Fuel and travel costs are pushing prices up again
Thursday 5 November 2026
Inflation has risen to 3.1%, meaning everyday spending is getting more expensive just as household budgets are already under pressure.
Mean earnings
Total earnings for a group divided by the number of people or jobs counted.
What it means
Mean earnings are one kind of average. Add up the earnings in a group and divide by how many workers or jobs are included. A small number of very high earners can push the mean above what most people earn. Always check whether a figure is for an hour, a week or a year, and whether bonuses and part-time jobs are included.
Example
If three workers earn £20,000, £25,000 and £105,000 a year, their mean annual earnings are £50,000. Two of them earn much less than that.
Why it matters
A mean pay figure can rise even while many workers see little change; the median offers a different view of typical pay.
Also known as
mean pay
Related terms
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Average
A number used to describe what is typical in a group. There is more than one way to work it out.
Read more -
Mean
An average found by adding all the numbers together and dividing by how many there are.
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Median earnings
The middle amount of pay when people's earnings are put in order.
Read more -
Wage growth
How much pay has risen or fallen compared with an earlier time.
Read more
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Highlights from about the UK economy, the UK government and the UK public sector.
Mortgage relief will have to wait a little longer
Wednesday 4 November 2026
Interest rates are staying at 3.75%, so households with mortgages and other borrowing may have to wait longer for costs to come down.
Energy bills are going up as winter approaches
Wednesday 4 November 2026
A higher energy price cap means many households will be paying more to heat and power their homes during the colder months.
Guides and insights
Analysis
Clear, accessible analysis of the economic issues shaping everyday life
Living standards
What does a day’s work buy?
Comparing the cost of everyday life across generations, from bread and beer to buying a home.
Food & prices
The journey behind your grocery bill
How farming, energy, transport and supermarket competition shape the price on the shelf.
Prices & inflation
Inflation is falling. What happens next?
What slower price rises mean for wages, purchasing power and economic recovery.
Shared prosperity
What would shared prosperity look like?
Beyond GDP: how we could measure economic success through security, opportunity and living standards.
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