South West — Median Salary by Industry Sector
ONS ASHE Table 5.7a · Full-time employees · April 2025 (provisional)
as of April 2025updated annually (last: )Which industry sectors pay the most in South West?
As of April 2025 (ONS ASHE), the highest-paying sector in South West for full-time workers is Finance & Insurance at £48,716 (−16.7% the UK sector median). Across all 19 sectors with unsuppressed data, South West pays are compared to UK sector medians using real ONS ASHE Table 5.7a figures. GeraJobs re-dates annually.
Gera Sector Pay Gap Index
How far each sector's full-time median in South West deviates from the UK sector median. GSPGI = (sectorMedian − ukAllMedian) / ukAllMedian × 100.
How this is calculatedHighest-paying sector in South West
Finance & Insurance
£48,716
−16.7% vs UK Finance & Insurance median
Lowest-paying sector in South West
Accommodation & Food Services
£27,001
−5.9% vs UK Accommodation & Food Services median
UK all-industry median
£39,039
All sectors · Full-time · April 2025 · ONS ASHE
All Industry Sectors in South West
19 sectors have unsuppressed ONS data for South West. Ranked by regional median pay descending.
| Rank | Sector | SIC | South West Median | UK Sector Median | Regional Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Finance & Insurance | K | £48,716 | £58,488 | −16.7% |
| #2 | Information & Communication | J | £48,012 | £52,264 | −8.1% |
| #3 | Mining & Quarrying | B | £43,748 | £50,943 | −14.1% |
| #4 | Electricity & Gas Supply | D | £43,591 | £55,469 | −21.4% |
| #5 | Professional & Scientific Services | M | £41,731 | £46,208 | −9.7% |
| #6 | Public Administration & Defence | O | £40,656 | £40,879 | −0.5% |
| #7 | Water & Waste Management | E | £40,000 | £40,738 | −1.8% |
| #8 | Construction | F | £39,641 | £43,100 | −8.0% |
| #9 | Manufacturing | C | £39,175 | £38,956 | +0.6% |
| #10 | Education | P | £38,586 | £39,999 | −3.5% |
| #11 | Transport & Storage | H | £37,686 | £40,056 | −5.9% |
| #12 | Real Estate | L | £35,187 | £36,565 | −3.8% |
| #13 | Admin & Support Services | N | £34,926 | £36,109 | −3.3% |
| #14 | Health & Social Work | Q | £33,422 | £35,744 | −6.5% |
| #15 | Agriculture & Forestry | A | £32,954 | £32,784 | +0.5% |
| #16 | Wholesale & Retail Trade | G | £32,612 | £33,158 | −1.6% |
| #17 | Other Services | S | £31,096 | £33,537 | −7.3% |
| #18 | Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | R | £29,238 | £32,871 | −11.1% |
| #19 | Accommodation & Food Services | I | £27,001 | £28,687 | −5.9% |
Only sectors with unsuppressed ONS data (CV ≤ 20%) are shown. Regional Gap = (regional median − UK sector median) ÷ UK sector median × 100.
Frequently asked questions
- Which sector has the highest salary in South West?
- In South West, the Financial and Insurance Activities sector (SIC K) has the highest full-time median salary at £48,716 per year — −16.7% the UK sector median of £58,488. Source: ONS ASHE Table 5.7a, April 2025 (OGL v3.0).
- How do South West salaries compare to the UK average by sector?
- Of the 19 sectors for which ONS publishes unsuppressed data in South West, 2 pay above their UK sector median and 17 pay below. The regional gap is computed as (South West sector median − UK sector median) / UK sector median × 100, using real ONS ASHE Table 5.7a full-time employee figures.
- What is the lowest-paying sector in South West?
- Accommodation and Food Service Activities (SIC I) has the lowest full-time median salary in South West among sectors ONS publishes without suppression: £27,001 per year (−5.9% the UK sector median of £28,687). Real ONS ASHE Table 5.7a, April 2025.
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Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Table 5.7a (region × 2-digit SIC 2007 industry), full-time employees, April 2025 provisional (OGL v3.0). Gera Sector Pay Gap Index = (sectorMedian − ukAllMedian) / ukAllMedian × 100. Regional gap = (regionMedian − ukSectorMedian) / ukSectorMedian × 100. Only unsuppressed ONS estimates (CV ≤ 20%) shown.