FOOTBALL · CHAMPIONSHIP · 486 SENIOR PLAYERS

How much does a Championship player earn?

The median Championship player earns £13,000 a week — £676,000 a year — across the 486 senior players at 24 clubs whose wages we hold. The mean is £18,708.

MEDIAN WEEKLY £13,000

MEAN WEEKLY £18,708

MEDIAN YEARLY £676k

BEST PAID £165,000

The gap to the division above is the story. Kalvin Phillips earns £165,000 a week — more than 391 of the 441 senior players in the Premier League — while the typical Championship player takes home £13,000.

What a Championship player actually earns

Senior players by weekly wage band

Median £13,000 · mean £18,708

£0-£10,000

194 40%

£10,000-£20,000

147 30%

£20,000-£30,000

72 15%

£30,000-£40,000

35 7%

£40,000-£50,000

6 1%

£50,000+

32 7%

A quarter earn £7,900 or less, half earn £13,000 or less, and a tenth clear £36,000. The lowest senior wage we hold is £910.

Every Championship club, by median wage

The middle senior earner at each club — not the wage bill

24 clubs

The 20 best paid in the Championship

Weekly wage, senior players

#	Player	Weekly	Yearly	Club	Age
01	Kalvin Phillips	£165,000	£8,580,000	Sheffield United	29
02	Niclas Füllkrug	£125,000	£6,500,000	West Ham United	32
03	James Ward-Prowse	£125,000	£6,500,000	West Ham United	30
04	Jarrod Bowen	£125,000	£6,500,000	West Ham United	28
05	Alphonse Areola	£120,000	£6,240,000	West Ham United	32
06	Aaron Wan-Bissaka	£120,000	£6,240,000	West Ham United	27
07	Kieran Trippier	£115,000	£5,980,000	Wolverhampton Wanderers	34
08	Kyle Walker	£100,000	£5,200,000	Burnley	35
09	Edson Álvarez	£100,000	£5,200,000	West Ham United	27
10	Raúl Jiménez	£88,000	£4,576,000	Wolverhampton Wanderers	34
11	Tomáš Soucek	£87,000	£4,524,000	West Ham United	30
12	Konstantinos Mavropanos	£80,000	£4,160,000	West Ham United	27
13	Max Kilman	£79,000	£4,108,000	West Ham United	28
14	Sam Johnstone	£78,000	£4,056,000	Wolverhampton Wanderers	32
15	Valentín Castellanos	£77,000	£4,004,000	West Ham United	26
16	Aaron Ramsdale	£75,000	£3,900,000	Southampton	27
17	Jean-Clair Todibo	£75,000	£3,900,000	West Ham United	25
18	José Sá	£72,000	£3,744,000	Wolverhampton Wanderers	32
19	André	£68,000	£3,536,000	Wolverhampton Wanderers	23
20	Hwang Hee-Chan (Hee-Chan Hwang)	£66,000	£3,432,000	Wolverhampton Wanderers	29

By position

Average weekly wage, senior players

Goalkeepers

£15,578

Defenders

£18,455

Midfielders

£19,844

Attackers

£19,122

By age

Average weekly wage — every age we hold, not just seniors

16-19

£0

20-22

£12,768

23-25

£14,743

26-28

£21,720

29-31

£21,786

32-34

£28,976

35+

£20,325

How that compares

Median senior wage, the leagues we have published so far

Premier League

£62,000 Bundesliga

£25,000 Saudi Pro League

£18,000 Championship

£13,000 Major League Soccer

£7,100 League One

£4,100 League Two

£2,250

Where these numbers come from

Averages count only players aged 22 and over. Our squad lists run down to academy age — the Championship carries 1563 players, of whom 486 are senior — and averaging all of them measures how deep a club's youth data goes rather than what the league pays. The median is the figure to quote: the mean is pulled upwards by a small number of very large contracts, and on this page the two differ by £5,708.

Frequently asked questions

Championship wages

How much does the average Championship player earn?

The median is £13,000 a week (£676,000 a year) and the mean is £18,708, taken across the 486 players aged 22 or over whose wages we hold. The median is the better answer: a small number of very large contracts pull the mean above what a typical player earns.

Who is the highest paid player in the Championship?

Kalvin Phillips of Sheffield United, on £165,000 a week — £8,580,000 a year.

What does the lowest paid Championship player earn?

The lowest senior wage we hold in the Championship is £910 a week. A quarter of the division earns £7,900 or less.

Which Championship club pays the best?

West Ham United, on a median senior wage of £78,000 a week. Lincoln City has the lowest at £3,600.

Why do these figures only count players aged 22 and over?

Our squad lists run down to academy age — the Championship carries 1563 players, of whom 486 are aged 22 and over. Averaging all of them measures how deep a club's youth data goes rather than what the league pays, and it is not comparable between leagues, so every average here is taken over senior players only.