Average salary in Leeds
The median full-time salary for jobs in Leeds is £37,821 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,563 a month.
Where Leeds ranks
Leeds ranks 149th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 2nd of 15 in Yorkshire and The Humber. Its average rent ranks 137th of 316, close to where its pay ranks. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£1,228 a month) ranks 153rd of 316, in the upper half.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in Yorkshire and The Humber |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £37,821 | 149th of 348 | 2nd of 15 |
| Median pay, residents | £36,716 | 234th of 348 | 5th of 15 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,563 | 148th of 348 | 2nd of 15 |
| Average rent a month | £1,145 | 137th of 316 | 2nd of 15 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,283.73 | 264th of 348 | 14th of 15 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £1,228 | 153rd of 316 | 15th of 15 |
1st is the highest. Ranks compare the 348 council areas on this site. How to read these figures.
Areas with the nearest medians to Leeds: Inverclyde (£37,929), Fife (£37,885), West Dunbartonshire (£37,824), Dacorum (£37,773), Braintree (£37,704) and Central Bedfordshire (£37,704). UK occupations with a median close to the Leeds median of £37,821: groundworkers (£37,925), business sales executives (£37,924), plumbers & heating and ventilating installers and repairers (£37,881) and mobile machine drivers and operatives n.e.c. (£37,864).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Leeds
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Leeds rose 2.9%, less than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs. For Yorkshire and The Humber 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 | £24,095 | £2,008 | £20,868 | £1,739 |
| 25th percentile | £28,591 | £2,383 | £24,105 | £2,009 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £37,821 | £3,152 | £30,751 | £2,563 |
| 75th percentile | £51,686 | £4,307 | £40,535 | £3,378 |
| 90th percentile | £72,293 | £6,024 | £52,487 | £4,374 |
Take-home at England and Wales rates. ONS rates the median for jobs in Leeds as precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 2%.
People who work in Leeds and people who live there
The median for people who live in Leeds is £36,716, which is £1,105 (2.9%) lower than the £37,821 median for jobs based there. The jobs figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 234th of 348 and the jobs median 149th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 0.6%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Leeds, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Leeds, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Leeds as precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 2.6%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Leeds (£37,821), the average rent of £1,145 takes 44.7% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£28,591) it takes 57.0%. 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 £60,764 a year. No more than a quarter of full-time jobs based in Leeds 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 | £1,145 | 44.7% | £1,228 |
| 1 bedroom | £782 | 30.5% | £1,591 |
| 2 bedrooms | £975 | 38.0% | £1,398 |
Band D is £190 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.
Leeds and other areas in Yorkshire and The Humber
Among these 7 areas, Leeds has the highest median and the lowest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £33,563 in North East Lincolnshire to £37,821 in Leeds.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leeds | £37,821 | £1,145 | £1,228 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | £35,020 | £724 | £1,465 |
| North Yorkshire | £34,785 | £849 | £1,319 |
| North Lincolnshire | £34,129 | £653 | £1,492 |
| Kingston upon Hull | £33,946 | £694 | £1,445 |
| Kirklees | £33,613 | £782 | £1,325 |
| North East Lincolnshire | £33,563 | £643 | £1,457 |
The areas either side of Leeds in the alphabetical list for Yorkshire and The Humber, highest median first. Each figure is at that area's own median. See all 15 in the Yorkshire and The Humber table.
How Leeds compares with Yorkshire and The Humber and the UK
The median for jobs in Leeds is £2,139 (6.0%) higher than the Yorkshire and The Humber median, £1,477 (3.8%) lower than the England median and £1,218 (3.1%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leeds | £37,821 | £36,716 | £2,563 | £1,145 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £35,682 | £35,990 | £2,434 | £865 |
| 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 Yorkshire and The Humber 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 Leeds (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £24,095, a quarter pay less than £28,591, half pay less than £37,821, a quarter pay more than £51,686 and one in ten pay more than £72,293. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,563 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Leeds ranks 149th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 2nd of 15 in Yorkshire and The Humber. Its median of £37,821 is £1,218 (3.1%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Leeds was £1,145 in August 2026: £782 for one bedroom and £975 for two bedrooms. That is 44.7% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Leeds is £2,283.73 for 2026/27, about £190 a month, which ranks 264th of 348 council areas and 14th of 15 in Yorkshire and The Humber. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.