Official ONS earnings · 116 occupations compared
North East vs North West
Typical pay is about 8% higher in North West, but that headline hides a lot: North East pays more for 47 of the 116 occupations measured in both.
North East
£30,758
typical occupation median
- Occupations measured
- 142
- Highest paid
- £72,472
- Lowest paid
- £10,408
North West
£33,462
typical occupation median
- Occupations measured
- 226
- Highest paid
- £83,567
- Lowest paid
- £4,511
Where North East pays more
Biggest proportional gaps in North East's favour.
Assemblers (vehicles and metal goods)
+35.3%£36,191 in North East · £26,746 in North West
£37,952 in North East · £30,397 in North West
CAD, drawing and architectural technicians
+24.8%£39,724 in North East · £31,828 in North West
Parking and civil enforcement occupations
+24.7%£32,931 in North East · £26,403 in North West
Routine inspectors and testers
+21.7%£35,220 in North East · £28,945 in North West
Groundworkers
+20.9%£34,408 in North East · £28,452 in North West
Research and development (R&D) managers
+18.6%£60,883 in North East · £51,354 in North West
Rail transport operatives
+15.8%£61,477 in North East · £53,103 in North West
Where North West pays more
Biggest proportional gaps in North West's favour.
Project support officers
+26.3%£33,578 in North West · £24,743 in North East
Vehicle and parts salespersons and advisers
+25.6%£33,166 in North West · £24,680 in North East
Estimators, valuers and assessors
+23.7%£37,466 in North West · £28,605 in North East
Data entry administrators
+21.1%£25,979 in North West · £20,506 in North East
Housing officers
+21%£32,543 in North West · £25,709 in North East
£40,417 in North West · £32,157 in North East
£34,434 in North West · £27,683 in North East
£49,238 in North West · £39,722 in North East
Jobs that pay the same in both
Where location makes almost no difference to the median.
| Occupation | North East | North West | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse practitioners | £41,201 | £41,159 | +0.1% |
| Metal working production and maintenance fitters | £40,246 | £40,188 | +0.1% |
| Personal assistants and other secretaries | £24,000 | £24,033 | -0.1% |
| Warehouse operatives | £26,006 | £25,960 | +0.2% |
| Customer service occupations n.e.c. | £24,082 | £24,140 | -0.2% |
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 116 four-digit SOC 2020 occupations with a published median in both regions. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.