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Average Category Manager Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

A category manager in United Kingdom earns about 78,200 GBP a year. That's 12% above the national average of 69,700 GBP.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in United Kingdom sit around 36,900 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 121,800 GBP. Everything on this page is in British pound (GBP, symbol £), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in United Kingdom, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

To turn a gross salary in United Kingdom into a take-home figure, use our United Kingdom salary after tax calculator, which works the latest tax brackets and contributions through the math for you.

How much does a category manager make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
78,200 GBP
6,516 GBP per month
Lowest reported
36,900 GBP
3,075 GBP per month
Highest reported
121,800 GBP
10,150 GBP per month

A typical category manager working in United Kingdom brings home around 6,516 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 36,900 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 121,800 GBP for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior category manager working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around. For a cross-country comparison, see the category manager salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How category manager pay ranges in United Kingdom

A good way to think about salary in United Kingdom is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all category managers in United Kingdom earn less than 78,700 GBP a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 51,300 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 103,600 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of category managers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 36,900 GBP. The highest stretch to 121,800 GBP, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

36,900
Low
78,700
Median
121,800
High
51,300
25th
103,600
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

Category manager pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a category manager in United Kingdom, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical category manager salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    46,400 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +26% from previous
    58,500 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +35% from previous
    78,700 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +24% from previous
    97,300 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +10% from previous
    107,300 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +7% from previous
    114,600 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 35%. That is the point at which a category manager typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Category manager pay by education in United Kingdom

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving category manager pay in United Kingdom. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average category manager salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    57,000 GBP
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +13% from previous
    64,600 GBP
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +34% from previous
    86,300 GBP
  • Master's Degree
    +27% from previous
    109,700 GBP

Category manager gender pay gap in United Kingdom

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and United Kingdom is no exception. Male category managers in United Kingdom earn an average of 78,400 GBP a year, while female category managers earn around 74,200 GBP. That works out to a 6% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Category Manager gender pay gap

5%

Men earn this much more than women on average in United Kingdom.

Men 78,400 GBP
Women 74,200 GBP

Pay raises for a category manager in United Kingdom

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in United Kingdom sees a raise of about 11% every 17 months, which works out to roughly 8% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in United Kingdom, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in United Kingdom:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Category manager bonus rates in United Kingdom

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

58%

58% of category managers in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a category manager a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary. The remaining 42% of category managers reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in United Kingdom

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Category manager: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in United Kingdom is about 7% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in United Kingdom on average.

Public sector 72,700 GBP
Private sector 68,200 GBP

Category manager salary by city and region in United Kingdom

Category manager pay is not even across United Kingdom. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • England
  • Scotland
  • Birmingham
  • Glasgow
  • Liverpool
  • Kingston upon Hull
  • London
  • Leeds
  • Nottingham
  • Manchester
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion141,000 GBP140,200 GBP68,900-216,600 GBP
ScotlandRegion109,000 GBP109,000 GBP55,200-166,600 GBP
BirminghamCity90,600 GBP97,200 GBP41,900-142,100 GBP
GlasgowCity87,700 GBP85,400 GBP43,800-134,100 GBP
LiverpoolCity86,800 GBP80,200 GBP45,000-130,500 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity83,800 GBP83,800 GBP40,300-130,500 GBP
LondonCity83,800 GBP87,400 GBP36,200-130,500 GBP
LeedsCity83,800 GBP79,600 GBP43,500-127,600 GBP
NottinghamCity83,800 GBP83,800 GBP40,300-130,500 GBP
ManchesterCity83,800 GBP90,000 GBP38,700-132,000 GBP
BelfastCity83,800 GBP86,400 GBP38,900-128,400 GBP
BristolCity83,700 GBP83,000 GBP41,100-127,600 GBP
LeicesterCity83,300 GBP80,400 GBP43,500-127,600 GBP
SheffieldCity83,000 GBP87,000 GBP41,000-130,400 GBP
BrightonCity81,000 GBP83,800 GBP40,500-128,200 GBP
BradfordCity80,800 GBP85,100 GBP38,700-127,700 GBP
SomersetCity80,500 GBP74,600 GBP43,800-124,500 GBP
EdinburghCity80,400 GBP80,400 GBP39,000-123,800 GBP
YorkCity80,200 GBP83,000 GBP35,400-125,400 GBP
SwanseaCity79,700 GBP82,300 GBP36,400-124,500 GBP
CardiffCity79,000 GBP74,500 GBP43,400-119,700 GBP
DerbyCity78,400 GBP72,000 GBP43,500-119,700 GBP
WolverhamptonCity78,200 GBP83,000 GBP35,500-124,500 GBP
CoventryCity78,100 GBP74,100 GBP42,600-117,100 GBP
PeterboroughCity77,000 GBP74,200 GBP39,800-121,800 GBP
AberdeenCity77,000 GBP79,800 GBP35,600-117,100 GBP
NewcastleCity76,600 GBP78,700 GBP35,000-118,900 GBP
PortsmouthCity76,000 GBP81,300 GBP35,100-118,900 GBP
OxfordCity76,000 GBP71,400 GBP39,400-116,400 GBP
DundeeCity75,900 GBP77,300 GBP36,400-119,700 GBP
PlymouthCity75,800 GBP72,700 GBP41,900-115,600 GBP
ArmaghCity75,500 GBP79,600 GBP35,000-117,100 GBP
PooleCity74,700 GBP70,900 GBP40,200-116,400 GBP
NewportCity74,700 GBP83,700 GBP33,800-121,800 GBP
GloucesterCity74,600 GBP77,300 GBP34,900-117,100 GBP
NorwichCity74,000 GBP74,100 GBP36,500-114,900 GBP
SouthamptonCity73,800 GBP73,800 GBP36,700-116,400 GBP
DurhamCity73,500 GBP79,000 GBP34,000-114,300 GBP
LisburnCity73,100 GBP70,000 GBP36,800-108,200 GBP
CambridgeCity72,700 GBP72,700 GBP37,300-114,900 GBP
ExeterCity72,700 GBP75,800 GBP35,300-116,400 GBP
WalesRegion71,900 GBP75,900 GBP37,200-114,300 GBP
NewryCity71,100 GBP67,500 GBP35,000-107,700 GBP
DerryCity71,000 GBP71,000 GBP37,200-108,200 GBP
AbingdonCity70,900 GBP65,900 GBP36,800-107,300 GBP
WinchesterCity69,800 GBP67,600 GBP37,900-109,000 GBP
LincolnCity69,800 GBP67,500 GBP36,200-109,700 GBP
ChesterCity69,400 GBP66,100 GBP37,300-109,000 GBP
HartlepoolCity68,200 GBP71,800 GBP35,300-109,700 GBP
BangorCity67,800 GBP65,200 GBP34,900-102,700 GBP
StrontianCity67,500 GBP70,700 GBP31,800-107,300 GBP
RiponCity67,300 GBP73,100 GBP31,400-107,700 GBP
StirlingCity67,300 GBP63,700 GBP36,800-103,600 GBP
SalisburyCity66,900 GBP68,400 GBP31,400-105,200 GBP
KirkwallCity66,900 GBP63,700 GBP33,300-100,700 GBP
StromnessCity66,900 GBP70,000 GBP30,700-105,200 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion66,900 GBP63,500 GBP34,000-103,600 GBP
WakefieldCity65,900 GBP65,200 GBP33,000-103,600 GBP
TruroCity65,700 GBP67,800 GBP33,000-105,200 GBP
WellsCity65,400 GBP61,600 GBP33,000-101,400 GBP
InvernessCity65,400 GBP61,400 GBP35,300-99,700 GBP
CanterburyCity64,200 GBP63,800 GBP34,000-100,700 GBP
St DavidsCity61,500 GBP66,900 GBP30,800-100,400 GBP

Category Manager in United Kingdom: FAQs

  • How much does a category manager make per month in United Kingdom?

    A category manager in United Kingdom earns about 6,516 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 78,200 GBP.

  • What's the salary range for a category manager in United Kingdom?

    Entry-level category managers in United Kingdom start near 36,900 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 121,800 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 51,300 and 103,600 GBP.

  • Is the median category manager salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 78,700 GBP, higher than the average of 78,200 GBP. Half of category managers in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for category managers in United Kingdom?

    Men working as a category manager in United Kingdom earn around 6% more than women on average (78,400 vs 74,200 GBP a year).

  • Do category managers in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 58% of category managers in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary.

  • Do category managers earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?

    In United Kingdom, the public sector pays a category manager about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do category managers in United Kingdom get a pay raise?

    A category manager in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 11% every 17 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.