Official pay data
Updated 9 October 2026
Salary guide
Official annual estimates for the whole country, mapped to the closest published occupation.
United Kingdom · gross annual earnings estimate
25th percentile
£36,192
Median
£42,300
75th percentile
£49,866
This ASHE benchmark covers full-time employee jobs, not self-employed income or part-time jobs. ASHE gross earnings include basic pay, overtime, incentive pay such as bonuses and commissions, shift premiums, and other cash pay. They are before deductions, exclude payments in kind, and are not take-home pay or the whole benefits package. Compare the benchmark with an offer on the same working-hours and annual-pay basis.
This is a country-level occupation benchmark, not a local offer estimate. Pay can differ by location, employer, duties, and working pattern.
Source: ONS, 2025-04-30. Mapped to Other nursing professionals; the occupation is broader than the page role. Figures are estimates, not advertised salaries.
This national benchmark uses the broad occupation "Other nursing professionals" for a Nurse role. It is a useful comparison because nursing work includes assessment, care planning, monitoring, record keeping and collaboration with patients, families and healthcare colleagues. It is not a salary estimate for a particular nursing field, post or set of clinical duties.
Benchmark fit
The benchmark is a broad fit for nurses because it covers an occupation that overlaps with core nursing work: assessing needs, planning and delivering care, monitoring progress, maintaining records and working with the wider healthcare team.
Use the figures as an occupational benchmark, not as a precise estimate for a specialist assignment or a particular employer's role.
Role scope
Nurses assess needs, plan and deliver care, monitor progress, and work with patients, families and multidisciplinary teams within their permitted clinical scope.
Assess nursing-care needs and use the information gathered to plan care. · Monitor progress and maintain or update patient records as part of care delivery. · Work with the wider healthcare team and advise patients and families within the role's scope. · In adult-nurse posts, duties can include treatment and care plans, permitted medicines, wound care and setting up drips.
Individualised care plans informed by assessment. · Updated patient records and communication with the wider healthcare team.
Read the range
When comparing an offer, read the job description for the actual care responsibility: assessment and planning, progress monitoring, records, patient and family communication, and team working. Some adult-nurse posts may also include specified clinical tasks, but those examples do not define every nurse role.
One quarter of employees earn below this figure.
Half of employees earn below this figure and half above it; it is not the arithmetic midpoint of the displayed range.
One quarter of employees earn above this figure.
Location
Supplementary regional benchmark figures are available for selected UK regions, alongside the national occupation benchmark.
| Region | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| East | Not published | £42,557 | Not published |
| East Midlands | Not published | £39,216 | Not published |
| London | Not published | £47,282 | Not published |
| North East | Not published | £40,832 | Not published |
| North West | Not published | £39,501 | Not published |
| Scotland | Not published | £45,024 | Not published |
| South East | Not published | £42,038 | Not published |
| South West | Not published | £41,660 | Not published |
| Wales | Not published | £40,493 | Not published |
| West Midlands | Not published | £40,594 | Not published |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Not published | £39,071 | Not published |
A regional figure is still a benchmark, not a local offer estimate; pay can differ by location, employer, duties and working pattern.
Beyond salary
Compare the offer on the same annual pay and working-hours basis as the benchmark. Separate fixed pay from overtime, shift premiums, bonuses, commission or other conditional cash, then assess benefits on their own stated terms.
Add expected overtime, shift premiums, bonuses, commission and other cash pay to fixed pay, then compare that annual total on matched hours.
Ask which payments are conditional, how overtime or shift premiums are calculated, and whether any bonus or commission has eligibility rules.
Ask for the terms of any pension, health cover, leave or equity separately, because benefits in kind are not part of gross earnings.
Offer review
Questions
Source
Source: ONS, 2025-04-30. The figures cover Other nursing professionals (2237) and full time employee jobs. Updated 9 October 2026. This broad occupation benchmark may not match every Nurse vacancy.
Put the benchmark to work
Use the salary range as context. Tailor your CV around the experience that supports your target level.
