Official ONS earnings · 149 occupations compared
London vs West Midlands
Typical pay is about 22% higher in London, but that headline hides a lot: West Midlands pays more for 19 of the 149 occupations measured in both.
London
£40,110
typical occupation median
- Occupations measured
- 219
- Highest paid
- £123,796
- Lowest paid
- £5,711
West Midlands
£32,969
typical occupation median
- Occupations measured
- 206
- Highest paid
- £79,812
- Lowest paid
- £3,823
Where London pays more
Biggest proportional gaps in London's favour.
£107,433 in London · £52,149 in West Midlands
Financial accounts managers
+71.3%£60,989 in London · £35,609 in West Midlands
£75,537 in London · £44,221 in West Midlands
Production managers and directors in manufacturing
+59.1%£76,710 in London · £48,224 in West Midlands
£63,994 in London · £40,294 in West Midlands
£74,284 in London · £47,744 in West Midlands
£44,375 in London · £28,715 in West Midlands
Cleaners and domestics
+51.4%£14,750 in London · £9,744 in West Midlands
Where West Midlands pays more
Biggest proportional gaps in West Midlands's favour.
£68,676 in West Midlands · £28,113 in London
£34,722 in West Midlands · £24,404 in London
Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors
+26.5%£43,743 in West Midlands · £32,134 in London
Managers and directors in the creative industries
+16.1%£66,195 in West Midlands · £55,545 in London
Veterinary nurses
+12.8%£28,743 in West Midlands · £25,057 in London
Elementary storage supervisors
+12.6%£30,473 in West Midlands · £26,643 in London
Dental nurses
+12.5%£23,472 in West Midlands · £20,540 in London
£59,169 in West Midlands · £51,973 in London
Jobs that pay the same in both
Where location makes almost no difference to the median.
| Occupation | London | West Midlands | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rail transport operatives | £63,796 | £63,779 | 0% |
| Managers in storage and warehousing | £38,912 | £38,814 | +0.3% |
| Metal machining setters and setter-operators | £33,123 | £33,025 | +0.3% |
| Leisure and sports managers | £35,460 | £35,634 | -0.5% |
| Data entry administrators | £27,567 | £27,725 | -0.6% |
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 149 four-digit SOC 2020 occupations with a published median in both regions. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.