Adult Nurse Salary in Scotland
Official ONS earnings for Scotland, covering 77,000 jobs.
Median salary — Scotland
£35,468
gross, per year, all employees
▼ 2.3% change on the previous year
Mean
£34,601
Jobs measured
77,000
What a typical adult nurse takes home
On the median of £35,468, 2026/27 tax year, Scottish rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£2,420
Take-home a year
£29,037
Income Tax
£4,599
National Insurance
£1,832
What most adult nurses actually earn
Half of adult nurses in Scotland earn between £26,891 and £48,516. Earning above £48,516 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
ONS suppresses the detailed spread for this occupation at regional level, so this range describes the wider “Nursing Professionals” group in Scotland.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of adult nurses earn less than this.
How Scotland ranks for adult nurse pay
11th
of 11 GB regions with a published figure
Scotland is the lowest-paying of the 11 regions ONS measures for this role, £10,771 behind London on £46,239.
Ranking compares published regional medians for the same occupation. It says nothing about cost of living — a higher median doesn't survive contact with rent. The cost of living calculator is the honest next step.
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Other nursing professionals
- SOC 2020 code
- 2237
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2026 provisional
ONS doesn't measure “adult nurse” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “Other nursing professionals”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS measures other nursing professionals - nurses outside the community, specialist, practitioner and mental health groups.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are estimates from a survey of PAYE jobs and are not financial advice.
Adult Nurse salary FAQs
What is the average Adult Nurse salary in Scotland?
The median is £35,468 a year and the mean is £34,601, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; ASHE publishes no full-time split at regional level.
How much does a adult nurse earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £23.85 excluding overtime, or £23.67 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only, so there is no separate rate for Scotland.
What is a good Adult Nurse salary?
Half of adult nurses earn between £26,891 and £48,516. Anything above £48,516 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a adult nurse?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of adult nurses earn under £11,228 and the lowest quarter under £26,891 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
How much do the highest-paid adult nurses earn?
The top 10% of adult nurses earn more than £56,340 a year, and the top quarter more than £48,516. ASHE does not publish figures above the 90th percentile.
Do adult nurses in Scotland earn more than the UK average?
The median in Scotland is £35,468 against £39,484 across the UK, 10.2% lower, which places it lowest of the 11 GB regions with a precise estimate.
Has adult nurse pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at -2.3% for this occupation in Scotland. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many adult nurses are there in Scotland?
ASHE counts around 77,000 employee jobs in “Other nursing professionals” (SOC 2237) in Scotland. Self-employed work is not included.
Is this figure official?
Yes. It comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an accredited official statistic based on employer PAYE records.
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