Average salary in Tower Hamlets
The median full-time salary for jobs in Tower Hamlets is £66,686 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £4,103 a month.
Where Tower Hamlets ranks
Tower Hamlets ranks 1st of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the top quarter, and 1st of 32 in London. Its average rent ranks 10th of 316, close to where its pay ranks. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£1,497 a month) ranks 32nd of 316, in the top quarter.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in London |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £66,686 | 1st of 348 | 1st of 32 |
| Median pay, residents | £52,000 | 9th of 348 | 6th of 32 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £4,103 | 1st of 348 | 1st of 32 |
| Average rent a month | £2,453 | 10th of 316 | 10th of 32 |
| Band D council tax a year | £1,837.78 | 312th of 348 | 28th of 32 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £1,497 | 32nd of 316 | 1st 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 Tower Hamlets: Westminster (£53,923), Camden (£53,577) and Islington (£53,185). UK occupations with a median close to the Tower Hamlets median of £66,686: senior police officers (£66,690), rail and rolling stock builders and repairers (£64,322), production managers and directors in mining and energy (£63,241) and health services and public health managers and directors (£61,573).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Tower Hamlets
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Tower Hamlets rose 3.2%, less than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs. For London as a whole it was a rise of 4.7%.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £31,741 | £2,645 | £26,373 | £2,198 |
| 25th percentile | £42,239 | £3,520 | £33,932 | £2,828 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £66,686 | £5,557 | £49,235 | £4,103 |
| 75th percentile | £107,991 | £8,999 | £71,594 | £5,966 |
| 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 Tower Hamlets as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 5.1%.
People who work in Tower Hamlets and people who live there
The median for people who live in Tower Hamlets is £52,000, which is £14,686 (22.0%) lower than the £66,686 median for jobs based there. The jobs figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 9th of 348 and the jobs median 1st of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 11.7%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Tower Hamlets, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Tower Hamlets, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Tower Hamlets as precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 4.6%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Tower Hamlets (£66,686), the average rent of £2,453 takes 59.8% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£42,239) it takes 86.8%. 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 £162,894 a year. No more than a quarter of full-time jobs based in Tower Hamlets 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 | £2,453 | 59.8% | £1,497 |
| 1 bedroom | £1,992 | 48.6% | £1,958 |
| 2 bedrooms | £2,418 | 58.9% | £1,532 |
Band D is £153 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.
Tower Hamlets and other areas in London
Among these 7 areas, Tower Hamlets has the highest median and the highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £37,503 in Waltham Forest to £66,686 in Tower Hamlets.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tower Hamlets | £66,686 | £2,453 | £1,497 |
| Westminster | £53,923 | £3,196 | £203 |
| Southwark | £50,000 | £2,474 | £655 |
| Wandsworth | £43,035 | £2,632 | £157 |
| Richmond upon Thames | £41,037 | £2,333 | £216 |
| Sutton | £39,874 | £1,556 | £932 |
| Waltham Forest | £37,503 | £1,763 | £581 |
The areas either side of Tower Hamlets in the alphabetical list for London, highest median first. Each figure is at that area's own median. See all 32 in the London table.
How Tower Hamlets compares with London and the UK
The median for jobs in Tower Hamlets is £16,994 (34.2%) higher than the London median, £27,388 (69.7%) higher than the England median and £27,647 (70.8%) higher 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tower Hamlets | £66,686 | £52,000 | £4,103 | £2,453 |
| London | £49,692 | £46,414 | £3,275 | £2,332 |
| 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 London 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 Tower Hamlets (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £31,741, a quarter pay less than £42,239, half pay less than £66,686 and a quarter pay more than £107,991. On the median, take-home pay is about £4,103 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Tower Hamlets ranks 1st of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the top quarter, and 1st of 32 in London. Its median of £66,686 is £27,647 (70.8%) higher than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Tower Hamlets was £2,453 in August 2026: £1,992 for one bedroom and £2,418 for two bedrooms. That is 59.8% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Tower Hamlets is £1,837.78 for 2026/27, about £153 a month, which ranks 312th of 348 council areas and 28th of 32 in London. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.