Average salary in Shropshire
The median full-time salary for jobs in Shropshire is £34,232 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,347 a month.
Where Shropshire ranks
Shropshire ranks 267th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the bottom quarter, and 22nd of 30 in West Midlands. Its average rent ranks joint 243rd of 316, close to where its pay ranks. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£1,313 a month) ranks joint 114th of 316, in the upper half.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in West Midlands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £34,232 | 267th of 348 | 22nd of 30 |
| Median pay, residents | £36,991 | 227th of 348 | 14th of 30 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,347 | 266th of 348 | 22nd of 30 |
| Average rent a month | £823 | joint 243rd of 316 | 27th of 30 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,528.18 | 79th of 348 | 5th of 30 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £1,313 | joint 114th of 316 | 14th of 30 |
1st is the highest. Ranks compare the 348 council areas on this site. How to read these figures.
Areas with the nearest medians to Shropshire: Teignbridge (£34,315), Nuneaton and Bedworth (£34,283), Dumfries and Galloway (£34,239), East Staffordshire (£34,210), North Lincolnshire (£34,129) and East Cambridgeshire (£34,117). UK occupations with a median close to the Shropshire median of £34,232: teaching professionals n.e.c. (£34,396), routine inspectors and testers (£34,360), archivists and curators (£34,237) and computer system and equipment installers and servicers (£34,237).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Shropshire
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Shropshire rose 3.9%, less than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs. For West Midlands as a whole it was a rise of 6.1%.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £22,767 | £1,897 | £19,912 | £1,659 |
| 25th percentile | £27,050 | £2,254 | £22,996 | £1,916 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £34,232 | £2,853 | £28,167 | £2,347 |
| 75th percentile | £46,012 | £3,834 | £36,648 | £3,054 |
| 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 Shropshire as precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 4.7%.
People who work in Shropshire and people who live there
The median for people who live in Shropshire is £36,991, which is £2,759 (8.1%) higher than the £34,232 median for jobs based there. The residents' figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 227th of 348 and the jobs median 267th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 1.4%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Shropshire, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Shropshire, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Shropshire as precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 4.5%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Shropshire (£34,232), the average rent of £823 takes 35.1% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£27,050) it takes 42.9%. 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 £40,834 a year. No more than half of full-time jobs based in Shropshire 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 | £823 | 35.1% | £1,313 |
| 1 bedroom | £608 | 25.9% | £1,528 |
| 2 bedrooms | £768 | 32.7% | £1,368 |
Band D is £211 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.
Shropshire and other areas in West Midlands
Among these 7 areas, Shropshire has the 6th highest median and the 5th highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £33,636 in Sandwell to £42,966 in Rugby.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rugby | £42,966 | £1,049 | £1,615 |
| Solihull | £42,587 | £1,279 | £1,387 |
| South Staffordshire | £40,205 | £958 | £1,555 |
| Redditch | £36,849 | £976 | £1,323 |
| Stafford | £34,832 | £901 | £1,290 |
| Shropshire | £34,232 | £823 | £1,313 |
| Sandwell | £33,636 | £953 | £1,171 |
The areas either side of Shropshire in the alphabetical list for West Midlands, highest median first. Each figure is at that area's own median. See all 30 in the West Midlands table.
How Shropshire compares with West Midlands and the UK
The median for jobs in Shropshire is £2,832 (7.6%) lower than the West Midlands median, £5,066 (12.9%) lower than the England median and £4,807 (12.3%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shropshire | £34,232 | £36,991 | £2,347 | £823 |
| West Midlands | £37,064 | £37,048 | £2,517 | £982 |
| 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 West Midlands 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 Shropshire (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £22,767, a quarter pay less than £27,050, half pay less than £34,232 and a quarter pay more than £46,012. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,347 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Shropshire ranks 267th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the bottom quarter, and 22nd of 30 in West Midlands. Its median of £34,232 is £4,807 (12.3%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Shropshire was £823 in August 2026: £608 for one bedroom and £768 for two bedrooms. That is 35.1% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Shropshire is £2,528.18 for 2026/27, about £211 a month, which ranks 79th of 348 council areas and 5th of 30 in West Midlands. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.