Average salary in Wirral
The median full-time salary for jobs in Wirral is £35,483 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,422 a month.
Where Wirral ranks
Wirral ranks 221st of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the lower half, and 16th of 35 in North West. Its average rent ranks 224th of 316, close to where its pay ranks. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£1,355 a month) ranks 89th of 316, in the upper half.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in North West |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £35,483 | 221st of 348 | 16th of 35 |
| Median pay, residents | £38,010 | 191st of 348 | 13th of 35 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,422 | 221st of 348 | 16th of 35 |
| Average rent a month | £859 | 224th of 316 | 15th of 35 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,500.59 | 99th of 348 | 17th of 35 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £1,355 | 89th of 316 | 16th 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 Wirral: Wolverhampton (£35,740), Barnsley (£35,629), Lincoln (£35,509), Redbridge (£35,464), Somerset (£35,440) and Stockport (£35,406). UK occupations with a median close to the Wirral median of £35,483: other drivers and transport operatives n.e.c. (£35,670), legal professionals n.e.c. (£35,507), welding trades (£35,344) and farmers (£35,295).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Wirral
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Wirral rose 9.8%, more than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs. 46 of 345 council areas had a change this large in either direction. ONS figures for one area come from a sample, so they can move a lot from one year to the next. 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 | £20,370 | £1,698 | £18,186 | £1,516 |
| 25th percentile | £25,457 | £2,121 | £21,849 | £1,821 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £35,483 | £2,957 | £29,067 | £2,422 |
| 75th percentile | £46,552 | £3,879 | £37,037 | £3,086 |
| 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 Wirral as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 5.3%.
People who work in Wirral and people who live there
The median for people who live in Wirral is £38,010, which is £2,527 (7.1%) higher than the £35,483 median for jobs based there. The residents' figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 191st of 348 and the jobs median 221st of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 4.6%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Wirral, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Wirral, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Wirral as precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 3.9%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Wirral (£35,483), the average rent of £859 takes 35.5% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£25,457) it takes 47.2%. 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 £42,834 a year. No more than half of full-time jobs based in Wirral 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 | £859 | 35.5% | £1,355 |
| 1 bedroom | £572 | 23.6% | £1,642 |
| 2 bedrooms | £740 | 30.5% | £1,474 |
Band D is £208 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.
Wirral and other areas in North West
Among these 7 areas, Wirral has the 3rd highest median and the 4th highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £31,130 in Wyre to £40,529 in Westmorland and Furness.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westmorland and Furness | £40,529 | £816 | £1,700 |
| Blackburn with Darwen | £36,223 | £714 | £1,548 |
| Wirral | £35,483 | £859 | £1,355 |
| West Lancashire | £33,926 | £805 | £1,319 |
| Wigan | £33,669 | £746 | £1,388 |
| Blackpool | £32,553 | £719 | £1,318 |
| Wyre | £31,130 | £743 | £1,213 |
The areas either side of Wirral 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 Wirral compares with North West and the UK
The median for jobs in Wirral is £1,878 (5.0%) lower than the North West median, £3,815 (9.7%) lower than the England median and £3,556 (9.1%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wirral | £35,483 | £38,010 | £2,422 | £859 |
| 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 Wirral (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £20,370, a quarter pay less than £25,457, half pay less than £35,483 and a quarter pay more than £46,552. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,422 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Wirral ranks 221st of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the lower half, and 16th of 35 in North West. Its median of £35,483 is £3,556 (9.1%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Wirral was £859 in August 2026: £572 for one bedroom and £740 for two bedrooms. That is 35.5% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Wirral is £2,500.59 for 2026/27, about £208 a month, which ranks 99th of 348 council areas and 17th of 35 in North West. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.