Jobs hold steady in Bedford as median pay reaches £2,712 a month
WageSight Wire · Aug 2026
- Employment
- 89,230 workers (July 2026)
- Monthly change
- +0.1% (+79 workers)
- Annual change
- +42 workers
- Median pay
- £2,712/month (YoY: +4.3%, £112 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +4.5% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£46 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Bedford was broadly stable in July 2026, with 89,230 workers on payroll, 42 more than a year ago.
Across the East of England, payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.2% over the year to July 2026. Bedford ranked 4th of 17 sub-regional areas in the East of England by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Bedford stood at £2,712 in July 2026, up 4.3% over the past year and ahead of inflation at 3.03%. After a period of sharp inflation from 2022 that eroded real earnings, wages have been recovering. Workers in Bedford are now £46 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £2,140 a month. The total pay bill in Bedford rose 4.5% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Bedford outperformed the UK as a whole, where payrolled employment edged down 0.3% over the year to July 2026. Across the UK, 580,736 workers entered payrolled employment in June 2026, the most recently available flow data, while 594,229 left, a net loss of 13,493 workers.
“The employment picture in Bedford 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
East of England — employment and pay
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luton | 108,575 | +0.6% | £2,514 | +5.4% |
| 2 | Thurrock | 85,596 | +0.2% | £2,801 | +4.1% |
| 3 | Essex Haven Gateway | 217,118 | +0.1% | £2,617 | +4.8% |
| 4 | Bedford | 89,230 | +0.0% | £2,712 | +4.3% |
| 5 | Central Bedfordshire | 142,908 | -0.1% | £2,903 | +4.3% |
| 6 | Peterborough | 103,729 | -0.1% | £2,486 | +5.2% |
| 7 | Breckland and South Norfolk | 123,482 | -0.1% | £2,561 | +4.5% |
| 8 | Essex Thames Gateway | 163,581 | -0.1% | £2,804 | +4.8% |
| 9 | West Suffolk | 78,525 | -0.2% | £2,613 | +4.5% |
| 10 | Norwich and East Norfolk | 165,370 | -0.2% | £2,443 | +4.5% |
| 11 | West Essex | 149,933 | -0.4% | £2,839 | +4.6% |
| 12 | Heart of Essex | 152,414 | -0.4% | £2,953 | +4.8% |
| 13 | Cambridgeshire CC | 321,140 | -0.5% | £2,874 | +4.2% |
| 14 | East Suffolk | 97,943 | -0.6% | £2,425 | +4.8% |
| 15 | Southend | 79,648 | -0.6% | £2,719 | +5.3% |
| 16 | Ipswich | 67,053 | -0.8% | £2,467 | +4.2% |
| 17 | North and West Norfolk | 97,369 | -1.0% | £2,398 | +4.9% |
Notes to editors
Figures from WageSight, derived from ONS / HMRC PAYE Real Time Information. Full method at wagesight.com/methodology.
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