Youth Worker Salary in South East
Official ONS earnings for South East, covering 12,000 jobs.
Median salary — South East
£29,431
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 12.9% change on the previous year
Mean
£27,491
Jobs measured
12,000
What a typical youth worker takes home
On the median of £29,431, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£2,059
Take-home a year
£24,710
Income Tax
£3,372
National Insurance
£1,349
What most youth workers actually earn
Half of youth workers across the UK earn between £16,569 and £35,840. Earning above £35,840 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 youth workers earn less than this.
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Youth and community workers
- SOC 2020 code
- 3221
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2026 provisional
ONS publishes a sampling error of 14.2% 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 South East against anywhere else, so this page doesn't.
ONS doesn't measure “youth worker” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “Youth and community workers”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS group combines youth and community workers.
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.
Youth Worker salary FAQs
What is the average Youth Worker salary in South East?
The median is £29,431 a year and the mean is £27,491, 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 youth worker earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £16.97 excluding overtime, or £18.10 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only, so there is no separate rate for South East.
What is a good Youth Worker salary?
Half of youth workers earn between £16,569 and £35,840. Anything above £35,840 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a youth worker?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of youth workers earn under £6,508 and the lowest quarter under £16,569 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
How much do the highest-paid youth workers earn?
The top 10% of youth workers earn more than £43,591 a year, and the top quarter more than £35,840. ASHE does not publish figures above the 90th percentile.
Do youth workers in South East earn more than the UK average?
The median in South East is £29,431 against £28,284 across the UK, 4.1% higher. ONS marks the South East figure as imprecise, so treat the gap as indicative.
Has youth worker pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +12.9% for this occupation in South East. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many youth workers are there in South East?
ASHE counts around 12,000 employee jobs in “Youth and community workers” (SOC 3221) in South East. 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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