Food Production Operative Salary in South East
Official ONS earnings for South East, covering 9,000 jobs.
Median salary — South East
£26,527
gross, per year, all employees
▼ 2.3% change on the previous year
Mean
£25,528
Jobs measured
9,000
What most food production operatives actually earn
Half of food production operatives in South East earn between £23,695 and £34,529. Earning above £34,529 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
ONS suppresses the detailed spread for this occupation at regional level, so this range describes the wider “Process Operatives” group in South East.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of food production operatives earn less than this.
How South East ranks for food production operative pay
7th
of 9 GB regions with a published figure
West Midlands tops the table on £28,052 and Yorkshire and The Humber sits at the bottom on £25,873. South East is £1,525 short of the top.
Ranking compares published regional medians for the same occupation. It says nothing about cost of living — a higher median doesn't survive contact with rent. The cost of living calculator is the honest next step.
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Food, drink and tobacco process operatives
- SOC 2020 code
- 8111
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
ONS doesn't measure “food production operative” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “Food, drink and tobacco process operatives”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS measures food, drink and tobacco process operatives.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are estimates from a survey of PAYE jobs and are not financial advice.
Food Production Operative salary FAQs
What is the average Food Production Operative salary in South East?
The median is £26,527 a year and the mean is £25,528, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; ASHE publishes no full-time split at regional level.
What is a good Food Production Operative salary?
Half of food production operatives earn between £23,695 and £34,529. Anything above £34,529 is in the top quarter for the role.
Is this figure official?
Yes. It comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an accredited official statistic based on employer PAYE records, covering 9,000 jobs in this occupation.
Official figures show the market. Your salary shows what employers actually pay.
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