Average salary in the South East
Half of full-time employees working in the South East earn less than £41,664 a year and half earn more. ONS figures for the tax year ending 5 April 2026.
About £33,518 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median full-time salary a year, the South East, +3.9% on last year
£3,472 a month £21.15 an hour About £2,793 a month after tax 2,324 thousand full-time jobs
That's 2% more than the UK median of £40,911, and number 2 of the 12 UK nations and English regions.
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £25,508 | £2,126 |
| 20th | £29,206 | £2,434 |
| 25th (P25) | £30,969 | £2,581 |
| 30th | £32,855 | £2,738 |
| 40th | £37,074 | £3,089 |
| Median (50th) | £41,664 | £3,472 |
| 60th | £47,045 | £3,920 |
| 70th | £53,601 | £4,467 |
| 75th (P75) | £57,743 | £4,812 |
| 80th | £63,406 | £5,284 |
| 90th (P90) | £83,553 | £6,963 |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | |
|---|---|---|
| Men | £45,257 | £55,919 |
| Women | £37,370 | £44,177 |
The median for full-time men is £45,257 and for full-time women £37,370, 17% lower. This compares all full-time jobs, not men and women in the same job. ONS's official gender pay gap uses hourly pay excluding overtime, so it gives a different figure.
Pay by occupation group in the South East
| Occupation group | Median here | UK median |
|---|---|---|
| Managers, directors and senior officials | £58,983 | £60,000 |
| Corporate managers and directors | £65,842 | £67,499 |
| Other managers and proprietors | £44,764 | £43,132 |
| Professional occupations | £50,922 | £50,683 |
| Science, research, engineering and technology professionals | £55,754 | £54,513 |
| Health professionals | £47,358 | £47,984 |
| Teaching and other educational professionals | £46,656 | £49,233 |
| Business, media and public service professionals | £53,002 | £51,601 |
| Associate professional occupations | £39,571 | £40,000 |
| Science, engineering and technology associate professionals | £36,303 | £37,287 |
| Health and social care associate professionals | £29,260 | £30,662 |
| Protective service occupations | £49,699 | £50,566 |
| Culture, media and sports occupations | £33,284 | £37,502 |
| Business and public service associate professionals | £43,422 | £43,264 |
| Administrative and secretarial occupations | £32,000 | £31,918 |
| Administrative occupations | £32,688 | £32,042 |
| Secretarial and related occupations | £30,008 | £29,346 |
| Skilled trades occupations | £38,672 | £37,419 |
| Skilled agricultural and related trades | £30,149 | £29,678 |
| Skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades | £42,708 | £40,875 |
| Skilled construction and building trades | £38,985 | £36,959 |
| Textiles, printing and other skilled trades | £31,960 | £31,200 |
| Caring, leisure and other service occupations | £28,721 | £28,497 |
| Caring personal service occupations | £28,308 | £28,276 |
| Leisure, travel and related personal service occupations | £30,634 | £29,358 |
| Community and civil enforcement occupations | £35,291 | £33,575 |
| Sales and customer service occupations | £28,208 | £28,276 |
| Sales occupations | £27,462 | £27,532 |
| Customer service occupations | £30,006 | £29,445 |
| Process, plant and machine operatives | £35,480 | £34,936 |
| Process, plant and machine operatives | £32,476 | £32,767 |
| Transport and mobile machine drivers and operatives | £38,099 | £37,730 |
| Elementary occupations | £28,978 | £29,135 |
| Elementary trades and related occupations | £29,162 | £29,853 |
| Elementary administration and service occupations | £28,921 | £29,000 |
Regions are where people work, not where they live. Figures are for full-time employees on adult rates who had been in the same job for more than a year, including bonuses and overtime.
Average salary in other regions
More
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.