Official ONS earnings · 136 occupations compared
East Midlands vs South West
Typical pay is about 2% higher in South West, but that headline hides a lot: East Midlands pays more for 60 of the 136 occupations measured in both.
East Midlands
£31,587
typical occupation median
- Occupations measured
- 201
- Highest paid
- £76,175
- Lowest paid
- £4,030
South West
£32,163
typical occupation median
- Occupations measured
- 195
- Highest paid
- £74,712
- Lowest paid
- £4,111
Where East Midlands pays more
Biggest proportional gaps in East Midlands's favour.
Early education and childcare services managers
+49.1%£33,201 in East Midlands · £22,265 in South West
Advertising accounts managers and creative directors
+42%£42,254 in East Midlands · £29,762 in South West
Kitchen and catering assistants
+41.4%£13,303 in East Midlands · £9,411 in South West
Travel agents
+33.5%£35,068 in East Midlands · £26,271 in South West
Production, factory and assembly supervisors
+31.4%£39,777 in East Midlands · £30,281 in South West
Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors
+24.6%£47,546 in East Midlands · £38,154 in South West
Inspectors of standards and regulations
+23.5%£39,566 in East Midlands · £32,043 in South West
Metal working production and maintenance fitters
+20.4%£40,852 in East Midlands · £33,932 in South West
Where South West pays more
Biggest proportional gaps in South West's favour.
£40,846 in South West · £25,685 in East Midlands
Bar and catering supervisors
+27.3%£24,588 in South West · £17,872 in East Midlands
£46,738 in South West · £34,167 in East Midlands
£66,327 in South West · £49,892 in East Midlands
Routine inspectors and testers
+24.3%£38,119 in South West · £28,854 in East Midlands
£34,716 in South West · £26,437 in East Midlands
£36,481 in South West · £28,888 in East Midlands
Production and process engineers
+17.5%£47,354 in South West · £39,073 in East Midlands
Jobs that pay the same in both
Where location makes almost no difference to the median.
| Occupation | East Midlands | South West | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Production managers and directors in construction | £50,059 | £50,000 | +0.1% |
| Midwifery nurses | £32,112 | £32,171 | -0.2% |
| Catering and bar managers | £29,567 | £29,456 | +0.4% |
| Receptionists | £17,377 | £17,482 | -0.6% |
| Delivery drivers and couriers | £23,828 | £23,629 | +0.8% |
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional), Table 15. Comparison covers the 136 four-digit SOC 2020 occupations with a published median in both regions. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.