Highest ASHE median
£107,712
Airline pilots · #1
🇬🇧ONS ASHE ASHE 2025 (provisional)
Highest Paying Jobs in UK
Ranked national median wages from ONS ASHE ASHE 2025 (provisional) for 63 occupations — from Airline pilots (£107,712) to Dental nurses (£22,615). Compare any two careers, see hourly equivalents, and modeled take-home at each median in England, Wales & NI and Scotland.
By Sammy S. · Founder · AuthorUpdated for 2026
£107,712
#1 · Airline pilots
63
Occupations tracked
15+
Featured compare pairs
2
Take-home · RUK · Scotland
Lowest in this set
£22,615
Dental nurses · #63
Software developers
£55,587
£26.72/hr · rank #16
E/W/NI take-home at SW median
£42,798
vs SN £33,108
Key finding: ASHE medians + take-home
Airline pilots lead our ASHE 2025 (provisional) table at £107,712 median; Dental nurses rank last at £22,615 among 63 tracked occupations. Software developers (£55,587) vs specialist nurses (£41,095) is one of the most searched tech-vs-care corridors.
ONS ASHE ASHE 2025 (provisional) national medians; take-home uses 2026 paycheck model. Data refreshed 2026-08-26.
Key takeaways
- Software developers vs Specialist nurses: £55,587 vs £41,095 ASHE medians — £42,798 vs £33,108 modeled take-home in England, Wales & NI.
- Airline pilots top the ASHE 2025 (provisional) full-time employee median at £107,712 — about £51.78/hr full-time.
- Take-home columns apply our paycheck model at each ASHE median in England, Wales & NI and Scotland.
- Medians are UK-wide ASHE figures for PAYE employees — London COL and nation-specific licensing can move real offers far above or below these anchors.
- Pair any two occupations below, then open profiles for percentile spreads and calculator deep links.
What this hub covers
This hub ranks 63 UK occupations by ONS ASHE 2025 (provisional) full-time employee national median annual gross pay — the midpoint where half of PAYE employees in that SOC earn more and half earn less.
Each row links to an occupation profile with ONS source links, hourly equivalents, and modeled take-home at the median in England, Wales & NI and Scotland.
Compare pages pit any two careers head-to-head: gross median gap, hourly spread, rank, and a two-nation take-home ladder using the same paycheck rules as our UK calculator.
The US hub uses BLS OEWS medians and the Canada hub uses Job Bank / StatCan medians — same ranking, compare, and profile pattern. Australia is live with ABS EEH averages; New Zealand is live with Stats NZ HLFS major-group medians; Ireland is live with CSO SES medians.
Compare any two careers
Pick two occupations to see ASHE median wage gaps, hourly equivalents, and take-home in England, Wales & NI and Scotland.
Featured career comparisons
Software developersvsSpecialist nurses
£14,492 median gap · £55,587 vs £41,095
Software developersvsNurse practitioners
£14,195 median gap · £55,587 vs £41,392
Cyber securityvsSoftware developers
£771 median gap · £54,816 vs £55,587
Data analystsvsSoftware developers
£17,480 median gap · £38,107 vs £55,587
SolicitorsvsAccountants
£7,776 median gap · £53,314 vs £45,538
Medical specialistsvsNurse practitioners
£47,605 median gap · £88,997 vs £41,392
Airline pilotsvsSoftware developers
£52,125 median gap · £107,712 vs £55,587
IT directorsvsSoftware developers
£34,494 median gap · £90,081 vs £55,587
Financial managersvsAccountants
£19,798 median gap · £65,336 vs £45,538
Rankings by ASHE median (ASHE 2025 (provisional))
63 occupations sorted by national median annual wage. Take-home columns apply our 2026 paycheck model at each median — single taxpayer, income tax + employee National Insurance.
| # | Occupation | ASHE median | E/W/NI take-homeat median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aircraft pilots and air traffic controllersTransportation · SOC 3511 | £107,712 | £71,488 |
| 2 | Information technology directorsManagement · SOC 1137 | £90,081 | £62,804 |
| 3 | Marketing, sales and advertising directorsManagement · SOC 1132 | £90,000 | £62,757 |
| 4 | Chief executives and senior officialsManagement · SOC 1111 | £89,835 | £62,662 |
| 5 | Specialist medical practitionersHealthcare · SOC 2212 | £88,997 | £62,176 |
| 6 | Train and tram driversTransportation · SOC 8231 | £76,176 | £54,739 |
| 7 | Head teachers and principalsEducation · SOC 2321 | £70,977 | £51,724 |
| 8 | Functional managers and directors n.e.c.Management · SOC 1139 | £69,996 | £51,155 |
| 9 | Senior police officersPublic service · SOC 1162 | £66,514 | £49,136 |
| 10 | Financial managers and directorsManagement · SOC 1131 | £65,336 | £48,452 |
| 11 | Electrical engineersEngineering · SOC 2123 | £59,930 | £45,317 |
| 12 | IT business analysts, architects and systems designersTechnology · SOC 2133 | £59,593 | £45,121 |
| 13 | IT project managersTechnology · SOC 2131 | £58,016 | £44,207 |
| 14 | Business and financial project management professionalsBusiness & finance · SOC 2440 | £57,874 | £44,124 |
| 15 | Aerospace engineersEngineering · SOC 2126 | £55,817 | £42,931 |
| 16 | Programmers and software development professionalsTechnology · SOC 2134 | £55,587 | £42,798 |
| 17 | IT managersTechnology · SOC 2132 | £55,502 | £42,749 |
| 18 | Production managers and directors in constructionManagement · SOC 1122 | £54,947 | £42,427 |
| 19 | Cyber security professionalsTechnology · SOC 2135 | £54,816 | £42,351 |
| 20 | Human resource managers and directorsManagement · SOC 1136 | £54,474 | £42,152 |
| 21 | Solicitors and lawyersLegal · SOC 2412 | £53,314 | £41,480 |
| 22 | Management consultants and business analystsBusiness & finance · SOC 2431 | £51,729 | £40,560 |
| 23 | Actuaries, economists and statisticiansBusiness & finance · SOC 2433 | £51,520 | £40,439 |
| 24 | BrokersBusiness & finance · SOC 3531 | £51,026 | £40,152 |
| 25 | Civil engineersEngineering · SOC 2121 | £50,602 | £39,907 |
| 26 | Mechanical engineersEngineering · SOC 2122 | £50,594 | £39,902 |
| 27 | Marketing and commercial managersBusiness & finance · SOC 2432 | £50,589 | £39,899 |
| 28 | Information technology professionals n.e.c.Technology · SOC 2139 | £50,459 | £39,824 |
| 29 | ParamedicsHealthcare · SOC 2255 | £50,294 | £39,728 |
| 30 | Finance and investment analysts and advisersBusiness & finance · SOC 2422 | £47,776 | £37,918 |
| 31 | PharmacistsHealthcare · SOC 2251 | £47,508 | £37,725 |
| 32 | Police officers (sergeant and below)Public service · SOC 3312 | £46,917 | £37,300 |
| 33 | Crane driversTransportation · SOC 8221 | £46,392 | £36,922 |
| 34 | Clinical psychologistsHealthcare · SOC 2225 | £45,954 | £36,606 |
| 35 | ArchitectsEngineering · SOC 2451 | £45,625 | £36,370 |
| 36 | Chartered and certified accountantsBusiness & finance · SOC 2421 | £45,538 | £36,307 |
| 37 | VeterinariansHealthcare · SOC 2240 | £45,362 | £36,180 |
| 38 | Medical radiographersHealthcare · SOC 2254 | £44,324 | £35,433 |
| 39 | Secondary education teaching professionalsEducation · SOC 2313 | £44,246 | £35,377 |
| 40 | Biological scientistsEngineering · SOC 2112 | £43,781 | £35,042 |
| 41 | Social workersLegal · SOC 2461 | £42,708 | £34,269 |
| 42 | Primary education teaching professionalsEducation · SOC 2314 | £42,031 | £33,782 |
| 43 | Nurse practitionersHealthcare · SOC 2234 | £41,392 | £33,322 |
| 44 | Specialist nursesHealthcare · SOC 2233 | £41,095 | £33,108 |
| 45 | Mental health nursesHealthcare · SOC 2235 | £40,028 | £32,340 |
| 46 | Midwifery nursesHealthcare · SOC 2231 | £39,327 | £31,835 |
| 47 | Electricians and electrical fittersEngineering · SOC 5241 | £39,187 | £31,734 |
| 48 | Data analystsTechnology · SOC 3544 | £38,107 | £30,957 |
| 49 | PhysiotherapistsHealthcare · SOC 2221 | £37,917 | £30,820 |
| 50 | Occupational therapistsHealthcare · SOC 2222 | £37,201 | £30,304 |
| 51 | Plumbers & heating and ventilating installers and repairersEngineering · SOC 5315 | £36,563 | £29,845 |
| 52 | Welding tradesEngineering · SOC 5213 | £34,742 | £28,534 |
| 53 | Barristers and judgesLegal · SOC 2411 | £34,253 | £28,182 |
| 54 | Other psychologistsHealthcare · SOC 2226 | £34,250 | £28,180 |
| 55 | Bus and coach driversTransportation · SOC 8212 | £33,947 | £27,961 |
| 56 | Legal associate professionalsLegal · SOC 3520 | £32,438 | £26,875 |
| 57 | Prison service officers (below principal officer)Public service · SOC 3314 | £31,603 | £26,274 |
| 58 | Graphic and multimedia designersTechnology · SOC 2142 | £31,236 | £26,010 |
| 59 | Medical and dental techniciansHealthcare · SOC 3213 | £29,119 | £24,485 |
| 60 | Air travel assistantsTransportation · SOC 6213 | £28,808 | £24,261 |
| 61 | Pharmaceutical techniciansHealthcare · SOC 3212 | £28,381 | £23,954 |
| 62 | Estate agents and auctioneersBusiness & finance · SOC 3555 | £26,988 | £22,951 |
| 63 | Dental nursesHealthcare · SOC 6133 | £22,615 | £19,802 |
Median wages by industry category
Management and specialist roles dominate the top tier; education and nursing roles anchor the lower end of this curated set.
Transportation
5 occupations tracked
- Top
- Airline pilots · £107,712
- Lower in set
- Air travel assistants · £28,808
Management
7 occupations tracked
- Top
- IT directors · £90,081
- Lower in set
- HR managers · £54,474
Healthcare
16 occupations tracked
- Top
- Medical specialists · £88,997
- Lower in set
- Dental nurses · £22,615
Education
3 occupations tracked
- Top
- Head teachers · £70,977
- Lower in set
- Primary teachers · £42,031
Public service
3 occupations tracked
- Top
- Senior police · £66,514
- Lower in set
- Prison officers · £31,603
Engineering
9 occupations tracked
- Top
- Electrical engineers · £59,930
- Lower in set
- Welders · £34,742
Technology
8 occupations tracked
- Top
- IT business analysts · £59,593
- Lower in set
- Graphic designers · £31,236
Business & finance
8 occupations tracked
- Top
- Project managers · £57,874
- Lower in set
- Estate agents · £26,988
Legal
4 occupations tracked
- Top
- Solicitors · £53,314
- Lower in set
- Legal associates · £32,438
Top 5 medians
- #1Airline pilots£107,712
- #2IT directors£90,081
- #3Marketing directors£90,000
- #4Chief executives£89,835
- #5Medical specialists£88,997
Lowest 5 in this set
- #63Dental nurses£22,615
- #62Estate agents£26,988
- #61Pharmacy technicians£28,381
- #60Air travel assistants£28,808
- #59Medical & dental technicians£29,119
How to read this ranking
1Step 1
Read the median rank
Occupations sort by ONS ASHE full-time employee national median annual gross pay (highest first). #1 is the highest published median in this set.
2Step 2
Scan take-home columns
England, Wales & NI and Scotland show modeled take-home for a single taxpayer at each median — income tax, employee National Insurance, and Scottish bands where they apply.
3Step 3
Compare two careers
Use the pair picker or featured corridors (software vs nursing, solicitors vs accountants) for wage gaps, hourly equivalents, and nation take-home ladders.
4Step 4
Model your offer
Open an occupation profile or the UK paycheck calculator for tax code, pension contributions, and Scotland vs rest-of-UK inputs.
Software developers vs specialist nurses
ONS ASHE 2025 (provisional) lists software developers at £55,587 (£26.72/hr) and specialist nurses at £41,095 (£19.76/hr) — a £14,492 median gap. At those medians, modeled England, Wales & NI take-home is £42,798 vs £33,108; Scotland's income tax bands move net pay to £41,136 vs £33,032.
How Scotland vs England/Wales/NI tax changes take-home at the same ASHE median
Gross medians ignore nation. These four occupations show modeled take-home for a single taxpayer when gross equals the published ASHE median — England, Wales & NI vs Scotland.
| Occupation | ASHE median | E/W/NI take-home | Scotland take-home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief executives | £89,835 | £62,662 | £59,870 |
| Software developers | £55,587 | £42,798 | £41,136 |
| Specialist nurses | £41,095 | £33,108 | £33,032 |
| Secondary teachers | £44,246 | £35,377 | £35,147 |
Scottish income tax bands typically shift annual take-home by £1,662 or more versus England, Wales & NI at the same gross median — before rent, commuting, or pension. National Insurance remains UK-wide.
Learn: medians, SOC codes, and take-home
Median vs total compensation
ASHE cash-wage medians exclude many share schemes, profit sharing, and some bonuses. Tech and finance total pay often runs above ASHE medians even when base salary matches.
Why RUK anchors take-home
England, Wales and Northern Ireland share the same HMRC income tax bands, so RUK is our primary take-home column — a cleaner baseline before you compare Scotland's distinct bands.
Education and licensing
Medical specialists, barristers, and pilots require years of training; teaching and nursing rows show how credential barriers interact with published medians.
Percentiles vs median
The median is the 50th percentile — half earn more, half earn less. ASHE 10th and 90th percentiles (when published) show how wide pay is inside one SOC title.
PAYE employees only
ASHE focuses on employee (PAYE) earnings. Self-employed consultants, partners, and sole traders sit outside these occupation medians — especially relevant for medical specialists.
Geography matters
National medians blend high-COL London with regional markets. A City tech offer and a regional NHS role can both be 'typical' while far from the national midpoint.
Myths vs facts
Myth: Highest median always means highest lifetime earnings.
Fact: Career length, unemployment risk, student debt, and pensions vary by field. A lower-median teaching row can still win on TPS pension or term-time patterns not in ASHE cash wages.
Myth: ASHE medians match every job posting.
Fact: ASHE aggregates PAYE employee reports nationally. A senior staff engineer in London can exceed the software developer median while an entry role sits below it.
Myth: Take-home at median is your paycheck.
Fact: The take-home columns are a standardized single-taxpayer model at the published median. Your tax code, pension, student loan plan, and nation change the result.
Myth: Gross median gap equals lifestyle gap.
Fact: A higher-paying occupation in London can net less than a lower median in a lower-rent region after housing. Pair wage tables with metro paycheck and relocation tools.
Myth: Medical specialist ASHE medians match consultant private practice.
Fact: Specialist medical practitioner medians here are employee ASHE figures for PAYE roles. Self-employed consultants and private practice income can differ substantially from these employee medians.
Glossary
- Median wage
- Half of full-time employees in the occupation earn more and half earn less. ONS ASHE publishes UK medians by SOC code — not mean/average.
- SOC code
- Standard Occupational Classification — the taxonomy ONS uses so software developers (2134) and specialist nurses (2233) stay comparable across surveys.
- Hourly equivalent
- Annual median ÷ 2,080 full-time hours per year — a display convention for comparing salaried roles to hourly offers.
- Take-home at median
- Our paycheck model applied to the ASHE median gross — single taxpayer, personal allowance, income tax + employee National Insurance for the reference nation (Scotland uses Scottish income tax bands).
- E/W/NI (rest of UK)
- England, Wales and Northern Ireland share the same HMRC income tax bands. Our primary take-home column uses those bands; Scotland uses Revenue Scotland bands. Employee National Insurance is UK-wide.
- National vs local
- These medians are UK-wide ASHE figures. London software medians and regional nurse medians can diverge sharply — use metro paycheck examples (UK) for city context.
Who this helps
Career changers
Compare published medians and modeled take-home before committing to a degree or bootcamp path.
Students & parents
See how medical, nursing, tech, and teaching medians stack nationally — then filter by category.
Recruiters & coaches
Ground offer conversations in ONS ASHE anchors instead of anecdotal Glassdoor screenshots.
Career salary checklist
- Match the SOC title to the job posting — software developers ≠ IT project managers
- Read the hourly column when comparing salaried roles to hourly offers
- Check England, Wales & NI and Scotland take-home columns if relocation is possible
- Open the occupation profile for percentile spreads when ASHE publishes them
- Model your exact offer in the UK paycheck calculator — median vignettes are anchors only
- Pair high medians with training debt and licensing timelines before choosing a path
Common mistakes
- ✕Using national medians as entry-level or senior offers without reading percentiles
- ✕Comparing total compensation (base + bonus + shares) to cash-wage ASHE medians
- ✕Ignoring Scottish income tax when two occupations have similar gross medians
- ✕Assuming the highest median occupation is best without hours, shift work, or on-call schedules
- ✕Treating medical specialist ASHE employee medians as self-employed consultant income
- ✕Skipping metro tables when the employer names a specific city
vs other salary & tax tools
| Topic | This hub | Related tool |
|---|---|---|
| Output | ASHE median wage rank + take-home at median | Take-home by UK nation — Fixed salary across UK nations |
| NI modelling | Employee NI inside take-home columns | National Insurance calculator — Class 1 employee NI detail |
| City context | UK-wide ASHE medians | Metro paycheck examples — Major UK cities at £100k |
| Gross from net | Occupation vs occupation | Net to gross calculator — Reverse PAYE from take-home target |
Planning tips
- Cross-check metro paycheck examples (UK) when the offer names a specific city.
- Use take-home pay by UK nation when Scotland vs rest-of-UK relocation is on the table.
- Pair wage comparisons with National Insurance modelling when paycheck structure changes.
- Open the paycheck calculator with your tax code and pension — the median vignette is a starting anchor.
- Compare two careers side-by-side before committing to a multi-year degree or certification path.
Highest paying jobs FAQs
On ONS ASHE 2025 (provisional) full-time employee medians in our table, Airline pilots lead at £107,712. Dental nurses anchor the lower end of this curated set at £22,615.
ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025 provisional, full-time employees. Each occupation cites the ASHE dataset. Take-home uses our 2026 UK paycheck model at the published median.
Yes. The Scotland column uses Scottish income tax bands. England, Wales & NI share HMRC bands. Employee National Insurance is UK-wide in both columns.
Yes — use the pair picker on this page or open a featured corridor like software developers vs specialist nurses. Compare pages show wage gaps, hourly equivalents, and take-home in both reference nations.
Healthcare spans mid-to-high ASHE employee medians across specialties and nursing roles. ONS uses separate SOC codes so you can compare medical specialist paths, specialist nurses, and nurse practitioners apples-to-apples. Note medical specialist medians are employee ASHE figures — self-employed consultants differ.
We divide the ASHE annual median by 2,080 full-time hours for an hourly equivalent display.
Yes — see Highest paying jobs US (BLS OEWS), Highest paying jobs Canada (Job Bank / StatCan), Highest paying jobs Australia (ABS EEH averages), Highest paying jobs New Zealand (Stats NZ HLFS), and Highest paying jobs Ireland (CSO SES) for the same ranking, compare, and profile pattern.
Yes — this hub maps common UK profession salary searches to the closest SOC 2020 unit group with a published ASHE full-time median (for example software engineer salary → programmers and software development professionals, cyber security salary → cyber security professionals, teacher salary → secondary education teaching professionals).
ONS ASHE publishes software developer spreads: low £30,752, median £55,587, high £101,172 (ASHE 2025 (provisional)).