Average salary in St Helens
The median full-time salary for jobs in St Helens is £33,379 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,296 a month.
Where St Helens ranks
St Helens ranks 301st of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the bottom quarter, and 26th of 35 in North West. Its average rent ranks 252nd of 316, close to where its pay ranks. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£1,289 a month) ranks joint 124th of 316, in the upper half.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in North West |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £33,379 | 301st of 348 | 26th of 35 |
| Median pay, residents | £37,306 | 213th of 348 | 17th of 35 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,296 | 301st of 348 | 26th of 35 |
| Average rent a month | £807 | 252nd of 316 | 22nd of 35 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,403.38 | 187th of 348 | 29th of 35 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £1,289 | joint 124th of 316 | 22nd 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 St Helens: North West Leicestershire (£33,551), Forest of Dean (£33,474), Rotherham (£33,419), Great Yarmouth (£33,355), Caerphilly (£33,137) and Hyndburn (£33,089). UK occupations with a median close to the St Helens median of £33,379: 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 St Helens
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in St Helens rose 5.4%, more than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs. 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 | £20,166 | £1,681 | £18,039 | £1,503 |
| 25th percentile | £25,582 | £2,132 | £21,939 | £1,828 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £33,379 | £2,782 | £27,552 | £2,296 |
| 75th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 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 St Helens as acceptable, so use it with caution: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 11%.
People who work in St Helens and people who live there
The median for people who live in St Helens is £37,306, which is £3,927 (11.8%) higher than the £33,379 median for jobs based there. The residents' figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 213th of 348 and the jobs median 301st of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 8.2%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in St Helens, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in St Helens, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for St Helens 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 St Helens (£33,379), the average rent of £807 takes 35.1% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£25,582) it takes 44.1%. 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 £39,945 a year. No more than half of full-time jobs based in St Helens 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 | £807 | 35.1% | £1,289 |
| 1 bedroom | £593 | 25.8% | £1,503 |
| 2 bedrooms | £737 | 32.1% | £1,359 |
Band D is £200 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.
St Helens and other areas in North West
Among these 7 areas, St Helens has the 5th highest median and the 2nd highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £30,734 in Tameside to £38,682 in Trafford.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trafford | £38,682 | £1,369 | £1,054 |
| Salford | £38,492 | £1,170 | £1,217 |
| Stockport | £35,406 | £1,119 | £1,081 |
| South Ribble | £35,376 | £805 | £1,407 |
| St Helens | £33,379 | £807 | £1,289 |
| Sefton | £33,028 | £938 | £1,122 |
| Tameside | £30,734 | £931 | £1,002 |
The areas either side of St Helens 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 St Helens compares with North West and the UK
The median for jobs in St Helens is £3,982 (10.7%) lower than the North West median, £5,919 (15.1%) lower than the England median and £5,660 (14.5%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Helens | £33,379 | £37,306 | £2,296 | £807 |
| 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 St Helens (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £20,166, a quarter pay less than £25,582 and half pay less than £33,379. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,296 a month at 2026/27 rates.
St Helens ranks 301st of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the bottom quarter, and 26th of 35 in North West. Its median of £33,379 is £5,660 (14.5%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in St Helens was £807 in August 2026: £593 for one bedroom and £737 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 St Helens is £2,403.38 for 2026/27, about £200 a month, which ranks 187th of 348 council areas and 29th of 35 in North West. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.