Average London salary 68% higher than Burnley equivalent, says thinktank
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Regional inequality means annual pay in the capital almost £20,000 higher than in the lowest-paid places in UK. The average London worker could quit their job in August and still be paid what an average worker in Burnley would make in a year, according to a report highlighting Britain’s stark regional pay divide.
Calling on the government to close regional pay divisions and increase economic growth, the Centre for Cities said the average annual wage for an employee in London was almost £20,000 higher than in the lowest-paid places in the UK. With an average wage 24% higher than the national average, workers in London typically are paid 68% more in a year than their peers in Burnley. The average wage in the east Lancashire town, of £29,508, would take a worker on the capital’s average, of £49,455, just eight months to earn.
Publishing its annual Cities Outlook report, the thinktank said the pay divide primarily resulted from some cities having more “cutting edge” private sector jobs and businesses than others. Places with the highest pay, including London and Cambridge, have more than twice as many cutting-edge companies and three times as many jobs in leading sectors – such as biotech and AI – as the country’s lowest-paying towns, such as Burnley, Huddersfield and Middlesbrough.
