Jobs hold steady in Bristol, City of as median pay reaches £2,692 a month
WageSight Wire · Aug 2026
- Employment
- 231,546 workers (July 2026)
- Monthly change
- +0.1% (+281 workers)
- Annual change
- +3 workers
- Median pay
- £2,692/month (YoY: +3.9%, £101 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +5.3% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£53 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Bristol, City of was broadly stable in July 2026, with 231,546 workers on payroll, 3 more than a year ago.
Across the South West, payrolled employment edged down 0.3% over the year to July 2026. Bristol, City of ranked 1st of 12 sub-regional areas in the South West by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Bristol, City of stood at £2,692 in July 2026, up 3.9% 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 Bristol, City of are now £53 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £2,116 a month. The total pay bill in Bristol, City of rose 5.3% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Bristol, City of 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.
“Bristol is outperforming the national picture and stronger employment and better pay growth points to a local economy that is working well for all. Understanding what’s driving that is as important as celebrating it.”
— Paul Hebden, Director, Campaign Salience
South West — employment and pay
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bristol | 231,546 | +0.0% | £2,692 | +3.9% |
| 2 | North Somerset | 99,974 | -0.1% | £2,600 | +4.2% |
| 3 | Wiltshire | 230,860 | -0.1% | £2,663 | +4.4% |
| 4 | Swindon | 116,304 | -0.2% | £2,692 | +4.4% |
| 5 | Gloucestershire CC | 289,893 | -0.2% | £2,595 | +4.6% |
| 6 | Devon CC | 329,665 | -0.3% | £2,421 | +4.8% |
| 7 | Somerset | 245,493 | -0.3% | £2,530 | +5.4% |
| 8 | Torbay | 54,611 | -0.4% | £2,330 | +5.0% |
| 9 | Cornwall and Isles of Scilly | 229,272 | -0.4% | £2,347 | +5.1% |
| 10 | Plymouth | 119,420 | -0.4% | £2,535 | +4.9% |
| 11 | Dorset | 151,099 | -0.5% | £2,412 | +4.6% |
| 12 | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 175,117 | -1.2% | £2,508 | +4.6% |
Notes to editors
Figures from WageSight, derived from ONS / HMRC PAYE Real Time Information. Full method at wagesight.com/methodology.
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