Jobs grow in Stratford on Avon as median pay reaches £2,669 a month
WageSight Wire · Jul 2026
- Employment
- 62,342 workers (May 2026)
- Monthly change
- +1.2% (+758 workers)
- Annual change
- +1.0% (+639 workers)
- Median pay
- £2,669/month (YoY: +3.1%, £79 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +3.7% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£28 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Stratford on Avon continued to grow in May 2026, with workers up 1% year-on-year, 639 more than a year ago, and rising a further 1.2% on the month.
Across the West Midlands, payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.2% over the year to May 2026. Stratford on Avon ranked 1st of 30 towns and cities in the West Midlands by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Stratford on Avon stood at £2,669 in May 2026, up 3.1% over the past year, broadly matching inflation of 2.97%. After a period of sharp inflation from 2022 that eroded real earnings, wages have been recovering. But workers in Stratford on Avon are still only £28 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £2,135 a month. The total pay bill in Stratford on Avon rose 3.7% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Stratford on Avon outperformed the UK as a whole, where payrolled employment edged down 0.4% over the year to May 2026. Across the UK, 539,199 workers entered payrolled employment in April 2026, the most recently available flow data, while 591,851 left, a net loss of 52,652 workers.
“The employment picture in Stratford on Avon is genuinely encouraging. More people in work and real pay rising means households have more money in their pockets. That kind of momentum matters for local businesses and public services alike.”
— Paul Hebden, Director, Campaign Salience
West Midlands — employment and pay
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stratford on Avon | 62,342 | +1.0% | £2,669 | +3.0% |
| 2 | Warwick | 72,055 | +0.8% | £3,020 | +3.6% |
| 3 | Coventry | 168,068 | +0.8% | £2,523 | +4.4% |
| 4 | Nuneaton and Bedworth | 63,475 | +0.6% | £2,583 | +4.1% |
| 5 | Rugby | 57,278 | +0.4% | £2,783 | +5.2% |
| 6 | Telford | 85,508 | +0.4% | £2,530 | +5.3% |
| 7 | East Staffordshire | 58,249 | +0.2% | £2,512 | +4.2% |
| 8 | Lichfield | 48,442 | +0.1% | £2,695 | +5.6% |
| 9 | Stoke on Trent | 114,975 | +0.1% | £2,388 | +5.2% |
| 10 | Stafford | 62,923 | +0.1% | £2,635 | +4.5% |
| 11 | Staffordshire Moorlands | 40,974 | -0.1% | £2,492 | +4.5% |
| 12 | Newcastle under Lyme | 54,951 | -0.1% | £2,514 | +5.0% |
| 13 | Solihull | 97,066 | -0.2% | £2,739 | +4.3% |
| 14 | Worcester | 51,367 | -0.2% | £2,536 | +4.3% |
| 15 | Redditch | 40,946 | -0.2% | £2,556 | +4.8% |
| 16 | South Staffordshire | 47,147 | -0.2% | £2,599 | +4.5% |
| 17 | Walsall | 118,678 | -0.3% | £2,411 | +5.3% |
| 18 | Wyre Forest | 42,627 | -0.3% | £2,446 | +5.2% |
| 19 | Bromsgrove | 44,744 | -0.4% | £2,765 | +4.7% |
| 20 | Malvern Hills | 32,085 | -0.4% | £2,512 | +4.9% |
| 21 | Herefordshire | 80,824 | -0.4% | £2,408 | +3.7% |
| 22 | Wychavon | 59,140 | -0.4% | £2,571 | +3.6% |
| 23 | Wolverhampton | 118,425 | -0.5% | £2,429 | +5.0% |
| 24 | Dudley | 139,038 | -0.5% | £2,503 | +5.1% |
| 25 | Tamworth | 37,521 | -0.6% | £2,549 | +3.9% |
| 26 | Shropshire | 133,343 | -0.7% | £2,473 | +5.2% |
| 27 | North Warwickshire | 29,761 | -0.7% | £2,616 | +4.3% |
| 28 | Cannock Chase | 45,551 | -0.7% | £2,519 | +4.8% |
| 29 | Birmingham | 464,264 | -0.8% | £2,420 | +5.0% |
| 30 | Sandwell | 146,393 | -0.8% | £2,366 | +4.6% |
Notes to editors
Figures from WageSight, derived from ONS / HMRC PAYE Real Time Information. Full method at wagesight.com/methodology.
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