Top-Paying Cities for Social Workers and Care Workers in the UK

Careers in adult care are demanding, challenging and immensely rewarding. However, are carer workers adequately rewarded?

Caring for others is one of the most valuable things we can do with our time. Despite the vital work the care industry provides, the average salary for care workers (£22,569) is significantly lower than the national average salary (£34,963). This highlights a notable pay gap of approximately £12,394 per year. What’s more, the average hourly pay for care workers (£12.00) is also drastically lower than the national average hourly pay (£17.40), indicating a difference of £5.40 per hour.

The UK is currently grappling with an adult and elderly care crisis. The number of people aged 65 and over has risen by 52% in the last 40 years. With age comes an increased likeliness of disability or lost mobility, resulting in an increased need for care. As the population ages, the demand for care rises. 

We’ve taken a closer look at the state of carers salaries in the UK, including the cities with the best and worst salaries for carers and the implications of low pay and growing vacancy rates in the sector. Here’s what we found.

The Pay Gap Reality

Data from from Skills for Care showed that 80% of jobs in the economy pay more than jobs in social care. While the national average salary is £34,963, the average salary for care workers lags far behind at £22,569 - that’s a striking difference of £12,394 per year. This disparity extends to hourly wages, with care workers earning £12.00 per hour compared to the national average of £17.40. On average, care workers are earning over £5 less per hour than the average Brit.

Discovering the Top-Paying Cities and Lowest-Paying Cities

For those in the care industry seeking better compensation, we’ve found the cities and regions with the best and worst pay. Here’s an in-depth look at where social and care workers can maximise their earnings and what this means for the ongoing workforce shortage.

Top Paying City for Carers

The top paying city for carers can be found in Northern Ireland, Belfast. The average hourly rate is £15.62 per hour, nearly £6 more than hour than the lowest-paying city!

Lowest Paying City for Carers

On the other end of the scale, Northampton has the lowest pay for carers. Average hourly pay comes in at £9.66, which is £1.44 less than the 2024 living wage (£11.44).

Real Earnings: Salary vs. Cost of Living

In 2021 the UK saw a sharp and unwelcome increase in the cost of living, a problem affecting homes throughout the UK. In October 2022 the annual rate of inflation climbed to 11.11%, the highest it had been in 41 years. While the cost of housing, goods and services have all increased over the years, salaries have remained stagnant.

Due to the current cost of living crisis, carers are facing unprecedented pressure on their finances; a quarter of carers (25%) are cutting back on essentials like food or heating and 63% are extremely worried about managing their monthly costs (Carers UK, State of Caring 2022). With this in mind, here is a closer look at the finances for those living in the best and worst cities for carer’s pay.

Comparing the Best and Worst Cities for Carer’s Pay

We found that Northern Ireland is the region that pays the most, primarily highlighted by Belfast with an average salary of £29,370. The cost of living in Belfast is reported to be 37% lower than in London. Monthly expenses, not including rent, for a single individual on a monthly basis, come in at around £660.50. According to Moneyfarm, you can expect rent for a one-bedroom flat in the city centre to cost around £800 to £1,000 per month. 

In the city of Northampton located in the East Midlands, you’ll find the lowest average pay for carers with an average hourly pay of £9.66 and annual salary of £18,165. After tax and pension, this would leave you with a net monthly income of around £1,323. On average, rent for a one-bedroom flat in the city would cost £736 per month and the national average cost of living is £651 per month, totalling at £1,387, surpassing the average local income of careworkers.

It’s not just Northampton, the East Midlands has the lowest average salary for care workers in the UK, with the West Midlands only paying fractionally more. The bottom 5 cities for care workers, starting with the lowest pay, are; Northampton, Luton, Leicester, Birmingham and Wolverhampton.

Care Worker Vacancies

The UK's care sector is facing a workforce crisis. Low pay, poor working conditions and job insecurity have resulted in more than 100,000 unfilled roles – a number that far outstrips many other industries. The adult care industry sees a high turnover rate of 29%, with 400,000 carers leaving their jobs last year. Skills for Care report that the number of vacant posts in adult social care has increased by 52% in a year. The UK’s population is aging with care demands rising in tandem. Reports show that to meet this demand, the care industry will need an extra 480,000 people working in social care by 2035.

Regions With the Highest and Lowest Vacancies

The region with the UK’s largest population and third lowest average pay for carers is London which has the highest vacancy rate for carers (12.1%). The region with the lowest vacancy rate is Yorkshire and the Humber (8%), which sits roughly in the middle of the average regional care salaries with an hourly rate of £11.89. The report from the King’s Fund also shows that recruitment is most difficult in coastal areas or more deprived areas.

Recommendations

Improving the care industry means more than just increasing paychecks—it’s about making life better for the people who dedicate themselves to caring for others. One big step is boosting funding so that care workers’ salaries are more competitive and truly reflect the vital work they do. Adjusting wages to match the cost of living in different regions can also help make ends meet, no matter where care workers live.

Learning and development opportunities are important in any career, and for carers, it has been shown that by investing in learning the average turnover rate is reduced by 9.5%. What’s more, turnover was reduced by 9.1 percentage points for care workers who received 30 instances of training, verses those who had only received one.

But it’s not just about the money. Think about the daily life of a care worker. Offering help with housing or providing transportation subsidies can make a huge difference, easing some of the everyday pressures they face. Opportunities for ongoing training and professional development can give care workers a sense of progress and satisfaction in their careers. We also need to make it easier for new people to join the field, with smoother recruitment processes and incentives to encourage them. By combining better pay with these supportive measures, we can make care work not just a job, but a sustainable and rewarding career.