Average Salary in Sussex

Applying for jobs in Sussex or advertising for a new employee and unsure what salary level to offer? Uncover averages across the two counties to ensure you pitch your salary request at the perfect level.

Average salaries provide a handy glimpse into the earning potential you might have in your respective job or career, whether you’re planning to move to Sussex, want to apply for your first role, or are keen to pivot in a new direction to return to the workforce or make use of newly acquired skills.

This guide looks at the current average salary in Sussex, with data to indicate the areas with the highest rates of pay, the amount you might expect to earn in relation to your experience level, and where annual average incomes are best in comparison to local housing prices.

While exact salaries will depend on numerous factors, such as your qualifications, real-world experience, the number of hours you intend to work, and the type of sector or industry you want to work in, this overview should help with your planning, budgeting, and job application process.

Exploring Average Salaries in East and West Sussex

Let’s start with a quick overview:

• In Sussex as a whole, the average full-time salary is £37,550.
• In West Sussex, that varies at £39,850 as an average across all full-time jobs.
• In East Sussex, the average salary for a full-time employee is £35,250.

Of course, you might earn far above the average if you're in a senior or managerial role, have an established level of expertise, or are applying for technical and highly skilled roles. However, these figures represent all employees, from juniors and apprentices to those further up the career ladder.

Further variables apply depending on where in Sussex you work – since salaries in the bigger cities and towns are inevitably higher than those paid in smaller areas with fewer employers and less competitive business markets.

Average Salary in Sussex By City or Town

The latest data shows that the areas in Sussex with the lowest average salaries include Hastings, at £30,300, and Arun, at £34,800. The highest averages are in Crawley, West Sussex, at £44,900, and Brighton and Hove, at £40,200.

Below, we've listed the averages across a few of the more populated towns and cities:

Median Average Salary in Sussex

Next, we’ll look at the median salary – this matters because it shows the mid-point between the highest and lowest salaries, normally close to mid-range roles and jobs for applicants with a decent amount of experience, although not yet at a higher managerial level.

Median average salaries are also a reliable measure of how salaries compare between towns and cities since the mean average can be skewed by very high wages paid in specific businesses or areas or for high-earning directors and business owners, often located in the largest cities.

However, these figures also depend a little on the value and affluence of the local housing market since towns with higher average salaries may also be the locations with the highest-priced real estate, where the local population are naturally professionals who command larger average wages.

In each of the counties within Sussex:

• The median salary in East Sussex is £30,420.
• The comparable median salary is £33,429 in West Sussex.

As with the variations in averages between towns, these can differ across Sussex as follows.

Unemployment Rates in Sussex

Another useful piece of information for job seekers is the unemployment rate. While this can be linked to aspects such as the general wealth of a local area and the availability of stable employment roles, it also gives some insights into the level of competition for new vacancies.

The usual rule of thumb is that a stronger job market with fewer applicants looking for work means businesses are under less pressure to offer above-average salaries, although likewise, where unemployment is high, candidates are more likely to apply for lower-paid roles.

The unemployment rate across the UK is currently at 4.2%, following a drop in quarter two of 2024. Most areas in Sussex have rates below this national average.

The highest unemployment rates in West Sussex are in Chichester and Crawley at 4%, whereas Mid Sussex has a very low rating of just 2.5% - more than 50% below the UK-wide figures. In East Sussex, there are higher rates of unemployment in Eastbourne, Brighton and Rother, with metrics of 4.8%, 4.7% and 4.4% respectively.

However, other areas in East Sussex have unemployment that is also slightly below the national average, such as Wealden, with 3.3%.

House Price to Salary Ratios in Sussex

Our final statistic is the price-to-earnings ratio, which tells you how the average salary in a particular town or city compares to the local house prices—or how affordable properties are in the area based on the average earnings.

Low ratios are typically a good thing because the average salaries in the area mean most employees can more easily afford a home, whereas higher ratios can indicate low housing availability due to an influx of people moving to an area, lower wages, or high property prices.

These stats look at the number of annual salaries you might need to purchase a property based on earning the average salary and buying a house at the average local listing price. For example, if the house price-to-earnings ratio for an area is 10, that means you’d need ten annual salaries to purchase a property.

Here are some of the house price-to-earnings ratios for comparison:

The ratio across England and Wales is 8.16, which infers that although salaries in Sussex and the southeast tend to be higher than in other areas, the higher property prices also mean you’ll need a larger proportion of your savings to be able to purchase a home.

However, they also indicate that in some of the towns with lower average salaries, more affordable property prices may make it easier to buy a property based on earning the average income.

Learn More About Average Salaries in Sussex

The averages and data quoted here are all based on overarching figures, and the actual salaries, wages, and reward schemes associated with your dream job could look very different, especially in high-demand sectors where businesses are willing to pay above the average for talented applicants.

If you'd like a more accurate idea of the average salary for your preferred roles, we recommend browsing Sussex Jobs. There, you'll find hundreds of listings from employers across Sussex, with detailed details of job specifications, working hours, the salary offered, and the location.