Jobs hold steady in Wiltshire as median pay reaches £2,661 a month
WageSight Wire · Jul 2026
- Employment
- 231,097 workers (June 2026)
- Monthly change
- +0.0% (+9 workers)
- Annual change
- +27 workers
- Median pay
- £2,661/month (YoY: +5.0%, £126 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +4.5% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£94 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Wiltshire was broadly stable in June 2026, with 231,097 workers on payroll, 27 more than a year ago.
Across the South West, payrolled employment was broadly flat, down 0.2% over the year to June 2026. Wiltshire ranked 1st of 12 sub-regional areas in the South West by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Wiltshire stood at £2,661 in June 2026, up 5.0% 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 Wiltshire are now £94 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £2,050 a month. The total pay bill in Wiltshire rose 4.5% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Wiltshire 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 Wiltshire 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
South West — employment and pay
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wiltshire | 231,097 | +0.0% | £2,661 | +5.0% |
| 2 | Bristol | 231,621 | +0.0% | £2,688 | +4.7% |
| 3 | Swindon | 116,643 | -0.1% | £2,675 | +4.5% |
| 4 | North Somerset | 99,974 | -0.1% | £2,600 | +4.2% |
| 5 | Somerset | 245,938 | -0.1% | £2,516 | +5.5% |
| 6 | Gloucestershire CC | 290,029 | -0.1% | £2,586 | +4.9% |
| 7 | Cornwall and Isles of Scilly | 229,433 | -0.3% | £2,332 | +5.6% |
| 8 | Torbay | 54,649 | -0.3% | £2,310 | +5.1% |
| 9 | Devon CC | 329,673 | -0.4% | £2,407 | +5.4% |
| 10 | Plymouth | 119,290 | -0.4% | £2,520 | +5.2% |
| 11 | Dorset | 151,099 | -0.5% | £2,412 | +4.6% |
| 12 | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 175,117 | -1.2% | £2,508 | +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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