Boston jobs show signs of recovery as median pay reaches £2,359 a month
WageSight Wire · Jul 2026
- Employment
- 35,354 workers (May 2026)
- Monthly change
- +0.4% (+130 workers)
- Annual change
- -0.7% (-254 workers)
- Median pay
- £2,359/month (YoY: +3.8%, £87 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +3.8% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£80 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Boston fell 0.7% over the year to May 2026, with 35,354 workers on payroll. However, in the most recent month employers added 130 workers, a tentative sign that confidence may be returning.
Across the East Midlands, payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.3% over the year to May 2026. Boston ranked 35th of 40 towns and cities in the East Midlands by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Boston stood at £2,359 in May 2026, up 3.8% over the past year and ahead of inflation at 2.97%. After a period of sharp inflation from 2022 that eroded real earnings, wages have been recovering. Workers in Boston are now £80 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £1,824 a month. The total pay bill in Boston rose 3.8% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Nationally, payrolled employment edged down 0.4% over the year to May 2026. Across the UK, 539,199 workers entered payrolled employment in April 2026, the most recently available flow data, while 591,851 left, a net loss of 52,652 workers.
“After a sustained period of pressure on household finances, we’re starting to see the dial turn in Boston. Employment is holding up and pay is beginning to outpace inflation. It’s early, but these are the right signals.”
— Paul Hebden, Director, Campaign Salience
East Midlands — employment and pay
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kettering | 51,209 | +0.9% | £2,613 | +4.8% |
| 2 | North West Leicestershire | 50,642 | +0.8% | £2,679 | +4.2% |
| 3 | Melton | 23,165 | +0.6% | £2,522 | +5.3% |
| 4 | Wellingborough | 40,805 | +0.6% | £2,532 | +4.1% |
| 5 | Rushcliffe | 53,989 | +0.4% | £2,855 | +4.5% |
| 6 | Harborough | 45,269 | +0.3% | £2,723 | +5.1% |
| 7 | Charnwood | 81,770 | +0.2% | £2,562 | +4.3% |
| 8 | South Derbyshire | 52,732 | +0.1% | £2,700 | +4.4% |
| 9 | Gedling | 53,387 | +0.1% | £2,563 | +4.4% |
| 10 | Hinckley and Bosworth | 52,379 | +0.1% | £2,662 | +4.9% |
| 11 | Blaby | 48,307 | +0.0% | £2,643 | +4.8% |
| 12 | West Lindsey | 39,795 | +0.0% | £2,530 | +4.7% |
| 13 | East Lindsey | 51,596 | -0.1% | £2,243 | +5.1% |
| 14 | Ashfield | 56,952 | -0.1% | £2,492 | +4.8% |
| 15 | Daventry | 41,291 | -0.2% | £2,729 | +4.2% |
| 16 | Broxtowe | 50,452 | -0.2% | £2,628 | +4.7% |
| 17 | North Kesteven | 53,178 | -0.2% | £2,658 | +5.1% |
| 18 | Oadby and Wigston | 25,754 | -0.2% | £2,494 | +5.4% |
| 19 | Northampton | 119,520 | -0.3% | £2,525 | +3.9% |
| 20 | Newark and Sherwood | 54,278 | -0.3% | £2,501 | +4.7% |
| 21 | South Holland | 42,831 | -0.3% | £2,504 | +5.0% |
| 22 | North East Derbyshire | 43,571 | -0.3% | £2,522 | +4.9% |
| 23 | Bassetlaw | 52,707 | -0.3% | £2,484 | +5.0% |
| 24 | Derby | 118,991 | -0.4% | £2,499 | +4.8% |
| 25 | Mansfield | 50,173 | -0.4% | £2,445 | +4.1% |
| 26 | South Northamptonshire | 46,323 | -0.4% | £2,882 | +4.3% |
| 27 | Amber Valley | 56,608 | -0.5% | £2,563 | +4.5% |
| 28 | Erewash | 51,573 | -0.5% | £2,525 | +4.8% |
| 29 | Bolsover | 36,541 | -0.6% | £2,479 | +5.1% |
| 30 | Derbyshire Dales | 29,179 | -0.6% | £2,443 | +4.1% |
| 31 | Leicester | 169,446 | -0.6% | £2,301 | +5.1% |
| 32 | Nottingham | 134,220 | -0.6% | £2,354 | +4.4% |
| 33 | Chesterfield | 45,512 | -0.7% | £2,455 | +4.6% |
| 34 | Rutland | 15,880 | -0.7% | £2,639 | +4.7% |
| 35 | Boston | 35,354 | -0.7% | £2,359 | +3.8% |
| 36 | Corby | 38,403 | -0.7% | £2,525 | +4.3% |
| 37 | East Northamptonshire | 43,169 | -0.7% | £2,655 | +4.4% |
| 38 | Lincoln | 47,383 | -0.8% | £2,410 | +5.2% |
| 39 | High Peak | 40,498 | -0.9% | £2,567 | +4.0% |
| 40 | South Kesteven | 63,890 | -0.9% | £2,535 | +3.9% |
Notes to editors
Figures from WageSight, derived from ONS / HMRC PAYE Real Time Information. Full method at wagesight.com/methodology.
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