Average salary in Waltham Forest
The median full-time salary for jobs in Waltham Forest is £37,503 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,543 a month.
Where Waltham Forest ranks
Waltham Forest ranks 156th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 30th of 32 in London. Its average rent ranks 37th of 316, a higher place in the list than its pay. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£581 a month) ranks 298th of 316, in the bottom quarter.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in London |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £37,503 | 156th of 348 | 30th of 32 |
| Median pay, residents | £45,350 | 45th of 348 | 18th of 32 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,543 | 156th of 348 | 30th of 32 |
| Average rent a month | £1,763 | 37th of 316 | 24th of 32 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,386.96 | 193rd of 348 | 6th of 32 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £581 | 298th of 316 | 16th 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 Waltham Forest: Rushcliffe (£37,704), Warwick (£37,588), Basildon (£37,539), Worcester (£37,459), Neath Port Talbot (£37,417) and Halton (£37,336). UK occupations with a median close to the Waltham Forest median of £37,503: customer service managers (£37,535), teachers of English as a foreign language (£37,514), managers in storage and warehousing (£37,470) and vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians (£37,458).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Waltham Forest
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Waltham Forest fell 5.5%, while the UK median for all full-time jobs rose 4.3%. 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 | £22,942 | £1,912 | £20,038 | £1,670 |
| 25th percentile | £28,906 | £2,409 | £24,332 | £2,028 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £37,503 | £3,125 | £30,522 | £2,543 |
| 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 Waltham Forest as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 9.3%.
People who work in Waltham Forest and people who live there
The median for people who live in Waltham Forest is £45,350, which is £7,847 (20.9%) higher than the £37,503 median for jobs based there. The residents' figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 45th of 348 and the jobs median 156th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: no change.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Waltham Forest, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Waltham Forest, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Waltham Forest as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 5.3%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Waltham Forest (£37,503), the average rent of £1,763 takes 69.3% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£28,906) it takes 86.9%. 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 £105,165 a year. No more than half of full-time jobs based in Waltham Forest 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 | £1,763 | 69.3% | £581 |
| 1 bedroom | £1,400 | 55.0% | £944 |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,723 | 67.7% | £621 |
Band D is £199 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.
Waltham Forest and other areas in London
Among these 7 areas, Waltham Forest has the lowest median and the 5th 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 |
| Sutton | £39,874 | £1,556 | £932 |
| Barking and Dagenham | £39,599 | £1,698 | £788 |
| Waltham Forest | £37,503 | £1,763 | £581 |
The areas either side of Waltham Forest 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 Waltham Forest compares with London and the UK
The median for jobs in Waltham Forest is £12,189 (24.5%) lower than the London median, £1,795 (4.6%) lower than the England median and £1,536 (3.9%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waltham Forest | £37,503 | £45,350 | £2,543 | £1,763 |
| 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 Waltham Forest (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £22,942, a quarter pay less than £28,906 and half pay less than £37,503. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,543 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Waltham Forest ranks 156th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 30th of 32 in London. Its median of £37,503 is £1,536 (3.9%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Waltham Forest was £1,763 in August 2026: £1,400 for one bedroom and £1,723 for two bedrooms. That is 69.3% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Waltham Forest is £2,386.96 for 2026/27, about £199 a month, which ranks 193rd of 348 council areas and 6th of 32 in London. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.