Youth and community workers: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time youth and community workers in the UK earned a median £32,654 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 16% less than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
That puts it 233rd of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £27,248 and £37,934.
Median full-time pay: women £32,899 a year, men £31,594 a year.
About 64% of the roughly 118,000 employee jobs are full-time.
Since 2021 it has risen 20.5%, from £27,100, slower than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 82,300 people in this line of work, 13% of them in South East.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £24,054 | £483.70 | £13.22 | £10,009* | £181.80* | £12.58 |
| 20th percentile | £26,424 | £526.00 | £14.28 | £15,548 | £300.80 | £13.55 |
| 25th percentile | £27,248 | £545.00 | £14.91 | £18,293 | £351.50 | £14.03 |
| 30th percentile | £28,439 | £565.40 | £15.30 | £21,157 | £427.00 | £14.35 |
| 40th percentile | £30,850 | £604.10 | £16.44 | £25,164 | £489.00 | £15.34 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £32,654 | £637.00 | £17.44 | £27,711 | £545.10 | £16.43 |
| 60th percentile | £34,479 | £674.20 | £18.42 | £30,928 | £601.40 | £17.39 |
| 70th percentile | £36,562 | £711.80 | £19.36 | £33,366 | £653.60 | £18.63 |
| 75th percentile | £37,934 | £739.50 | £20.18 | £34,982 | £675.40 | £19.19 |
| 80th percentile | £38,939 | £768.00 | £21.01 | £36,518 | £710.20 | £20.06 |
| 90th percentile | – | £857.20* | £23.32* | – | £805.30 | £22.57 |
| Mean | £33,239 | £655.40 | £17.90 | £26,894 | £522.20 | £17.47 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £27,100 | £529.40 | £14.40 | £23,200 | £438.20 | 118 |
| 2022 revised | £27,934 | £541.00 | £14.81 | £24,421 | £465.00 | 100 |
| 2023 revised | £29,439 | £577.80 | £15.65 | £25,281 | £494.40 | 111 |
| 2024 revised | £31,643 | £613.80 | £16.65 | £27,367 | £533.40 | 116 |
| 2025 provisional | £32,654 | £637.00 | £17.44 | £27,711 | £545.10 | 118 |
Youth and community workers by region
UK: 82,300 (± 11,100), April 2025 to March 2026. 10 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 10,700* | ± 4,100 |
| North West | 10,200* | ± 3,900 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What youth and community workers do
Youth and community workers provide support to individuals or groups of individuals through a range of activities or services that aim to encourage participation in social and community life and promote personal and social development. Workers in this group also provide family support activities in the home and community, to both parents and children. They may also encourage behaviour change and participation in sport and physical activity within local communities. (ONS SOC 2020, 3221)
Also covers: community development officer, community sport and health officer, family support worker, youth and community worker, youth project coordinator, youth worker, assessor coordinator, community champion, community coordinator, community worker, family worker, outreach assistant, parish worker, parochial worker, project coordinator, projects coordinator, team manager and youth leader (58 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Organises social, recreational and educational activities in local community and youth groups
- Undertakes the day-to-day running of community centres and supervises the activities of part-time and voluntary workers
- Liaises and supports voluntary workers running groups in village halls, churches, mosques and other places of worship
- Advises individuals with particular needs or problems through informal discussion, individual counselling or formal group discussion
- Plans and delivers community sport, physical activity and health programmes, working with partner organisations to engage local residents
- Helps set up credit unions, encourages parents to establish playgroups, works with other groups to find solutions to shared concerns or problems
Entrants will require a qualification accredited by the National Youth Agency at level 2 or 3. Apprenticeships are also available. Some employers may require people to be aged over 21 years of age. Background checks including a DBS check are likely to be required.
Related
Welfare and housing associate professionals (median £31,613) · Child and early years officers · Housing officers · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026