The West Yorkshire city tops the league of places in the UK with the best-paying jobs outside London, with Cambridge, Bristol and Manchester not far behind.
The study by Adzuna found that London postcodes dominate the top paying list with East Central London in pole position, with advertised salaries in the City averaging £56,497.
The job search engine found that advertised salaries in Leeds hit £37,823, beating Cambridge (£37,692), Bristol (£37,281) and Manchester (£36,690).
The lowest average advertised salaries were in the Outer Hebrides postcodes (£17,428). South West cities Torquay (£28,687) and Dorchester (£28,928) were also among the lowest paid.
Adzuna analysed more than 1 million jobs available in October 2023 to reveal the postcode areas with the highest advertised salaries.
Leeds had more than 36,000 job openings available in October. Big name companies including Asda, First Direct, Yorkshire Bank, Centrica, Evri, and Direct Line are all based in the Yorkshire city, while broadcaster Channel 4 has also set up its UK HQ in Leeds.
It beats ‘Silicon Fen’ city Cambridge, where advertised salaries average £37,692, as well as engineering, tech and finance hub Bristol (£37,281). Even creative hub Manchester (£36,690) is surpassed in the salary stakes by Leeds.
London tops the big-paying cities chart
Unsurprisingly, East Central London, home to the Square Mile, is the highest paid UK postcode area, with advertised salaries topping an average of £56,497.
South West London had an average advertised salary of £45,106, South East London £42,452, West Central London £39,117 and West London £38,853.
Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, said: “Jobseeking doesn’t need to be a postcode lottery. Those looking for lucrative work could start by searching in postcode areas with higher average paycheques and our data shows areas like Leeds and Manchester are great options.
“It can pay to look a little further afield when considering a new role, even if you don’t want to move location. For remote workers, focusing the job search on areas at the top of the salary charts could help you bag a pay rise, while considering a commute could mean a salary lift for those working in the office.”
