UK occupations with a median close to the Harlow median of £37,948: database administrators and web content technicians (£37,995), groundworkers (£37,925), business sales executives (£37,924) and plumbers & heating and ventilating installers and repairers (£37,881).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Harlow
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Harlow rose 6.4%, more than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs. 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 | £22,991 | £1,916 | £20,073 | £1,673 |
| 25th percentile | £29,635 | £2,470 | £24,857 | £2,071 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £37,948 | £3,162 | £30,842 | £2,570 |
| 75th percentile | £53,197 | £4,433 | £41,412 | £3,451 |
| 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 Harlow as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 8%.
People who work in Harlow and people who live there
The median for people who live in Harlow is £38,380, which is £432 (1.1%) higher than the £37,948 median for jobs based there. The two figures are close. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 179th of 348 and the jobs median 144th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 9.1%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Harlow, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Harlow, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Harlow as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 8.7%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Harlow (£37,948), the average rent of £1,521 takes 59.2% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£29,635) it takes 73.4%. 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 £86,695 a year. No more than a quarter of full-time jobs based in Harlow 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 | £1,521 | 59.2% | £857 |
| 1 bedroom | £1,022 | 39.8% | £1,356 |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,327 | 51.6% | £1,051 |
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.
Harlow and other areas in East of England
Among these 7 areas, Harlow has the 3rd highest median and the 6th highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £31,401 in Fenland to £45,103 in Hertsmere.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hertsmere | £45,103 | £1,829 | £970 |
| Epping Forest | £41,452 | £1,844 | £746 |
| Harlow | £37,948 | £1,521 | £857 |
| Huntingdonshire | £37,098 | £1,057 | £1,249 |
| Ipswich | £36,160 | £995 | £1,262 |
| Great Yarmouth | £33,355 | £841 | £1,253 |
| Fenland | £31,401 | £842 | £1,124 |
The areas either side of Harlow 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 Harlow compares with East of England and the UK
The median for jobs in Harlow is £649 (1.7%) lower than the East of England median, £1,350 (3.4%) lower than the England median and £1,091 (2.8%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harlow | £37,948 | £38,380 | £2,570 | £1,521 |
| 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 Harlow (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £22,991, a quarter pay less than £29,635, half pay less than £37,948 and a quarter pay more than £53,197. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,570 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Harlow ranks 144th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 20th of 45 in East of England. Its median of £37,948 is £1,091 (2.8%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Harlow was £1,521 in August 2026: £1,022 for one bedroom and £1,327 for two bedrooms. That is 59.2% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Harlow is £2,298.69 for 2026/27, about £192 a month, which ranks 255th of 348 council areas and 37th of 45 in East of England. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.