Average salary in Watford
The median full-time salary for jobs in Watford is £38,746 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,618 a month.
Where Watford ranks
Watford ranks 121st of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 17th of 45 in East of England. Its average rent ranks joint 26th of 316, a higher place in the list than its pay. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£585 a month) ranks 297th of 316, in the bottom quarter.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in East of England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £38,746 | 121st of 348 | 17th of 45 |
| Median pay, residents | £43,219 | 83rd of 348 | 18th of 45 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,618 | 121st of 348 | 17th of 45 |
| Average rent a month | £1,829 | joint 26th of 316 | joint 3rd of 45 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,446.70 | 148th of 348 | 15th of 45 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £585 | 297th of 316 | 45th of 45 |
1st is the highest. Ranks compare the 348 council areas on this site. How to read these figures.
Areas with the nearest medians to Watford: Cherwell (£38,768), Colchester (£38,758), Folkestone and Hythe (£38,755), West Devon (£38,696), Trafford (£38,682) and Birmingham (£38,556). UK occupations with a median close to the Watford median of £38,746: inspectors of standards and regulations (£38,963), road construction operatives (£38,833), office managers (£38,630) and data analysts (£38,572).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Watford
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Watford fell 1.9%, while the UK median for all full-time jobs rose 4.3%. For East of England as a whole it was a rise of 4.4%.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £25,358 | £2,113 | £21,777 | £1,815 |
| 25th percentile | £29,986 | £2,499 | £25,110 | £2,092 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £38,746 | £3,229 | £31,417 | £2,618 |
| 75th percentile | £59,958 | £4,997 | £45,333 | £3,778 |
| 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 Watford as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 8.9%.
People who work in Watford and people who live there
The median for people who live in Watford is £43,219, which is £4,473 (11.5%) higher than the £38,746 median for jobs based there. The residents' figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 83rd of 348 and the jobs median 121st of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 0.9%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Watford, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Watford, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Watford as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 9%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Watford (£38,746), the average rent of £1,829 takes 69.9% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£29,986) it takes 87.4%. 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 £112,113 a year. No more than a quarter of full-time jobs based in Watford 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 | £1,829 | 69.9% | £585 |
| 1 bedroom | £1,266 | 48.4% | £1,148 |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,599 | 61.1% | £815 |
Band D is £204 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.
Watford and other areas in East of England
Among these 7 areas, Watford has the 5th highest median and the lowest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £30,929 in Babergh to £50,931 in Three Rivers.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three Rivers | £50,931 | £1,826 | £1,313 |
| Welwyn Hatfield | £47,956 | £1,512 | £1,455 |
| Thurrock | £40,623 | £1,380 | £1,163 |
| Uttlesford | £39,491 | £1,289 | £1,180 |
| Watford | £38,746 | £1,829 | £585 |
| West Suffolk | £37,141 | £1,183 | £1,143 |
| Babergh | £30,929 | £965 | £989 |
The areas either side of Watford in the alphabetical list for East of England, highest median first. Each figure is at that area's own median. See all 45 in the East of England table.
How Watford compares with East of England and the UK
The median for jobs in Watford is £149 (0.4%) higher than the East of England median, £552 (1.4%) lower than the England median and £293 (0.8%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watford | £38,746 | £43,219 | £2,618 | £1,829 |
| East of England | £38,597 | £40,863 | £2,609 | £1,289 |
| 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 East of England 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 Watford (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £25,358, a quarter pay less than £29,986, half pay less than £38,746 and a quarter pay more than £59,958. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,618 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Watford ranks 121st of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 17th of 45 in East of England. Its median of £38,746 is £293 (0.8%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Watford was £1,829 in August 2026: £1,266 for one bedroom and £1,599 for two bedrooms. That is 69.9% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Watford is £2,446.70 for 2026/27, about £204 a month, which ranks 148th of 348 council areas and 15th of 45 in East of England. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.