Barrister Salary in West Midlands
Official ONS earnings for West Midlands.
Median salary — West Midlands
£68,676
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 3.8% change on the previous year
Mean
£67,857
What a typical barrister takes home
On the median of £68,676, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£4,199
Take-home a year
£50,389
Income Tax
£14,902
National Insurance
£3,384
What most barristers actually earn
Half of barristers across the UK earn between £21,705 and £60,096. Earning above £60,096 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
This range is UK-wide — ONS publishes no regional breakdown of the spread for this occupation.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of barristers earn less than this.
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Barristers and judges
- SOC 2020 code
- 2411
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
ONS doesn't measure “barrister” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “Barristers and judges”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS group combines barristers with judges.
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.
Barrister salary FAQs
What is the average Barrister salary in West Midlands?
The median is £68,676 a year and the mean is £67,857, 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 barrister earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £32.05 excluding overtime, or £32.19 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only, so there is no separate rate for West Midlands.
What is a good Barrister salary?
Half of barristers earn between £21,705 and £60,096. Anything above £60,096 is in the top quarter for the role.
Do barristers in West Midlands earn more than the UK average?
The median in West Midlands is £68,676 against £34,253 across the UK, 100.5% higher.
Has barrister pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +3.8% for this occupation in West Midlands. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
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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