Average salary in Maidstone
The median full-time salary for jobs in Maidstone is £36,199 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,465 a month.
Where Maidstone ranks
Maidstone ranks 203rd of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the lower half, and 51st of 64 in South East. Its average rent ranks joint 101st of 316, a higher place in the list than its pay. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£959 a month) ranks 252nd of 316, in the bottom quarter.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in South East |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £36,199 | 203rd of 348 | 51st of 64 |
| Median pay, residents | £38,191 | 184th of 348 | 49th of 64 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,465 | 202nd of 348 | 51st of 64 |
| Average rent a month | £1,297 | joint 101st of 316 | joint 42nd of 64 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,502.59 | 97th of 348 | 29th of 64 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £959 | 252nd of 316 | 44th of 64 |
1st is the highest. Ranks compare the 348 council areas on this site. How to read these figures.
Areas with the nearest medians to Maidstone: Blackburn with Darwen (£36,223), Dundee City (£36,219), Cannock Chase (£36,211), Bolsover (£36,167), Ipswich (£36,160) and Norwich (£36,116). UK occupations with a median close to the Maidstone median of £36,199: other vocational and industrial trainers (£36,357), bus and coach drivers (£36,340), shopkeepers and owners, retail and wholesale (£36,304) and science, engineering and production technicians n.e.c. (£36,102).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Maidstone
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Maidstone rose 6.3%, more than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs. For South East as a whole it was a rise of 2.4%.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £23,476 | £1,956 | £20,422 | £1,702 |
| 25th percentile | £27,219 | £2,268 | £23,117 | £1,926 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £36,199 | £3,017 | £29,583 | £2,465 |
| 75th percentile | £48,643 | £4,054 | £38,543 | £3,212 |
| 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 Maidstone as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 5.7%.
People who work in Maidstone and people who live there
The median for people who live in Maidstone is £38,191, which is £1,992 (5.5%) higher than the £36,199 median for jobs based there. The residents' figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 184th of 348 and the jobs median 203rd of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 6.2%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Maidstone, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Maidstone, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Maidstone as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 6.8%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Maidstone (£36,199), the average rent of £1,297 takes 52.6% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£27,219) it takes 67.3%. 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 £71,246 a year. No more than a quarter of full-time jobs based in Maidstone 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 | £1,297 | 52.6% | £959 |
| 1 bedroom | £919 | 37.3% | £1,337 |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,193 | 48.4% | £1,063 |
Band D is £209 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.
Maidstone and other areas in South East
Among these 7 areas, Maidstone has the 6th highest median and the 5th highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £28,543 in Isle of Wight to £41,516 in Milton Keynes.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milton Keynes | £41,516 | £1,344 | £1,242 |
| Mid Sussex | £40,222 | £1,423 | £1,078 |
| Lewes | £39,798 | £1,333 | £1,118 |
| Horsham | £37,981 | £1,474 | £895 |
| Medway | £37,128 | £1,232 | £1,095 |
| Maidstone | £36,199 | £1,297 | £959 |
| Isle of Wight | £28,543 | £951 | £836 |
The areas either side of Maidstone in the alphabetical list for South East, highest median first. Each figure is at that area's own median. See all 64 in the South East table.
How Maidstone compares with South East and the UK
The median for jobs in Maidstone is £3,784 (9.5%) lower than the South East median, £3,099 (7.9%) lower than the England median and £2,840 (7.3%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maidstone | £36,199 | £38,191 | £2,465 | £1,297 |
| South East | £39,983 | £41,618 | £2,692 | £1,426 |
| 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 East 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 Maidstone (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £23,476, a quarter pay less than £27,219, half pay less than £36,199 and a quarter pay more than £48,643. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,465 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Maidstone ranks 203rd of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the lower half, and 51st of 64 in South East. Its median of £36,199 is £2,840 (7.3%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Maidstone was £1,297 in August 2026: £919 for one bedroom and £1,193 for two bedrooms. That is 52.6% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Maidstone is £2,502.59 for 2026/27, about £209 a month, which ranks 97th of 348 council areas and 29th of 64 in South East. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.