Employment growth easing in Luton as pay holds at £2,496 a month
Figures as published on Jul 2026.
Luton
Data to Sep 2026
Published at ITL3 (sub-regional) grain.
Recent months are provisional and revised in later ONS releases; this page always shows the latest published value (data to 2026-09-01).
Median monthly pay
£2,524
+4.9% on year
How we know this
Grade A · data to 2026-09-01
Source: PAYE RTI Dataset — Payrolled Employees & Median Pay
Real pay vs CPIH
+1.2%
CPIH 3.60%
How we know this
Grade A · data to 2026-09-01
Source: Derived: HMRC RTISA median pay deflated by ONS CPIH for 2026-09-01; PAYE RTI Dataset — Payrolled Employees & Median Pay; Consumer Price Indices (ONS MM23/CPIH)
Payrolled employees
108,505
+0.3% on year
How we know this
Grade A · data to 2026-09-01
Source: PAYE RTI Dataset — Payrolled Employees & Median Pay
Median pay trend
How it compares
| Area | Median pay | Change, yr | Real terms | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford | £2,719 | +4.2% | +0.6% | 89,295 |
| Colchester (Aug 2026) | £2,679 | +3.3% | +0.0% | 90,070 |
| Luton | £2,524 | +4.9% | +1.2% | 108,505 |
| Peterborough | £2,491 | +4.3% | +0.7% | 103,837 |
| East Suffolk (Aug 2026) | £2,448 | +3.5% | +0.2% | 97,765 |
| East | £2,718 | +3.9% | +0.3% | 2,903,019 |
| United Kingdom | £2,660 | +4.4% | +0.8% | 30,280,860 |
Figures exact as published; WageSight does not round. The quarterly LAD release means mixed vintages are normal — a row a quarter behind shows its own data month.
Everyday & leisure spending
Everyday and leisure spending, priced at the area's CPI region — not a weekly food shop, rent, energy, or council tax.
Eating out basket£79.55
Night out for two£184.11
Night out with friends£60.90
Family day out£359.95
Household essentials (monthly)£67.00
Dog owner monthly costs£48.90
Monthly leisure activities£133.13
Priced at East of England prices (CPI region), not the town.
Healthy life expectancy
Women: 55.8 healthy years at birth (51.5–60) · England 61.3 — significantly lower than England
Men: 56.9 healthy years at birth (53.2–60.7) · England 60.9 — not significantly different from England
Official statistics in development (2022–2024), at birth. Comparisons are gated on statistical significance; change over time is not asserted.
Latest from the wire
About these figures. Pay and employment derive from HMRC PAYE RTI, published by ONS. Real pay is deflated by CPIH (3.60%). Recent months are provisional and revised in later releases.