Jobs hold steady in Stoke-on-Trent as median pay reaches £2,396 a month
WageSight Wire · Jul 2026
- Employment
- 115,140 workers (June 2026)
- Monthly change
- +0.1% (+165 workers)
- Annual change
- +0.3% (+340 workers)
- Median pay
- £2,396/month (YoY: +4.9%, £113 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +5.9% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£94 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Stoke-on-Trent continued to grow in June 2026, with workers up 0.3% year-on-year, 340 more than a year ago, and rising a further 0.1% on the month.
Across the West Midlands, payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.1% over the year to June 2026. Stoke-on-Trent ranked 4th of 14 sub-regional areas in the West Midlands by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Stoke-on-Trent stood at £2,396 in June 2026, up 4.9% over the past year and ahead of inflation at 2.82%. After a period of sharp inflation from 2022 that eroded real earnings, wages have been recovering. Workers in Stoke-on-Trent are now £94 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £1,835 a month. The total pay bill in Stoke-on-Trent rose 5.9% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Stoke-on-Trent outperformed the UK as a whole, where payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.2% over the year to June 2026. Across the UK, 599,257 workers entered payrolled employment in May 2026, the most recently available flow data, while 596,423 left, a net gain of 2,834 workers.
“The employment picture in Stoke-on-Trent 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 | Coventry | 168,165 | +0.9% | £2,542 | +4.7% |
| 2 | Telford | 85,664 | +0.7% | £2,543 | +5.3% |
| 3 | Warwickshire CC | 284,359 | +0.4% | £2,748 | +4.3% |
| 4 | Stoke-on-Trent | 115,140 | +0.3% | £2,396 | +5.0% |
| 5 | Herefordshire | 81,126 | +0.0% | £2,460 | +5.8% |
| 6 | Walsall | 118,797 | +0.0% | £2,424 | +5.4% |
| 7 | Staffordshire CC | 395,833 | -0.1% | £2,577 | +4.8% |
| 8 | Solihull | 96,960 | -0.2% | £2,756 | +4.7% |
| 9 | Worcestershire CC | 270,961 | -0.2% | £2,573 | +4.8% |
| 10 | Sandwell | 146,909 | -0.4% | £2,384 | +5.1% |
| 11 | Dudley | 139,003 | -0.4% | £2,511 | +5.2% |
| 12 | Wolverhampton | 118,341 | -0.5% | £2,442 | +5.0% |
| 13 | Shropshire | 133,343 | -0.7% | £2,473 | +5.2% |
| 14 | Birmingham | 464,350 | -0.7% | £2,438 | +5.3% |
Notes to editors
Figures from WageSight, derived from ONS / HMRC PAYE Real Time Information. Full method at wagesight.com/methodology.
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