The Datum Report

Standing view · pay · Scottish Borders

Pay in Scottish Borders has been growing.

improving, held with established confidence, formed on 31 August 2026 from movements in 2026-07.

Median monthly pay in the Scottish Borders rose from £2,329 in December 2024 to £2,492 in June 2026. The path was interrupted twice: pay stood at £2,307 in February 2025 and £2,357 in April, eased against its seasonal pattern at £2,358 in May, then rose to £2,440 in December, £2,484 in April 2026 and £2,492 in June. Household income per head rose to £25,427 in 2024. Six of the eight readings moved favourably.

How this was decided

A view is formed only where the evidence names a figure you can check. Each movement listed as a reason had to be large enough to matter and distinctive in at least one way — unusual against this area's own history, unusual against comparable areas, or sustained over several periods. A movement shared with peers counts for less, because it says something about the country rather than about Scottish Borders. Where no figure supports a direction we hold no view rather than a hedged one.

The 8 measures that formed this view

MeasurePeriodDirection
Household income per head2024improving
Median pay2024-12deteriorating
Median pay2025-02improving
Median pay2025-04improving
Median pay2025-05deteriorating
Median pay2025-12improving
Median pay2026-04improving
Median pay2026-06improving