Highest Paying Jobs UK 2024: Top 15 Professions by ONS Salary Data

The highest paying professions in the UK: ONS data

Salary data for UK occupations is collected annually by the Office for National Statistics through the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). The 2024 ASHE data, covering April 2024, is the most recent full dataset. All figures below represent median full-time gross annual earnings for employee jobs in each occupation -- they are not self-reported averages and are not skewed by the inclusion of a small number of extreme outliers the way mean figures can be. Median salary means half of workers in that role earn above this figure, half earn below.

Top paying occupations by median full-time salary (ONS ASHE 2024)

1. Medical practitioners (consultants and specialists)
Median salary for consultants: approximately £110,000-£130,000 depending on specialty and NHS band. The 2024 NHS consultant contract starts at £105,504 and rises to £139,882 at the top of the scale. GP partners vary widely based on practice income. Junior doctors earn £32,398 (Foundation Year 1) to £58,398 (ST8 specialty trainee). Medicine requires 5-6 years of undergraduate training plus foundation years and specialty training, making time to peak earnings among the longest of any profession.

2. Aircraft pilots and flight engineers
Median full-time salary approximately £90,000-£100,000. Experienced captains at major carriers (British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair) earn £120,000-£180,000. Demand for experienced pilots has strengthened significantly since post-pandemic airline recovery. Training costs for commercial pilot licences are substantial (£80,000-£120,000) and are not covered by standard student finance.

3. Chief executives and senior officials
ONS ASHE shows the median for this category above £90,000 with the 90th percentile exceeding £200,000. Includes FTSE-listed company executives, NHS trust chief executives, local authority chief executives and third-sector leaders. Compensation packages for FTSE 100 CEOs include significant share and bonus components not fully captured in ASHE salary data.

4. Legal professionals (barristers and solicitors)
Median for qualified solicitors approximately £57,000-£65,000, rising dramatically in Magic Circle and US law firms where newly qualified solicitor salaries reach £125,000-£175,000. Senior King's Counsel barristers command significantly higher earnings. Trainee solicitors at smaller firms may earn £25,000-£35,000 during the training contract period.

5. IT directors and chief technology officers
Median approximately £80,000-£95,000. CTO and CIO roles at large organisations frequently reach £120,000-£200,000. Technology leadership roles are among the fastest-growing high-salary categories in the ONS data, driven by digital transformation programmes across all sectors.

6. Financial managers and directors
Median approximately £70,000-£80,000. CFOs at FTSE 350 companies, finance directors at mid-market businesses and treasury directors in financial services regularly earn £100,000+. The CIMA, ACA and ACCA professional qualifications are the typical routes.

7. Dentists
NHS dentists earn a contract value that varies by NHS Units of Dental Activity (UDA) contracted. Private dentists in high-demand areas earn £70,000-£130,000. Specialist dentists (oral surgeons, periodontists, orthodontists) earn more. Dental training is 5 years undergraduate followed by foundation training.

8. Engineering professionals
Median varies significantly by discipline. Petroleum and energy engineers: £75,000+. Aerospace engineers: £52,000-£70,000. Civil and structural engineers: £45,000-£65,000. Senior chartered engineers command higher rates. Engineering offers strong graduate employment rates and consistent salary growth with experience.

9. Actuaries
Qualified Fellows of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) earn £65,000-£120,000+. The actuarial qualification involves typically 3-5 years of exams alongside employment. Actuaries work primarily in insurance, pensions, investment and risk management. Demand for actuarial skills in data analytics and climate risk is growing.

10. Air traffic controllers
NATS (National Air Traffic Services) controllers earn £50,000-£100,000+ depending on grade and location. Training is employer-funded at NATS and takes 2-3 years. Entry is highly competitive with a small annual intake.

Graduate earnings by subject: IFS data

The Institute for Fiscal Studies tracks graduate earnings outcomes by subject studied and institution, using the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset linking HMRC tax records with education data. Five years after graduation, median earnings by subject (men and women combined):

• Medicine and dentistry: approximately £40,000-£50,000 (still in training; rises sharply as consultants)
• Economics: approximately £38,000-£45,000
• Law: approximately £32,000-£40,000
• Engineering and technology: approximately £35,000-£42,000
• Computing: approximately £34,000-£40,000
• Creative arts: approximately £22,000-£26,000
• Education: approximately £28,000-£32,000

These are medians -- significant variation exists within each subject depending on institution, individual performance and career choices. The IFS graduate earnings data is published on the Longitudinal Education Outcomes website and updated annually.

Regional variation

ONS ASHE 2024 data shows London and the South East consistently record higher median salaries across all occupations than other regions. London median full-time weekly earnings are approximately 27% above the UK median. However, London's cost of living -- particularly housing -- substantially erodes this differential. A salary of £55,000 in London and £45,000 in Leeds may deliver comparable net purchasing power after housing costs.

Apprenticeship routes to high-paying careers

Degree-level and higher apprenticeships in engineering, law, finance and technology increasingly lead to salaries comparable with traditional graduate routes, without tuition fee debt. Solicitor apprenticeships at major law firms qualify to the same level as the LPC/SQE route with full salary during training. Chartered accountancy apprenticeships offer ACA/ACCA qualification funded by the employer. The Department for Education publishes earnings data by apprenticeship framework on the National Achievement Rate Tables.

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest paying degree subject in the UK?

Medicine and dentistry produce the highest lifetime earnings of any degree subject according to IFS research, followed by economics, law and engineering. The premium is particularly large compared to not going to university at all. However, medicine and law both involve long training periods with relatively low earnings in the early years.

What are the highest paying jobs without a degree?

ONS ASHE data shows airline pilots, air traffic controllers, train drivers (approximately £60,000 at experienced level), police inspectors and some skilled trades (gas engineers, electricians in commercial settings) can earn £40,000-£80,000 without a degree. Skilled trades in shortage areas command premium rates in the current labour market.

How do UK salaries compare internationally?

UK salaries for most professional roles sit below equivalent US salaries but above most European equivalents when adjusted for purchasing power. The gap is widest in technology: US big-tech base salaries for software engineers frequently run 2-3 times UK equivalents. In medicine and law, UK salaries compare more favourably with European peers.

When do doctors reach their peak salary?

NHS consultants reach the top of the consultant pay scale typically 10-15 years after qualifying as a doctor, depending on specialty training length. A medical student entering in 2025 would not typically reach consultant level until their mid-30s. The highest-earning doctors are those in private practice alongside NHS work, particularly in surgical specialties.