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Average Communications Manager Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

A communications manager in United Kingdom earns about 94,300 GBP a year. That's 35% 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 42,700 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 152,900 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 communications manager make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
94,300 GBP
7,858 GBP per month
Lowest reported
42,700 GBP
3,558 GBP per month
Highest reported
152,900 GBP
12,741 GBP per month

A typical communications manager working in United Kingdom brings home around 7,858 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 42,700 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 152,900 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 communications 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 communications manager salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How communications 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 communications managers in United Kingdom earn less than 105,200 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 65,900 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 140,700 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of communications managers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 42,700 GBP. The highest stretch to 152,900 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.

42,700
Low
105,200
Median
152,900
High
65,900
25th
140,700
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

Communications manager pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a communications 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 communications manager salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    50,700 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +36% from previous
    68,900 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +45% from previous
    100,100 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +22% from previous
    121,800 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +7% from previous
    130,400 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +9% from previous
    142,300 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 45%. That is the point at which a communications 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.

Communications manager pay by education in United Kingdom

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving communications 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 communications manager salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    60,800 GBP
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +19% from previous
    72,400 GBP
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +46% from previous
    105,800 GBP
  • Master's Degree
    +31% from previous
    139,100 GBP

Communications 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 communications managers in United Kingdom earn an average of 98,000 GBP a year, while female communications managers earn around 95,000 GBP. That works out to a 3% 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.

Communications Manager gender pay gap

3%

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

Men 98,000 GBP
Women 95,000 GBP

Pay raises for a communications 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 13% every 16 months, which works out to roughly 10% 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

Communications 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.

62%

62% of communications managers in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a communications 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 2% to 7% of base salary. The remaining 38% of communications 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

Communications 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

Communications manager salary by city and region in United Kingdom

Communications 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
  • Manchester
  • London
  • Somerset
  • Leeds
  • Leicester
  • Glasgow
  • Liverpool
  • Nottingham
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion189,800 GBP204,900 GBP87,700-301,800 GBP
ScotlandRegion130,500 GBP125,400 GBP67,900-197,600 GBP
ManchesterCity112,700 GBP109,000 GBP58,200-172,300 GBP
LondonCity112,700 GBP121,800 GBP52,600-177,100 GBP
SomersetCity111,700 GBP114,600 GBP55,700-172,100 GBP
LeedsCity109,700 GBP111,700 GBP54,600-168,700 GBP
LeicesterCity109,000 GBP115,600 GBP50,300-172,300 GBP
GlasgowCity108,200 GBP112,700 GBP53,500-171,300 GBP
LiverpoolCity107,700 GBP109,700 GBP53,600-165,900 GBP
NottinghamCity107,700 GBP102,700 GBP54,600-163,500 GBP
BirminghamCity107,700 GBP114,300 GBP50,500-171,300 GBP
WolverhamptonCity107,300 GBP116,400 GBP48,000-168,700 GBP
BrightonCity105,800 GBP107,700 GBP52,000-163,500 GBP
SheffieldCity105,800 GBP114,600 GBP48,600-165,900 GBP
BradfordCity105,800 GBP100,700 GBP55,700-160,700 GBP
SwanseaCity105,800 GBP107,700 GBP52,000-163,500 GBP
BristolCity105,200 GBP114,600 GBP47,400-165,900 GBP
EdinburghCity105,200 GBP100,500 GBP55,200-158,900 GBP
BelfastCity105,200 GBP112,700 GBP49,400-163,800 GBP
CardiffCity103,600 GBP105,200 GBP48,300-158,900 GBP
DerbyCity102,700 GBP105,800 GBP51,600-160,600 GBP
PlymouthCity102,700 GBP97,300 GBP54,100-158,900 GBP
CoventryCity102,700 GBP97,600 GBP51,900-156,200 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity101,100 GBP95,500 GBP51,300-152,900 GBP
DundeeCity99,700 GBP109,000 GBP46,700-158,700 GBP
SouthamptonCity99,700 GBP95,200 GBP51,400-152,900 GBP
AberdeenCity99,700 GBP103,600 GBP47,400-157,600 GBP
LincolnCity99,700 GBP95,200 GBP51,400-152,900 GBP
PooleCity99,700 GBP103,600 GBP49,400-157,600 GBP
PortsmouthCity98,800 GBP105,800 GBP45,600-152,700 GBP
NewcastleCity98,300 GBP103,600 GBP48,500-157,600 GBP
PeterboroughCity95,600 GBP105,800 GBP45,600-152,700 GBP
ChesterCity95,500 GBP102,700 GBP43,500-151,800 GBP
NorwichCity95,300 GBP103,600 GBP44,500-151,800 GBP
DerryCity95,200 GBP94,100 GBP51,500-148,300 GBP
OxfordCity95,100 GBP94,200 GBP45,400-146,700 GBP
GloucesterCity95,100 GBP95,100 GBP45,400-147,900 GBP
ArmaghCity95,100 GBP98,800 GBP48,600-150,100 GBP
NewportCity95,000 GBP102,700 GBP45,200-151,800 GBP
HartlepoolCity94,900 GBP103,600 GBP45,100-151,800 GBP
YorkCity94,300 GBP94,100 GBP51,500-148,300 GBP
SalisburyCity93,200 GBP95,000 GBP46,200-142,300 GBP
NewryCity93,100 GBP98,300 GBP42,800-148,300 GBP
CambridgeCity93,100 GBP90,600 GBP47,400-142,100 GBP
DurhamCity92,900 GBP100,700 GBP43,500-146,900 GBP
ExeterCity90,900 GBP86,100 GBP49,000-141,000 GBP
WalesRegion90,900 GBP91,700 GBP44,700-142,300 GBP
TruroCity90,000 GBP91,200 GBP43,500-140,700 GBP
CanterburyCity89,900 GBP90,600 GBP45,200-140,700 GBP
BangorCity89,800 GBP83,000 GBP46,400-134,700 GBP
WinchesterCity89,400 GBP93,200 GBP42,700-142,100 GBP
StirlingCity88,700 GBP94,100 GBP42,700-142,100 GBP
InvernessCity88,500 GBP97,100 GBP41,000-142,300 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion87,700 GBP86,800 GBP42,800-134,700 GBP
StromnessCity87,300 GBP92,100 GBP40,900-137,100 GBP
St DavidsCity87,300 GBP83,700 GBP45,600-130,500 GBP
RiponCity86,600 GBP81,300 GBP46,400-130,400 GBP
StrontianCity86,300 GBP83,000 GBP45,700-132,000 GBP
WakefieldCity86,100 GBP92,200 GBP38,000-139,100 GBP
LisburnCity86,100 GBP90,000 GBP42,800-134,700 GBP
AbingdonCity85,800 GBP83,300 GBP45,200-134,100 GBP
WellsCity81,900 GBP79,600 GBP44,300-127,600 GBP
KirkwallCity80,300 GBP79,600 GBP41,500-125,400 GBP

Communications Manager in United Kingdom: FAQs

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

    A communications manager in United Kingdom earns about 7,858 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 94,300 GBP.

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

    Entry-level communications managers in United Kingdom start near 42,700 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 152,900 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 65,900 and 140,700 GBP.

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

    The median is 105,200 GBP, higher than the average of 94,300 GBP. Half of communications managers in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

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

    Men working as a communications manager in United Kingdom earn around 3% more than women on average (98,000 vs 95,000 GBP a year).

  • Do communications managers in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 62% of communications managers in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7% of base salary.

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

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

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

    A communications manager in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 13% every 16 months, equivalent to roughly 10% a year.