Official ONS earnings · 141 occupations compared
Scotland vs South West
Typical pay is about 8% higher in Scotland, but that headline hides a lot: South West pays more for 56 of the 141 occupations measured in both.
Scotland
£34,625
typical occupation median
- Occupations measured
- 224
- Highest paid
- £114,012
- Lowest paid
- £8,510
South West
£32,163
typical occupation median
- Occupations measured
- 195
- Highest paid
- £74,712
- Lowest paid
- £4,111
Where Scotland pays more
Biggest proportional gaps in Scotland's favour.
£60,846 in Scotland · £38,565 in South West
Kitchen and catering assistants
+39.6%£13,135 in Scotland · £9,411 in South West
Skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors
+35.6%£54,497 in Scotland · £40,183 in South West
£45,337 in Scotland · £33,471 in South West
Early education and childcare practitioners
+28.8%£22,949 in Scotland · £17,817 in South West
Welfare and housing associate professionals n.e.c.
+24.6%£28,667 in Scotland · £23,012 in South West
£44,338 in Scotland · £35,787 in South West
Primary education teaching professionals
+23.5%£46,739 in Scotland · £37,841 in South West
Where South West pays more
Biggest proportional gaps in South West's favour.
£73,291 in South West · £51,802 in Scotland
£66,327 in South West · £47,701 in Scotland
Health care practice managers
+25.8%£54,592 in South West · £40,530 in Scotland
£51,657 in South West · £38,478 in Scotland
£43,701 in South West · £34,489 in Scotland
Business and related research professionals
+17.1%£42,422 in South West · £35,164 in Scotland
Groundworkers
+16.4%£38,140 in South West · £31,888 in Scotland
Bakers and flour confectioners
+16.1%£28,618 in South West · £24,017 in Scotland
Jobs that pay the same in both
Where location makes almost no difference to the median.
| Occupation | Scotland | South West | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butchers | £28,747 | £28,761 | -0% |
| Travel agents | £26,261 | £26,271 | -0% |
| Care workers and home carers | £21,997 | £21,975 | +0.1% |
| Credit controllers | £26,503 | £26,460 | +0.2% |
| Medical radiographers | £47,035 | £46,738 | +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 141 four-digit SOC 2020 occupations with a published median in both regions. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.