Medical and welfare-related wages vary across Kanto, at about ¥348,000 in Tokyo and ¥340,000 in Kanagawa. But relative to each prefecture's overall industry average, only Gunma exceeds 100%, at 117.0%. It is important to distinguish between the wage level associated with qualified medical occupations and how high or low each prefecture's overall average is.
Scheduled monthly wages in medical and welfare-related industries across Kanto (2023, men and women combined, all ages)
| Prefecture | Medical/welfare-related (¥1,000) | All industries (¥1,000) | Medical/welfare ÷ all industries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | About 348.0 | 397.0 | 87.7% |
| Kanagawa | About 340.0 | 384.1 | 88.5% |
| Chiba | About 325.0 | 337.8 | 96.2% |
| Saitama | About 318.0 | 347.3 | 91.6% |
| Tochigi | About 300.0 | 355.4 | 84.4% |
| Ibaraki | About 295.0 | 340.6 | 86.6% |
| Gunma | 382.0 | 326.6 | 117.0% |
For Gunma, the value for "medical services" is used, so it is not a perfectly like-for-like comparison with the broader "medical and welfare" category used for the other prefectures.
Rankings change depending on whether you compare absolute wages or the gap from the prefectural average
In absolute terms, the listed figures are ¥382,000 for Gunma, about ¥348,000 for Tokyo, ¥340,000 for Kanagawa, and ¥325,000 for Chiba. Relative to each prefecture's all-industry average, however, Tokyo is at 87.7%, Kanagawa 88.5%, and Tochigi 84.4%, meaning medical and welfare wages are below the local overall average.
In Gunma, the medical-services figure is ¥382,000 compared with an all-industry average of ¥326,600, or 117.0%. The ratio is high not only because medical pay is relatively high, but also because the prefecture-wide comparison base is lower.
Nationally regulated qualifications and high-paying metropolitan industries change the relative ratio
Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, care workers, and other health and welfare occupations operate in labor markets shaped by qualifications and national systems, which can limit regional wage differences compared with some local service industries. Tokyo and Kanagawa still have relatively high medical wages, but they also contain finance, headquarters, R&D, and other industries that lift the prefectural average even further, keeping the relative ratio below 100%.
In Gunma, specialist jobs at major medical institutions, including Gunma University Hospital in Maebashi, form part of the region's higher-wage workforce and sit above the prefectural average. Working conditions in medical and welfare fields should also be separated by occupation, night shifts, employment status, and hospital or facility size rather than judged by wages alone.
How to read these figures
The figures in this article are published values for the stated year, area, and aggregation. Averages and rankings are affected by age composition, household composition, industry and company-size mix, and sample size. They should be read as baseline data under comparable conditions, not as predictions for an individual or household.
Summary: Medical-sector pay should be read using both absolute wages and the local average
Tokyo and Kanagawa have high medical wages in absolute terms, while Gunma stands out relative to its prefectural average. No single ratio is enough to evaluate a region; specific medical occupations and the type of facility also need to be considered.
- Tokyo: about ¥348,000; Kanagawa: about ¥340,000
- Gunma: ¥382,000, or 117.0% of the all-industry average
- Other high-paying industries lift the prefectural averages in major metropolitan areas
- Actual working conditions depend on occupation, night work, and facility size
Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Basic Survey on Wage Structure (2023)
📊 Analysis notes
This article is based on the following statistical data.
- Statistics used: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Basic Survey on Wage Structure (Table ID: 0003426933, view on e-Stat)
- Indicator: Scheduled monthly wages in medical and welfare-related industries and ratio to all industries
- Aggregation: Men and women combined, all ages, all company sizes
- Areas: Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Tochigi, Ibaraki, and Gunma
- Year: 2023
- Independent compilation: Published prefectural values were organized and ratios to the all-industry average calculated
- Data retrieved: June 6, 2026
- Notes: Gunma uses the value for "medical services," so it is not directly comparable under exactly the same category as the broader "medical and welfare" figures for the other prefectures. The article includes contextual interpretation, which should be distinguished from figures directly observable in the statistical tables.
Figures in charts and tables were independently compiled and visualized from the statistical data above.