South West average salary comparison

The average salary in South West is £43.9k. The UK average salary was £48.5k in 2025. Gross average salary is calculated for full-time employees. Employee has to be in the same job for over 12 months. The data collected is Tax Year Ending. The income includes incentive payments and are available for local government districts/counties.

Full-time Employee Average Salary Compared to UK Average in South West and Nearby Regions
Region	Average salary in 2025
Wales	£40.6k
East Midlands	£41.2k
West Midlands	£43.7k
South West	£43.9k
South East	£47.6k
United Kingdom	£48.5k
London	£70.3k

South West average salary comparison by sex

The average salary for female in South West is £38.3k. The UK average salary for female was £42.6k in 2025. The average salary for male in South West is £47.6k. The UK average salary for male was £52.8k in 2025.

Full-time Employee Male and Female Average Salary in South West and Nearby Regions Compared to UK
Region	Female average salary, 2025	Male average salary
Wales	£37.1k	£43.4k
East Midlands	£36.2k	£44.6k
West Midlands	£37.4k	£47.8k
South West	£38.3k	£47.6k
South East	£41.5k	£51.9k
United Kingdom	£42.6k	£52.8k
London	£59.8k	£78.8k

South West median salary comparison

The median salary in South West is £37.2k. The UK median salary was £39.0k in 2025.

Full-time Employee Median Salary Compared to UK Median Salary in South West and Nearby Regions
Region	Median salary in 2025
East Midlands	£35.6k
Wales	£35.8k
West Midlands	£37.1k
South West	£37.2k
United Kingdom	£39.0k
South East	£40.0k
London	£49.7k

South West median salary comparison by sex

The median salary for female in South West is £33.5k. The UK median salary for female was £35.7k in 2025. The median salary for male in South West is £39.9k. The UK median salary for male was £41.8k in 2025.

Full-time Employee Male and Female Median Salary in South West and Nearby Regions Compared to UK
Region	Female median salary in 2025	Male median salary
East Midlands	£31.8k	£38.6k
Wales	£33.4k	£37.8k
West Midlands	£32.7k	£40.2k
South West	£33.5k	£39.9k
United Kingdom	£35.7k	£41.8k
South East	£35.7k	£43.2k
London	£45.5k	£53.2k

South West unemployment rate comparison

The unemployment rate in South West is 3.4%. The UK unemployment rate was 4% in 2025.

Unemployment Rate Compared to UK Unemployment Rate in South West and Nearby Regions
Region	Unemployment rate in 2025
South West	3.4%
South East	3.5%
East Midlands	3.9%
United Kingdom	4%
Wales	4.1%
West Midlands	4.8%
London	5.5%

South West house price to earnings ratio

The median property price to median earnings ratio in South West is 8.4. Ie. South West resident with middle-income needs 8.4 gross annual salaries to buy a medium-priced property. The England and Wales ratio was 7.54 in 2024.

Median House Price to Median Salary Ratio Compared to UK ration in South West and Nearby Regions
Region	Median house price / salary ratio in 2024
Wales	5.8
East Midlands	6.9
West Midlands	6.9
England and Wales	7.54
South West	8.4
South East	9.3
London	11.7

South West net household income map

Map shows the net average household income in 2020 by middle layer super output area (MSOA). The lowest average net household income was in Cornwall, with £32.6k. The area with the highest average net income was Wiltshire, with £38.2k. Median income was £36.1k - i.e. half of the areas had income equal or above £36.1k. Median income for England and Wales was 34.5k ( the lowest income was in Middlesbrough 001, £19.3k, the highest in Westminster 019, £67.0k).

The lowest, the Median and the Highest Household Income in South West region.
The lowest income	£32.6k
The median income	£36.1k
The highest income	£38.2k

South West working age population share

2024 population estimates.

43.2

South West
average age

40.8

England & Wales
average age

Population Distribution in South West region by Age Group vs. England and Wales
age group	head-count	% share of population	% for Eng & Wales
0-15	980k	16.6%	18.3%
16-64	3.6M	60.6%	62.8%
65+	1.3M	22.8%	18.9%