WageSight

Jobs hold steady in York as median pay reaches £2,536 a month

WageSight Wire · Jul 2026

Employment
93,782 workers (June 2026)
Monthly change
+0.1% (+58 workers)
Annual change
+0.2% (+228 workers)
Median pay
£2,536/month (YoY: +4.9%, £118 more in cash terms)
Total pay bill
+5.6% on the year
Real pay vs Feb 2022
+£97 better off in real terms

Payrolled employment in York continued to grow in June 2026, with workers up 0.2% year-on-year, 228 more than a year ago, and rising a further 0.1% on the month.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.2% over the year to June 2026. York ranked 2nd of 12 sub-regional areas in Yorkshire and The Humber by employment change over the past year.

The median pay packet for workers in York stood at £2,536 in June 2026, up 4.9% over the past year and ahead of inflation at 2.82%. After a period of sharp inflation from 2022 that eroded real earnings, wages have been recovering. Workers in York are now £97 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £1,945 a month. The total pay bill in York rose 5.6% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.

York outperformed the UK as a whole, where payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.2% over the year to June 2026. Across the UK, 599,257 workers entered payrolled employment in May 2026, the most recently available flow data, while 596,423 left, a net gain of 2,834 workers.

“The employment picture in York is genuinely encouraging. More people in work and real pay rising means households have more money in their pockets. That kind of momentum matters for local businesses and public services alike.”

— Paul Hebden, Director, Campaign Salience

Yorkshire and The Humber — employment and pay

#AreaWorkersJobs (yr)Median payPay (yr)
1Hull122,764+0.3%£2,407+5.6%
3East Riding of Yorkshire148,229+0.2%£2,535+5.0%
4Leeds374,033+0.0%£2,566+4.4%
5Bradford217,492-0.1%£2,349+4.6%
6North and North East Lincolnshire142,843-0.1%£2,440+5.5%
7Doncaster135,268-0.2%£2,439+5.0%
8Calderdale and Kirklees273,619-0.2%£2,459+4.6%
9Wakefield160,042-0.5%£2,555+4.5%
10Barnsley106,577-0.5%£2,456+5.0%
11Rotherham113,503-0.7%£2,442+4.6%
12Sheffield271,863-0.8%unknownunknown

Notes to editors

Figures from WageSight, derived from ONS / HMRC PAYE Real Time Information. Full method at wagesight.com/methodology.

WageSight's newswire places sourced local economic stories — with expert comment — in front of news desks across the UK. To discuss providing commentary for stories in your area or sector, contact [email protected].