Average salary in Preston
The median full-time salary for jobs in Preston is £38,066 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,577 a month.
Where Preston ranks
Preston ranks 137th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 12th of 35 in North West. Its average rent ranks joint 264th of 316, a lower place in the list than its pay. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£1,572 a month) ranks joint 16th of 316, in the top quarter.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in North West |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £38,066 | 137th of 348 | 12th of 35 |
| Median pay, residents | £37,214 | 218th of 348 | 18th of 35 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,577 | 137th of 348 | 12th of 35 |
| Average rent a month | £790 | joint 264th of 316 | 26th of 35 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,575.74 | 51st of 348 | 8th of 35 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £1,572 | joint 16th of 316 | joint 7th of 35 |
1st is the highest. Ranks compare the 348 council areas on this site. How to read these figures.
Areas with the nearest medians to Preston: Rutland (£38,186), Chelmsford (£38,181), Greenwich (£38,128), Bath and North East Somerset (£38,040), Spelthorne (£38,007) and Bedford (£37,994). UK occupations with a median close to the Preston median of £38,066: managers and proprietors in agriculture and horticulture (£38,182), librarians (£38,068), publicans and managers of licensed premises (£38,043) and database administrators and web content technicians (£37,995).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Preston
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Preston rose 10.8%, more than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs. 39 of 345 council areas had a change this large in either direction. ONS figures for one area come from a sample, so they can move a lot from one year to the next. For North West as a whole it was a rise of 6.2%.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £24,850 | £2,071 | £21,412 | £1,784 |
| 25th percentile | £28,975 | £2,415 | £24,382 | £2,032 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £38,066 | £3,172 | £30,927 | £2,577 |
| 75th percentile | £50,127 | £4,177 | £39,611 | £3,301 |
| 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 Preston as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 5.2%.
People who work in Preston and people who live there
The median for people who live in Preston is £37,214, which is £852 (2.2%) lower than the £38,066 median for jobs based there. The jobs figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 218th of 348 and the jobs median 137th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 1.8%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Preston, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Preston, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Preston as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 7.7%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Preston (£38,066), the average rent of £790 takes 30.7% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£28,975) it takes 38.9%. 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 £39,001 a year. No more than half of full-time jobs based in Preston 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 | £790 | 30.7% | £1,572 |
| 1 bedroom | £579 | 22.5% | £1,783 |
| 2 bedrooms | £731 | 28.4% | £1,631 |
Band D is £215 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.
Preston and other areas in North West
Among these 7 areas, Preston has the 3rd highest median and the 2nd highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £30,981 in Pendle to £49,351 in Ribble Valley.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ribble Valley | £49,351 | £818 | £2,237 |
| Manchester | £40,479 | £1,373 | £1,156 |
| Preston | £38,066 | £790 | £1,572 |
| Oldham | £33,860 | £942 | £1,166 |
| Rochdale | £33,558 | £855 | £1,235 |
| Rossendale | £30,999 | £811 | £1,132 |
| Pendle | £30,981 | £670 | £1,262 |
The areas either side of Preston in the alphabetical list for North West, highest median first. Each figure is at that area's own median. See all 35 in the North West table.
How Preston compares with North West and the UK
The median for jobs in Preston is £705 (1.9%) higher than the North West median, £1,232 (3.1%) lower than the England median and £973 (2.5%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preston | £38,066 | £37,214 | £2,577 | £790 |
| North West | £37,361 | £37,445 | £2,535 | £969 |
| 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 North West 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 Preston (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £24,850, a quarter pay less than £28,975, half pay less than £38,066 and a quarter pay more than £50,127. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,577 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Preston ranks 137th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 12th of 35 in North West. Its median of £38,066 is £973 (2.5%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Preston was £790 in August 2026: £579 for one bedroom and £731 for two bedrooms. That is 30.7% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Preston is £2,575.74 for 2026/27, about £215 a month, which ranks 51st of 348 council areas and 8th of 35 in North West. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.