Levels of income in Devon are lower than the national average. Figure 5.5 displays average full-time annual pay in Devon between 2008 and 2015 compared to the South West and England, revealing that average full-time earnings in Devon have remained consistently below the regional and national average, with average earnings of £24,742 in 2015 compared with £26,518 in the South West, and £27,869 in England. Figure 5.6 highlights differences between local authority districts in Devon, there is a gap of over £5,000 between average annual earnings in the South Hams (£27,511) and North Devon (£22,212).
Table 5.2 compares Devon with similar local authorities nationally. The table is ordered with the highest average earnings at the top and the lowest average earnings at the bottom. This reveals that average full-time earnings in Devon are well below similar local authorities, and ranked second lowest in the local authority comparator group. The table also reveals that a quarter of full-time workers earn less than £18,699 per annum, which is the fourth lowest in the comparator group, and well below the comparator group (£19,260) and England (£19,719) averages. The difference is even greater for higher earnings, with a quarter of workers earning more than £33,409 per annum in Devon, which is the lowest in the comparator group and notably below the comparator group (£37,686) and England (£39,426) rates.
Table 5.2 also reveals the significant differences between average male and female annual earnings. In 2015 average pay for male full-time workers in Devon (£26,365) was over £5,000 per annum higher than female full-time workers (£21,149). Average male full-time pay in Devon was the lowest in the local authority comparator group, whilst average female full-time pay was the fourth lowest in the local authority comparator group.
Figure 5.5, Average full-time annual earnings by year, 2008 to 2015
Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics, 2015
Figure 5.6, Average full-time annual earnings by year, 2008 to 2015
Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics, 2015
Table 5.2, Average full-time annual earnings in rank order, Devon local authority comparator group ordered by average earnings, 2015
| Area | The average full-time worker earns… | A quarter earn less than… | A quarter earn more than… | The average male earns… | The average female earns… |
| Essex | £30,390 | £21,287 | £44,363 | £33,092 | £26,595 |
| West Sussex | £28,545 | £19,834 | £40,330 | £30,852 | £23,771 |
| Warwickshire | £28,528 | £20,858 | £41,013 | £32,021 | £24,072 |
| England | £27,869 | £19,719 | £39,426 | £30,165 | £24,292 |
| East Sussex | £27,441 | £19,808 | £38,112 | £29,046 | £25,257 |
| Gloucestershire | £27,437 | £20,290 | £39,224 | £30,866 | £23,353 |
| Dorset | £26,998 | £19,500 | £36,761 | £29,002 | £23,383 |
| LACG Average | £26,698 | £19,260 | £37,686 | £29,323 | £22,626 |
| Leicestershire | £26,626 | £18,897 | £37,242 | £29,814 | £22,126 |
| Suffolk | £26,593 | £19,114 | £37,734 | £29,570 | £22,214 |
| Worcestershire | £26,424 | £18,935 | £37,037 | £29,037 | £22,595 |
| North Yorks | £26,285 | £18,998 | £36,776 | £28,750 | £21,787 |
| Cumbria | £26,169 | £18,426 | £38,006 | £28,900 | £22,080 |
| Staffordshire | £26,140 | £18,665 | £36,790 | £28,972 | £22,379 |
| Somerset | £25,389 | £18,428 | £36,295 | £28,192 | £20,581 |
| Norfolk | £25,147 | £18,324 | £35,372 | £27,800 | £21,034 |
| Devon | £24,742 | £18,699 | £33,409 | £26,365 | £21,149 |
| Lincolnshire | £24,306 | £18,090 | £34,512 | £26,882 | £19,646 |
Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics, 2015