Average Government Officer Salary in United Kingdom for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Government Officer salary for 2024 in United Kingdom and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the British pound. To keep things simple, we are using the GBP currency code instead of the currency symbol £.

How Much Does a Government Officer Make in United Kingdom?

A Government Officer working in United Kingdom will typically earn around 98,900 GBP per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 46,900 GBP to the highest average salary of 153,700 GBP.

Average Annual Salary
98,900 GBP
Average Monthly Salary
8,241 GBP

Lowest Annual Salary
46,900 GBP
Lowest Monthly Salary
3,908 GBP

Highest Annual Salary
153,700 GBP
Highest Monthly Salary
12,808 GBP

These are average salaries for a Government Officer in United Kingdom and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Government Officer to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Government Officer salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Government Officer Salaries in United Kingdom

So we've looked at the average salaries a Government Officer will earn in United Kingdom. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Government Officer can earn between 46,900 GBP and 153,700 GBP on average in United Kingdom. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Government Officer in United Kingdom is 100,700 GBP. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 100,700 GBP, and 50% of the population earn more than 100,700 GBP.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Government Officer salary in United Kingdom, 25% of the population are earning less than 65,700 GBP while 75% of the population earn more than 65,700 GBP.

75% of the population earn less than 130,500 GBP, and 25% of the population earn more than 130,500 GBP.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Government Officer Salary by Experience Level in United Kingdom

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average government officer salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Government Officer in United Kingdom that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 58,700 GBP.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Government Officer salary would increase to 72,300 GBP.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Government Officer, the average salary would be 103,600 GBP.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 128,200 GBP.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Government Officer with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 137,100 GBP.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Government Officer with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 146,700 GBP.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
58,700 GBP
2-5 Years +29%
72,300 GBP
5-10 Years +38%
103,600 GBP
10-15 Years +24%
128,200 GBP
15-20 Years +7%
137,100 GBP
20+ Years +7%
146,700 GBP

Government Officer Salary by Education Level in United Kingdom

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Government Officer in United Kingdom based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Government Officer in United Kingdom with a high school education can earn an average salary of 73,200 GBP.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Government Officer in United Kingdom with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 84,600 GBP.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Government Officer in United Kingdom with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 111,700 GBP.

  • Master's Degree. A Government Officer in United Kingdom with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 141,000 GBP.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
73,200 GBP
Certificate or Diploma +15%
84,600 GBP
Bachelor's Degree +35%
111,700 GBP
Master's Degree +26%
141,000 GBP

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United Kingdom is around 29,600 to 88,700 GBP and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Government Officer Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In United Kingdom, a male government officer will earn an average of 100,700 GBP, while a female government officer will earn around 98,800 GBP.

This means that a male government officer earns approximately 2% more than a female government officer for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United Kingdom

Male
100,700 GBP
Female -2%
98,800 GBP

Government Officer Average Pay Raise in United Kingdom

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Government Officer in United Kingdom is around 14% every 15 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United Kingdom is around 9% every 15 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 14 ÷ 15 ) × 12  = 11%

What this means is that a Government Officer in United Kingdom can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 11% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United Kingdom for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United Kingdom.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
3%
Energy
6%
Information Technology
9%
Healthcare
3%
Travel
6%
Construction
9%
Education
3%

Government Officer Bonus and Incentive Rates in United Kingdom

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Government Officer is a low bonus based job, with 34% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

66% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus
34%
No Bonus
66%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United Kingdom earn approximately 7% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
72,700 GBP
Private Sector -7%
68,200 GBP

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Government Officer

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Government Officer in United Kingdom.

Job Title Category Salary
Armed Forces Officer Government and Defence 58,600 GBP
Army Officer Government and Defence 61,700 GBP
Cartographer Government and Defence 46,900 GBP
Customs Officer Government and Defence 50,000 GBP
Defense Officer Government and Defence 83,800 GBP
Electoral Project Coordinator Government and Defence 92,900 GBP
Federal Government Worker Government and Defence 60,600 GBP
Government Affairs Advisor Government and Defence 114,600 GBP
Government Affairs Director Government and Defence 124,500 GBP
Government Affairs Representative Government and Defence 116,400 GBP
Government Property Inspector Government and Defence 100,700 GBP
Government Relations Associate Government and Defence 107,300 GBP
International Cooperation Specialist Government and Defence 125,400 GBP
Military Personnel Government and Defence 86,100 GBP
Police Constable Government and Defence 57,800 GBP
Public Affairs Specialist Government and Defence 81,700 GBP
Public Information Officer Government and Defence 53,600 GBP
Rifleman Government and Defence 39,700 GBP
Soldier Government and Defence 51,800 GBP
VAT Fraud Investigator Government and Defence 70,800 GBP

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United Kingdom, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Aberdeen 98,800 GBP
Abingdon 86,800 GBP
Armagh 97,400 GBP
Bangor 85,700 GBP
Belfast 105,800 GBP
Birmingham 107,700 GBP
Bradford 105,200 GBP
Brighton 105,200 GBP
Bristol 114,600 GBP
Cambridge 91,700 GBP
Canterbury 86,600 GBP
Cardiff 108,200 GBP
Chester 92,100 GBP
Coventry 109,700 GBP
Derby 97,400 GBP
Derry 98,100 GBP
Dundee 96,500 GBP
Durham 89,300 GBP
Edinburgh 108,200 GBP
Exeter 94,200 GBP
Glasgow 116,400 GBP
Gloucester 97,600 GBP
Hartlepool 96,500 GBP
Inverness 87,300 GBP
Kingston upon Hull 103,600 GBP
Kirkwall 83,000 GBP
Leeds 108,200 GBP
Leicester 109,700 GBP
Lincoln 99,700 GBP
Lisburn 84,800 GBP
Liverpool 107,300 GBP
London 111,700 GBP
Manchester 108,200 GBP
Newcastle 109,000 GBP
Newport 91,500 GBP
Newry 92,100 GBP
Norwich 92,100 GBP
Nottingham 105,200 GBP
Oxford 100,100 GBP
Peterborough 102,700 GBP
Plymouth 98,000 GBP
Poole 95,100 GBP
Portsmouth 100,700 GBP
Ripon 87,400 GBP
Salisbury 87,200 GBP
Sheffield 107,300 GBP
Somerset 112,700 GBP
Southampton 100,700 GBP
St Davids 84,600 GBP
Stirling 94,800 GBP
Stromness 86,100 GBP
Strontian 80,800 GBP
Swansea 100,700 GBP
Truro 89,200 GBP
Wakefield 86,100 GBP
Wells 84,900 GBP
Winchester 90,000 GBP
Wolverhampton 105,200 GBP
York 105,200 GBP

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United Kingdom.

City Average Salary
England 191,100 GBP
Northern Ireland 88,400 GBP
Scotland 130,400 GBP
Wales 93,600 GBP

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