Solicitor Salary in North West
Official ONS earnings for North West, covering 13,000 jobs.
Median salary — North West
£44,311
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 2% change on the previous year
Mean
£47,387
Jobs measured
13,000
What a typical solicitor takes home
On the median of £44,311, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£2,952
Take-home a year
£35,424
Income Tax
£6,348
National Insurance
£2,539
What most solicitors actually earn
Half of solicitors in North West earn between £25,133 and £54,660. Earning above £54,660 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 “Legal Professionals” group in North West.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of solicitors earn less than this.
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Solicitors and lawyers
- SOC 2020 code
- 2412
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
ONS publishes a sampling error of 12.5% for this figure and asks that anything above 10% is treated as imprecise — too few people in this region answered the survey for this occupation. The figure is shown because it is the one ONS published, but it is not firm enough to rank North West against anywhere else, so this page doesn't.
ONS doesn't measure “solicitor” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “Solicitors and lawyers”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS group combines solicitors and lawyers; in-house and private practice are not separated.
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.
Solicitor salary FAQs
What is the average Solicitor salary in North West?
The median is £44,311 a year and the mean is £47,387, 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 solicitor earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £30.66 excluding overtime, or £30.83 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only, so there is no separate rate for North West.
What is a good Solicitor salary?
Half of solicitors earn between £25,133 and £54,660. Anything above £54,660 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a solicitor?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of solicitors earn under £21,129 and the lowest quarter under £25,133 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Do solicitors in North West earn more than the UK average?
The median in North West is £44,311 against £53,314 across the UK, 16.9% lower. ONS marks the North West figure as imprecise, so treat the gap as indicative.
Has solicitor pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +2.0% for this occupation in North West. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many solicitors are there in North West?
ASHE counts around 13,000 employee jobs in “Solicitors and lawyers” (SOC 2412) in North West. 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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