Jobs hold steady in Leeds as median pay reaches £2,578 a month
WageSight Wire · Aug 2026
- Employment
- 374,185 workers (July 2026)
- Monthly change
- +0.1% (+215 workers)
- Annual change
- +129 workers
- Median pay
- £2,578/month (YoY: +4.2%, £104 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +4.4% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£51 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Leeds was broadly stable in July 2026, with 374,185 workers on payroll, 129 more than a year ago.
Across Yorkshire and The Humber, payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.2% over the year to July 2026. Leeds ranked 4th of 12 sub-regional areas in Yorkshire and The Humber by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Leeds stood at £2,578 in July 2026, up 4.2% 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 Leeds are now £51 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £2,026 a month. The total pay bill in Leeds rose 4.4% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Leeds 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 Leeds 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
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North and North East Lincolnshire | 142,989 | +0.1% | £2,444 | +4.5% |
| 2 | East Riding of Yorkshire | 148,101 | +0.1% | £2,551 | +4.9% |
| 3 | Hull | 122,683 | +0.1% | £2,423 | +5.5% |
| 4 | Leeds | 374,185 | +0.0% | £2,578 | +4.2% |
| 5 | York | 93,572 | +0.0% | £2,548 | +4.6% |
| 6 | Doncaster | 135,268 | -0.2% | £2,439 | +5.0% |
| 7 | Bradford | 217,263 | -0.2% | £2,361 | +4.5% |
| 8 | Calderdale and Kirklees | 273,178 | -0.3% | £2,474 | +4.4% |
| 9 | Barnsley | 106,577 | -0.5% | £2,456 | +5.0% |
| 10 | Rotherham | 113,503 | -0.7% | £2,442 | +4.6% |
| 11 | Wakefield | 159,598 | -0.8% | £2,577 | +4.4% |
| 12 | Sheffield | 271,688 | -0.9% | unknown | unknown |
Notes to editors
Figures from WageSight, derived from ONS / HMRC PAYE Real Time Information. Full method at wagesight.com/methodology.
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