Official ONS earnings · 138 occupations compared
London vs South West
Typical pay is about 25% higher in London, but that headline hides a lot: South West pays more for 13 of the 138 occupations measured in both.
London
£40,110
typical occupation median
- Occupations measured
- 219
- Highest paid
- £123,796
- Lowest paid
- £5,711
South West
£32,163
typical occupation median
- Occupations measured
- 195
- Highest paid
- £74,712
- Lowest paid
- £4,111
Where London pays more
Biggest proportional gaps in London's favour.
Financial managers and directors
+120.3%£107,433 in London · £48,756 in South West
Advertising accounts managers and creative directors
+77.5%£52,834 in London · £29,762 in South West
£51,548 in London · £29,922 in South West
Production managers and directors in manufacturing
+59.4%£76,710 in London · £48,113 in South West
Kitchen and catering assistants
+59.1%£14,974 in London · £9,411 in South West
£111,935 in London · £74,712 in South West
Security system installers and repairers
+49.4%£47,280 in London · £31,652 in South West
Financial accounts managers
+49.1%£60,989 in London · £40,898 in South West
Where South West pays more
Biggest proportional gaps in South West's favour.
Health care practice managers
+27.7%£54,592 in South West · £39,493 in London
£73,291 in South West · £59,590 in London
Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors
+15.8%£38,154 in South West · £32,134 in London
Paper and wood machine operatives
+13.5%£31,862 in South West · £27,546 in London
Metal machining setters and setter-operators
+10.3%£36,938 in South West · £33,123 in London
£46,738 in South West · £43,084 in London
Research and development (R&D) managers
+7.6%£59,333 in South West · £54,843 in London
£55,472 in South West · £51,769 in London
Jobs that pay the same in both
Where location makes almost no difference to the median.
| Occupation | London | South West | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction project managers and related professionals | £45,373 | £45,582 | -0.5% |
| Warehouse operatives | £27,461 | £27,162 | +1.1% |
| Transport and distribution clerks and assistants | £34,157 | £34,648 | -1.4% |
| Food, drink and tobacco process operatives | £27,451 | £26,734 | +2.7% |
| Elementary storage supervisors | £26,643 | £27,443 | -2.9% |
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 138 four-digit SOC 2020 occupations with a published median in both regions. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.