CTO Salary in London
Official ONS earnings for London, covering 17,000 jobs.
Median salary — London
£105,290
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 0.2% change on the previous year
Mean
£121,163
Jobs measured
17,000
What a typical cto takes home
On the median of £105,290, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£5,881
Take-home a year
£70,568
Income Tax
£30,606
National Insurance
£4,116
What most ctos actually earn
Half of ctos in London earn between £64,817 and £148,127. Earning above £148,127 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 “Functional Managers and Directors” group in London.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of ctos earn less than this.
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Information technology directors
- SOC 2020 code
- 1137
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
ONS doesn't measure “cto” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “Information technology directors”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS measures information technology directors.
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.
CTO salary FAQs
What is the average CTO salary in London?
The median is £105,290 a year and the mean is £121,163, 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 cto earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £46.60 excluding overtime, or £47.98 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only, so there is no separate rate for London.
What is a good CTO salary?
Half of ctos earn between £64,817 and £148,127. Anything above £148,127 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a cto?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of ctos earn under £45,320 and the lowest quarter under £64,817 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
How much do the highest-paid ctos earn?
The top 10% of ctos earn more than £243,871 a year, and the top quarter more than £148,127. ASHE does not publish figures above the 90th percentile.
Do ctos in London earn more than the UK average?
The median in London is £105,290 against £90,081 across the UK, 16.9% higher.
Has cto pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +0.2% for this occupation in London. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many ctos are there in London?
ASHE counts around 17,000 employee jobs in “Information technology directors” (SOC 1137) in London. 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.
Similar roles
Official figures show the market. Your salary shows what employers actually pay.
Add your salary anonymously