Average salary in Neath Port Talbot
The median full-time salary for jobs in Neath Port Talbot is £37,417 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,538 a month.
Where Neath Port Talbot ranks
Neath Port Talbot ranks 158th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 4th of 22 in Wales. Its average rent ranks 302nd of 316, a lower place in the list than its pay. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£1,636 a month) ranks 9th of 316, in the top quarter.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £37,417 | 158th of 348 | 4th of 22 |
| Median pay, residents | £36,359 | 244th of 348 | 11th of 22 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,538 | 158th of 348 | 4th of 22 |
| Average rent a month | £690 | 302nd of 316 | 19th of 22 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,541.39 | 70th of 348 | 2nd of 22 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £1,636 | 9th of 316 | 2nd of 22 |
1st is the highest. Ranks compare the 348 council areas on this site. How to read these figures.
Areas with the nearest medians to Neath Port Talbot: Basildon (£37,539), Waltham Forest (£37,503), Worcester (£37,459), Halton (£37,336), South Norfolk (£37,336) and Chesterfield (£37,319). UK occupations with a median close to the Neath Port Talbot median of £37,417: teachers of English as a foreign language (£37,514), managers in storage and warehousing (£37,470), vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians (£37,458) and buyers and procurement officers (£37,306).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Neath Port Talbot
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Neath Port Talbot rose 0.4%, less than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs. That is a change of less than 1%. For Wales as a whole it was a rise of 4.5%.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £24,076 | £2,006 | £20,854 | £1,738 |
| 25th percentile | £30,000 | £2,500 | £25,120 | £2,093 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £37,417 | £3,118 | £30,460 | £2,538 |
| 75th percentile | £46,088 | £3,841 | £36,703 | £3,059 |
| 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 Neath Port Talbot as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 6.4%.
People who work in Neath Port Talbot and people who live there
The median for people who live in Neath Port Talbot is £36,359, which is £1,058 (2.8%) lower than the £37,417 median for jobs based there. The jobs figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 244th of 348 and the jobs median 158th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 1.3%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Neath Port Talbot, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Neath Port Talbot, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Neath Port Talbot as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 6%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Neath Port Talbot (£37,417), the average rent of £690 takes 27.2% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£30,000) it takes 33.0%. 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 £33,445 a year. More than half of full-time jobs based in Neath Port Talbot 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 | £690 | 27.2% | £1,636 |
| 1 bedroom | £499 | 19.7% | £1,827 |
| 2 bedrooms | £634 | 25.0% | £1,692 |
Band D is £212 a month. This is the average Band D for the council area, including police and an average community council charge. Rents are ONS figures for August 2026 and may be revised.
Neath Port Talbot and other areas in Wales
Among these 7 areas, Neath Port Talbot has the 2nd highest median and the highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £30,636 in Merthyr Tydfil to £38,844 in Monmouthshire.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monmouthshire | £38,844 | £994 | £1,429 |
| Neath Port Talbot | £37,417 | £690 | £1,636 |
| Newport | £36,939 | £959 | £1,377 |
| Pembrokeshire | £36,448 | £694 | £1,605 |
| Isle of Anglesey | £36,434 | £714 | £1,577 |
| Powys | £31,163 | £621 | £1,346 |
| Merthyr Tydfil | £30,636 | £754 | £1,161 |
The areas either side of Neath Port Talbot in the alphabetical list for Wales, highest median first. Each figure is at that area's own median. See all 22 in the Wales table.
How Neath Port Talbot compares with Wales and the UK
The median for jobs in Neath Port Talbot is £1,621 (4.5%) higher than the Wales median and £1,622 (4.2%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neath Port Talbot | £37,417 | £36,359 | £2,538 | £690 |
| Wales | £35,796 | £36,354 | £2,441 | £846 |
| United Kingdom | £39,039 | £39,039 | £2,636 | £1,400 |
Related pages
Every area in the Wales 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: 2026/27 (Welsh Government)
- 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 Neath Port Talbot (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £24,076, a quarter pay less than £30,000, half pay less than £37,417 and a quarter pay more than £46,088. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,538 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Neath Port Talbot ranks 158th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 4th of 22 in Wales. Its median of £37,417 is £1,622 (4.2%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Neath Port Talbot was £690 in August 2026: £499 for one bedroom and £634 for two bedrooms. That is 27.2% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Neath Port Talbot is £2,541.39 for 2026/27, about £212 a month, which ranks 70th of 348 council areas and 2nd of 22 in Wales. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.