Scheduled monthly wages in Saitama are highest in electricity, gas, heat supply and water at ¥478,900, followed by professional services at ¥449,400 and production machinery manufacturing at ¥419,900. Despite Saitama's image as a logistics prefecture, the top positions are dominated by infrastructure, professional services, machinery manufacturing, and construction.
Scheduled monthly wages by industry in Saitama (2023, men and women combined, all ages and company sizes)
| Rank | Industry | Scheduled monthly wages (¥1,000) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electricity, gas, heat supply and water | 478.9 |
| 2 | Professional services | 449.4 |
| 3 | Production machinery manufacturing | 419.9 |
| 4 | Construction | 406.5 |
| 5 | Transportation equipment manufacturing | 403.7 |
| 6 | Information and communications | 402.1 |
| 7 | School education | 400.9 |
| 8 | Scientific research, professional and technical services | 397.6 |
| 9 | Information services | 391.6 |
| 10 | Printing and allied industries | 390.3 |
| Mid-range | Wholesale and retail | About 310.0 |
| Lower | Accommodation and food services | About 230.0 |
Machinery, construction, and professional jobs cluster around ¥400,000 or more
The top 10 include production machinery, transportation equipment, and printing, as well as construction, information and communications, school education, and scientific research. These are industries that support Saitama's manufacturing base, research functions, and urban infrastructure.
Wholesale and retail are around ¥310,000, while accommodation and food services are around ¥230,000. The gap from the top industry is about ¥250,000 per month, showing the large industry differences hidden inside Saitama's all-age average of ¥347,300.
Saitama's higher-paying jobs come from machinery and R&D, not logistics alone
Logistics facilities along the Ken-O Expressway are highly visible in Saitama, but the prefecture also has Honda R&D operations in Wako, machinery manufacturing across southern and central Saitama, and strong construction and infrastructure activity. By using its proximity to Tokyo while providing production, maintenance, and professional services locally, these sectors rank near the top.
Logistics and retail may employ large numbers of people, but their occupational mix and share of non-regular workers can keep average wages below the top industries. The data therefore do not support a simple assumption that "Saitama is a logistics prefecture, so logistics pays the most." Within the prefecture, sectors requiring equipment, qualifications, or technical skill have higher wages.
How to read these figures
These figures are scheduled monthly wages and exclude bonuses and overtime pay. They are averages across both sexes, all ages, and all company sizes, so this table alone cannot separate differences in occupations or employer-size composition within each industry.
Summary: Saitama's highest-paying sectors are infrastructure, professional services, and machinery manufacturing
The highest-paying sectors in Saitama are not logistics itself, but utilities, professional services, machinery manufacturing, and construction. Industries with the most employment are not necessarily the industries with the highest wages.
- Utilities rank first at ¥478,900
- Professional services: ¥449,400
- Production machinery: ¥419,900
- Accommodation and food services are around ¥230,000, about ¥250,000 below the top industry
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 (Table ID: 0003426933, view on e-Stat)
- Area: Saitama Prefecture
- Year: 2023
- Data retrieved: June 6, 2026
- Notes: The article primarily organizes published statistical values. Interpreting the background also involves factors outside the table, including occupational and company-size composition within industries, so directly observable figures should be distinguished from interpretation.
Figures in the table were organized from the statistical data above.