League One salary figures for 2026/27 are still moving, but the benchmark remains close to £4,100 per week and about £215,000 per year - 888sport crunch the numbers in this review of the third tier.
That is the headline answer to how much do League One players earn, even with Leicester City and other big movers skewing the picture.
Finding League One salaries
League One pay is estimated through salary databases rather than official club releases, so the numbers need a bit of reading between the lines.
Capology, Salary Sport, and FootyStats are the main reference points for the division, and they all point to a league where wages vary sharply by club size.
Newly relegated clubs are the main reason the 2026/27 market looks noisy. Leicester City arrives with a squad containing several Premier League-level earners, which pushes the top end of the division well above the norm.
League One Average
The average League One salary for 2026/27 has not been finalised as the transfer window is still open. Even so, it is expected to sit close to the 2025/26 estimate of £4,100 per week, or £215,000 per annum, based on the source data.
Leicester’s arrival is the obvious swing factor this summer, and it is exactly why the average League One salary should be treated as a live estimate rather than a fixed number.
Leicester City having a clear out will help them to better align to the usual averages.
Highest-paid League One player
The highest-paid player in League One now looks to be Hamza Choudhury on an estimated £56,000 per week and £2,912,000 per season.
Oliver Skipp may be next on roughly £49,000 per week, while Leicester have not confirmed whether any of the remaining squad have accepted pay cuts.
That leaves the League One highest paid players list looking heavily shaped by relegated Leicester contracts.
League One manager salaries
League One manager salaries are much harder to pin down than player wages, but the best current estimate is around £200,000 per year.
That puts a solid head coach well above the league average worker, but still a long way from Championship and Premier League money.
The gap says as much about the division’s finances as it does about the pressure on managers to get promotion-ready squads performing quickly.
League One vs Premier League - Salary Comparison
The Premier League remains on another planet financially.
While League One’s average salary sits around £215,000 a year, Premier League pay is dramatically higher across the board, with even some of the lower-earning top-flight players taking home more than the best-paid names in League One.
As you’d expect, League One salaries are more comparable to some of the lower-paying clubs of the Championship wage table. Even so, the figures will be well back of the top Championship players.
In terms of pure figures, the difference between League Two salaries and League One salaries is much closer than looking upwards.
League 1 Wages FAQs
How much do League One players earn?
Most League One players earn far less than Premier League players, with the average League One salary expected to remain near £4,100 per week, or around £215,000 a year, in 2026/27.
Who is the highest-paid League One player?
Hamza Choudhury looks to be the highest-paid remaining League One player, with an estimated £56,000 per week and £2,912,000 per season.
