Milton Keynes wages jump 7.2% in a year, outpacing London and Oxford

Milton Keynes has recorded a 7.20% increase in median hourly pay, outperforming London, Oxford and Cambridge for annual wage growth.

A ranking by PEO Metrics compared hourly wages across 70 UK locations, placing Milton Keynes 20th nationally.

Median hourly pay in Milton Keynes rose from £17.50 in 2024 to £18.76 in 2025, an increase of £1.26 per hour.

This represents stronger growth than London, where median hourly earnings increased by 6.27%, from £20.27 to £21.54.

Milton Keynes also considerably outpaced Oxford, where wages rose by just 1.55%, and Cambridge, which recorded an increase of 1.47%.

Nearby Northampton saw a smaller rise of 2.05%, with hourly earnings increasing from £17.05 to £17.40.

Reading recorded stronger wage growth than Milton Keynes at 9.80%, while Watford ranked fifth nationally with an increase of 10.75%.

Where UK wages are growing fastest

Westminster topped the national ranking with a 13.14% increase, followed by Norwich at 12.24% and Swansea at 11.56%.

Middlesbrough and Watford completed the top five, recording increases of 11.03% and 10.75%.

At the opposite end, Southend-on-Sea recorded the largest decrease at 4.10%, followed by Portsmouth at 3.63%.

Milton Keynes' position highlights relatively strong wage growth compared with several other major employment centres across southern England.