Average salary in Shetland Islands
The median full-time salary for jobs in Shetland Islands is £46,290 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £3,014 a month.
Where Shetland Islands ranks
Shetland Islands ranks 17th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the top quarter, and 1st of 32 in Scotland. Its Band D council tax ranks 345th of 348 across all areas and 31st of 32 in Scotland. There is no rent rank because ONS does not publish rents for Scottish council areas.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in Scotland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £46,290 | 17th of 348 | 1st of 32 |
| Median pay, residents | £46,527 | 35th of 348 | 1st of 32 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £3,014 | 21st of 348 | 1st of 32 |
| Band D council tax a year | £1,487.90 | 345th of 348 | 31st of 32 |
1st is the highest. Ranks compare the 348 council areas on this site. How to read these figures.
Areas with the nearest medians to Shetland Islands: Welwyn Hatfield (£47,956), Wokingham (£46,574), Runnymede (£46,455), South Cambridgeshire (£46,007), Stevenage (£46,006) and Cambridge (£45,762). UK occupations with a median close to the Shetland Islands median of £46,290: rail construction and maintenance operatives (£46,403), managers and proprietors in other services n.e.c. (£46,271), chartered surveyors (£46,184) and managers in logistics (£46,143).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Shetland Islands
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Shetland Islands rose 9.8%, more than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs. 46 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 Scotland 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 | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 25th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Median (50th percentile) | £46,290 | £3,858 | £36,169 | £3,014 |
| 75th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 90th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Take-home at Scottish rates. Not published means ONS did not publish that figure because the estimate is not reliable enough. ONS rates the median for jobs in Shetland Islands as acceptable, so use it with caution: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 14%.
People who work in Shetland Islands and people who live there
The median for people who live in Shetland Islands is £46,527, which is £237 (0.5%) higher than the £46,290 median for jobs based there. The two figures are close. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 35th of 348 and the jobs median 17th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 6.6%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Shetland Islands, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Shetland Islands, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Shetland Islands as acceptable, so use it with caution: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 13%.
Take-home pay and council tax
On the median salary for jobs in Shetland Islands, take-home pay is about £3,014 a month at Scottish income tax rates. Band D council tax in Shetland Islands for 2026/27 is £1,487.90 a year, about £124 a month, leaving about £2,890 a month before rent or a mortgage and other bills.
This is the Band D charge set by the council. It does not include Scottish Water's water and sewerage charges, which are billed with council tax. We do not show rents for Shetland Islands: ONS publishes Scottish rents for Broad Rental Market Areas, which do not match council areas, so there is no council area rent to compare with pay.
Shetland Islands and other areas in Scotland
Among these 7 areas, Shetland Islands has the highest median and the highest amount left after Band D council tax. Medians run from £32,164 in Scottish Borders to £46,290 in Shetland Islands.
| Area | Median salary | Take-home a month | Left after Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shetland Islands | £46,290 | £3,014 | £2,890 |
| South Ayrshire | £40,033 | £2,690 | £2,549 |
| South Lanarkshire | £39,260 | £2,644 | £2,522 |
| Stirling | £39,220 | £2,642 | £2,496 |
| Perth and Kinross | £37,972 | £2,568 | £2,429 |
| Renfrewshire | £36,492 | £2,480 | £2,339 |
| Scottish Borders | £32,164 | £2,224 | £2,089 |
The areas either side of Shetland Islands in the alphabetical list for Scotland, highest median first. Each figure is at that area's own median. See all 32 in the Scotland table.
How Shetland Islands compares with Scotland and the UK
The median for jobs in Shetland Islands is £6,571 (16.5%) higher than the Scotland median and £7,251 (18.6%) higher than the UK median of £39,039.
| Area | Median, jobs there | Median, residents | Take-home a month (Scottish rates) | Average rent, August 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shetland Islands | £46,290 | £46,527 | £3,014 | Not available |
| Scotland | £39,719 | £39,905 | £2,671 | £1,013 |
| United Kingdom | £39,039 | £39,039 | £2,631 | £1,400 |
Related pages
Every area in the Scotland 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 Scottish 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)
- Council tax datasets: Council Tax by band 2026/27 (Scottish Government)
- Scottish Income Tax (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 Shetland Islands (2025) show how pay is spread: ONS published only the median, so half of full-time jobs pay less than £46,290 and half pay more. On the median, take-home pay is about £3,014 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Shetland Islands ranks 17th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the top quarter, and 1st of 32 in Scotland. Its median of £46,290 is £7,251 (18.6%) higher than the UK median of £39,039.
The median full-time salary for jobs in Shetland Islands is £46,290. At Scottish income tax rates for 2026/27, with National Insurance, tax code 1257L and no pension or student loan, take-home pay is about £36,169 a year or £3,014 a month.
Band D council tax in Shetland Islands is £1,487.90 for 2026/27, about £124 a month, which ranks 345th of 348 council areas and 31st of 32 in Scotland. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.