UK salary percentile
The median individual income in 2026/27 sits around £28,900, based on HMRC's percentile points for total income and ONS earnings statistics. A £45,000 income sits at roughly the 81th percentile, an estimate of being higher than about 81% of UK adults on this measure.
How is my income percentile calculated?
A percentile is the share of people who earn less than a given income, according to HMRC's percentile points for total income.
Sitting at the 50th percentile means an income is exactly the median, the point where half of adults earn more and half earn less.
Sitting at the 90th percentile means nine in ten people earn less, which is the same as sitting in the top 10%.
This tool places an entered income between the published ONS and HMRC reference points, then reads off the matching percentile.
The shape of the income distribution matters as much as any single position on it.
Most people are clustered fairly close together around the middle, so a modest pay rise there moves someone up several percentiles.
Near the top the gaps widen sharply, and ONS and HMRC data show the distance in pounds between the 90th and 99th percentile dwarfs everything below.
That is why a comfortable top-10% income can still sit a long way from the very top, and why the average income sits well above the median.
What percentile does an example income reach?
Take a £45,000 income as an example.
On these ONS and HMRC reference points it lands around the 81th percentile, an estimate of being higher than roughly 81% of adults, placing it in about the top 19%.
Pushing the figure up towards £70,000 approaches the top 5%, since the numbers climb steeply once the 90th percentile is passed.
Common questions
What percentile is my salary?
Your percentile is the share of people who earn less than you. Enter your income and the tool places it against published percentile points for individual pre-tax income. Earning more than 80% of people, for instance, puts you at the 80th percentile, or the top 20%.
What is the median UK income?
The median is the middle point, where half earn more and half earn less. In this dataset it sits around £28,900 for individual income. The median matters more than the average, because a small number of very high earners drags the average well above what most people actually get.
Is this household or individual income?
These reference points are for individual income before tax, not household income. Two average earners in one home would each be judged separately here. Household measures look very different, because they combine incomes and adjust for how many people the money supports.
Why does a high salary still not feel high?
Because the top of the distribution stretches a long way. The jump from the 90th to the 99th percentile is huge in pounds, so someone comfortably in the top 10% can still be far below the people at the very top. Being above average is common; being near the peak is rare and costly to reach.
How accurate are these figures?
They are a guide, not a precise ranking. The percentile points are illustrative and should be refreshed from the latest ONS and HMRC releases, which lag by a year or two and are revised. Use the result to get a sense of where you stand, not as an exact national position.
How is my income percentile calculated?
A percentile is the share of adults who earn less than a given income, based on HMRC's percentile points for total income and ONS earnings data. Sitting at the 50th percentile means an income matches the median, where half of adults earn more and half earn less. This tool places any entered income between the published reference points and reads off the matching percentile, giving an estimate of where it stands nationally.
What percentile does an example income reach?
On these ONS and HMRC reference points, a £45,000 income lands around the 81th percentile, an estimate of being higher than roughly 81% of UK adults on individual pre-tax income. That places the figure in about the top 19% nationally. Percentiles near the top move quickly, so a higher income can climb several percentile points at once.
Sources & Rate Verification
Rates verified against official statutory guidance on 6 September 2026.