Average salary in Rotherham
The median full-time salary for jobs in Rotherham is £33,419 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,298 a month.
Where Rotherham ranks
Rotherham ranks 300th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the bottom quarter, and 15th of 15 in Yorkshire and The Humber. Its average rent ranks 305th of 316, close to where its pay ranks. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£1,414 a month) ranks joint 65th of 316, in the top quarter.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in Yorkshire and The Humber |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £33,419 | 300th of 348 | 15th of 15 |
| Median pay, residents | £34,713 | 301st of 348 | 12th of 15 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,298 | 300th of 348 | 15th of 15 |
| Average rent a month | £686 | 305th of 316 | 13th of 15 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,381.53 | 198th of 348 | 7th of 15 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £1,414 | joint 65th of 316 | 10th 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 Rotherham: Na h-Eileanan Siar (£33,552), North West Leicestershire (£33,551), Forest of Dean (£33,474), St Helens (£33,379), Great Yarmouth (£33,355) and Caerphilly (£33,137). UK occupations with a median close to the Rotherham median of £33,419: transport and distribution clerks and assistants (£33,508), ambulance staff (excluding paramedics) (£33,465), marketing associate professionals (£33,412) and office supervisors (£33,174).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Rotherham
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Rotherham rose 9.2%, more than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs. 55 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 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 | £22,662 | £1,889 | £19,836 | £1,653 |
| 25th percentile | £26,807 | £2,234 | £22,821 | £1,902 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £33,419 | £2,785 | £27,581 | £2,298 |
| 75th percentile | £44,075 | £3,673 | £35,254 | £2,938 |
| 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 Rotherham as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 5.1%.
People who work in Rotherham and people who live there
The median for people who live in Rotherham is £34,713, which is £1,294 (3.9%) higher than the £33,419 median for jobs based there. The residents' figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 301st of 348 and the jobs median 300th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 2.7%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Rotherham, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Rotherham, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Rotherham as precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 5%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Rotherham (£33,419), the average rent of £686 takes 29.8% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£26,807) it takes 36.1%. 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 £33,223 a year. More than half of full-time jobs based in Rotherham 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 | £686 | 29.8% | £1,414 |
| 1 bedroom | £488 | 21.2% | £1,612 |
| 2 bedrooms | £615 | 26.8% | £1,485 |
Band D is £198 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.
Rotherham and other areas in Yorkshire and The Humber
Among these 7 areas, Rotherham has the lowest median and the 4th highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £33,419 in Rotherham to £39,337 in York.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| York | £39,337 | £1,199 | £1,264 |
| Sheffield | £37,074 | £931 | £1,378 |
| Wakefield | £35,838 | £806 | £1,447 |
| North Yorkshire | £34,785 | £849 | £1,319 |
| North Lincolnshire | £34,129 | £653 | £1,492 |
| North East Lincolnshire | £33,563 | £643 | £1,457 |
| Rotherham | £33,419 | £686 | £1,414 |
The areas either side of Rotherham 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 Rotherham compares with Yorkshire and The Humber and the UK
The median for jobs in Rotherham is £2,263 (6.3%) lower than the Yorkshire and The Humber median, £5,879 (15.0%) lower than the England median and £5,620 (14.4%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotherham | £33,419 | £34,713 | £2,298 | £686 |
| 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 Rotherham (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £22,662, a quarter pay less than £26,807, half pay less than £33,419 and a quarter pay more than £44,075. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,298 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Rotherham ranks 300th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the bottom quarter, and 15th of 15 in Yorkshire and The Humber. Its median of £33,419 is £5,620 (14.4%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Rotherham was £686 in August 2026: £488 for one bedroom and £615 for two bedrooms. That is 29.8% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Rotherham is £2,381.53 for 2026/27, about £198 a month, which ranks 198th of 348 council areas and 7th of 15 in Yorkshire and The Humber. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.