Across the seven prefectures of Kanto in 2023, scheduled monthly wages ranged from ¥397,000 in Tokyo, the highest, to ¥326,600 in Gunma, the lowest—a gap of ¥70,400 per month. Yet third place does not go to one of Tokyo's neighboring commuter prefectures, but to Tochigi. Rather than stopping at the ranking, this article looks at two different ways Kanto generates high-paying jobs: headquarters and specialist occupations in southern Kanto, and manufacturing-driven employment in northern Kanto.
Scheduled monthly wage ranking across Kanto's seven prefectures (2023, all ages, men and women combined)
| Rank | Prefecture | Scheduled monthly wages | Simple annualized figure (monthly × 12) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo | ¥397,000 | About ¥4.76 million |
| 2 | Kanagawa | ¥384,100 | About ¥4.61 million |
| 3 | Tochigi | ¥355,400 | About ¥4.26 million |
| 4 | Saitama | ¥347,300 | About ¥4.17 million |
| 5 | Ibaraki | ¥340,600 | About ¥4.09 million |
| 6 | Chiba | ¥337,800 | About ¥4.05 million |
| 7 | Gunma | ¥326,600 | About ¥3.92 million |
A two-tier pattern: Tokyo and Kanagawa, then the rest
Tokyo stands at ¥397,000 and Kanagawa at ¥384,100, a difference of ¥12,900. By contrast, the gap between Kanagawa and third-place Tochigi is ¥28,700. The Kanto wage distribution therefore has a clear two-tier structure: Tokyo and Kanagawa out in front, followed by Tochigi, Saitama, Ibaraki, Chiba, and Gunma.
The most striking result is Tochigi's third-place finish. If proximity to central Tokyo alone determined wages, Saitama or Chiba would be expected to rank higher, but Tochigi exceeds both. On a simple monthly-times-12 basis, the difference between Tokyo and Gunma comes to roughly ¥840,000 a year.
Tokyo's headquarters economy and Tochigi's manufacturing base appear in the same table
In Tokyo, Chiyoda, Minato, and Chuo wards contain dense concentrations of major corporate headquarters, finance, trading companies, and foreign firms, while Shibuya and surrounding areas add a large base of IT and professional jobs. These high-value occupations raise the metropolitan average. Kanagawa also has many high-value employers, including Nissan Motor and FUJIFILM Business Innovation around Yokohama's Minato Mirai district, and major Fujitsu and NEC operations in Kawasaki.
Tochigi's strength, however, cannot be explained by commuting to Tokyo. Manufacturing and research facilities operated by companies such as Honda, Nissan, and Canon are concentrated around Haga, Kaminokawa, and Moka, supporting well-paid technical employment within the prefecture. Ibaraki has research institutions in Tsukuba, Hitachi-related industrial clusters, and the Kashima coastal industrial zone, while Gunma's Ota and Oizumi areas are anchored by SUBARU-related industries. The same ranking therefore overlays two different economic maps: headquarters and professional employment in southern Kanto, and manufacturing and R&D in northern Kanto.
How to read these figures
This ranking compares scheduled monthly wages. It does not include bonuses, overtime pay, commissions, or similar payments. Because the figures combine all ages and both sexes, differences in age structure, industry mix, and company-size composition across prefectures also affect the averages.
What this table directly shows is the published ranking and gaps in monthly wages for 2023. It does not measure living costs or disposable income.
Conclusion: Kanto's wage gaps reflect where high-paying jobs are concentrated, not simply distance from Tokyo
Tokyo and Kanagawa have high average wages not merely because they are close to the metropolitan core, but because they contain a deep concentration of high-paying headquarters functions, professional jobs, and R&D positions. Tochigi's third-place result, meanwhile, shows that large-scale manufacturing employment can raise wages without relying on Tokyo commuting.
- The gap between first-place Tokyo and seventh-place Gunma is ¥70,400 per month
- Tokyo and Kanagawa are relatively close, with a gap of ¥12,900
- Tochigi ranks third, supported by manufacturing clusters that include Honda, Nissan, and Canon
- This table is better read as a ranking of where high-paying jobs are located than as a ranking of overall livability
Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Basic Survey on Wage Structure (2023)
📊 Analysis notes
- Statistics used: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Basic Survey on Wage Structure (e-Stat table ID: 0003426933, view on e-Stat)
- Area covered: Seven prefectures of the Kanto region
- Reference year: 2023
- Data retrieved: June 6, 2026
- Note: The article centers on values published in the official statistics. Interpretation of the background may also involve factors not directly shown in the table, such as industry mix, age structure, and company-size composition, so the published figures should be distinguished from contextual interpretation.
Figures in the charts and tables were independently compiled and visualized from the statistical data above.