Official ONS earnings · 157 occupations compared
London vs North West
Typical pay is about 20% higher in London, but that headline hides a lot: North West pays more for 13 of the 157 occupations measured in both.
London
£40,110
typical occupation median
- Occupations measured
- 219
- Highest paid
- £123,796
- Lowest paid
- £5,711
North West
£33,462
typical occupation median
- Occupations measured
- 226
- Highest paid
- £83,567
- Lowest paid
- £4,511
Where London pays more
Biggest proportional gaps in London's favour.
£107,433 in London · £58,206 in North West
£41,039 in London · £24,033 in North West
£75,537 in London · £44,311 in North West
Rail and rolling stock builders and repairers
+62.3%£64,607 in London · £39,798 in North West
Production managers and directors in manufacturing
+59.2%£76,710 in London · £48,198 in North West
£63,994 in London · £40,417 in North West
Children's nurses
+57.5%£42,431 in London · £26,944 in North West
Business, research and administrative professionals n.e.c.
+54.7%£62,648 in London · £40,497 in North West
Where North West pays more
Biggest proportional gaps in North West's favour.
Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors
+12.9%£36,885 in North West · £32,134 in London
Elementary storage supervisors
+12.2%£30,352 in North West · £26,643 in London
£46,652 in North West · £43,084 in London
Early education and childcare practitioners
+7.2%£20,249 in North West · £18,799 in London
Call and contact centre occupations
+6.7%£25,750 in North West · £24,014 in London
£48,226 in North West · £45,373 in London
£41,401 in North West · £39,267 in London
Dental nurses
+5.1%£21,641 in North West · £20,540 in London
Jobs that pay the same in both
Where location makes almost no difference to the median.
| Occupation | London | North West | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authors, writers and translators | £39,872 | £39,878 | -0% |
| Metal machining setters and setter-operators | £33,123 | £32,985 | +0.4% |
| Paper and wood machine operatives | £27,546 | £27,762 | -0.8% |
| Care workers and home carers | £20,635 | £20,439 | +1% |
| Bank and post office clerks | £29,282 | £29,743 | -1.5% |
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 157 four-digit SOC 2020 occupations with a published median in both regions. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.