Official ONS earnings · 168 occupations compared
South East vs West Midlands
Typical pay is about 6% higher in South East, but that headline hides a lot: West Midlands pays more for 64 of the 168 occupations measured in both.
South East
£34,801
typical occupation median
- Occupations measured
- 237
- Highest paid
- £95,391
- Lowest paid
- £3,432
West Midlands
£32,969
typical occupation median
- Occupations measured
- 206
- Highest paid
- £79,812
- Lowest paid
- £3,823
Where South East pays more
Biggest proportional gaps in South East's favour.
Steel erectors
+69.9%£44,819 in South East · £26,381 in West Midlands
Air transport operatives
+49.5%£35,533 in South East · £23,772 in West Midlands
Plastics process operatives
+47.5%£34,528 in South East · £23,410 in West Midlands
£46,945 in South East · £34,398 in West Midlands
Housing officers
+31.7%£35,382 in South East · £26,858 in West Midlands
Estimators, valuers and assessors
+31%£43,813 in South East · £33,434 in West Midlands
Electrical and electronic trades n.e.c.
+30.4%£52,308 in South East · £40,118 in West Midlands
£33,998 in South East · £26,624 in West Midlands
Where West Midlands pays more
Biggest proportional gaps in West Midlands's favour.
Retail cashiers and check-out operators
+30.3%£15,398 in West Midlands · £10,726 in South East
Other health professionals n.e.c.
+24.2%£42,065 in West Midlands · £31,903 in South East
£44,172 in West Midlands · £34,490 in South East
Protective service associate professionals n.e.c.
+19%£44,386 in West Midlands · £35,958 in South East
£59,169 in West Midlands · £47,915 in South East
£57,822 in West Midlands · £47,086 in South East
Buyers and procurement officers
+15.2%£39,705 in West Midlands · £33,652 in South East
£43,264 in West Midlands · £36,909 in South East
Jobs that pay the same in both
Where location makes almost no difference to the median.
| Occupation | South East | West Midlands | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local government administrative occupations | £28,529 | £28,538 | -0% |
| Telephone salespersons | £25,429 | £25,409 | +0.1% |
| Metal working machine operatives | £29,822 | £29,841 | -0.1% |
| Delivery drivers and couriers | £24,980 | £25,009 | -0.1% |
| Fire service officers (watch manager and below) | £39,753 | £39,871 | -0.3% |
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 168 four-digit SOC 2020 occupations with a published median in both regions. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.