Chemical Engineer Salary
Official ONS earnings for the UK, covering 148,000 jobs.
Median salary
£47,985
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 5% change on the previous year
Full-time only
£48,776
Mean
£52,921
Jobs measured
148,000
What a typical chemical engineer takes home
On the median of £47,985, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£3,172
Take-home a year
£38,069
Income Tax
£7,083
National Insurance
£2,833
What most chemical engineers actually earn
Half of chemical engineers earn between £38,739 and £61,160. Earning above £61,160 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of chemical engineers earn less than this.
Chemical Engineer salary by region
11 of 11 GB regions have a published figure for this occupation.
| Region | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| London | £56,791 | £65,000 |
| South East | £54,173 | £56,991 |
| East | £50,123 | £60,200 |
| West Midlands | £48,401 | £50,419 |
| North West | £47,873 | £50,355 |
| Scotland | £46,487 | £46,462 |
| North East | £45,705 | £50,179 |
| East Midlands | £44,195 | £48,927 |
| Wales | £42,989 | £48,568 |
| South West | £42,883 | £48,921 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £41,411 | £44,453 |
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Engineering professionals n.e.c.
- SOC 2020 code
- 2129
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
ONS doesn't measure “chemical engineer” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “Engineering professionals n.e.c.”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS measures a residual group - engineering professionals it does not name separately.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are estimates from a survey of PAYE jobs and are not financial advice.
Chemical Engineer salary FAQs
What is the average Chemical Engineer salary in the UK?
The median is £47,985 a year and the mean is £52,921, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; full-time employees alone have a median of £48,776.
How much does a chemical engineer earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £23.92 excluding overtime. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only.
What is a good Chemical Engineer salary?
Half of chemical engineers earn between £38,739 and £61,160. Anything above £61,160 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a chemical engineer?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of chemical engineers earn under £31,054 and the lowest quarter under £38,739 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Which part of the UK pays chemical engineers the most?
London, at a median of £56,791, is the highest of the 4 GB regions with a precise ONS estimate; Wales is the lowest at £42,989. Regions where ONS marks the figure as imprecise are not ranked.
Has chemical engineer pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +5.0% for this occupation in the UK. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many chemical engineers are there in the UK?
ASHE counts around 148,000 employee jobs in “Engineering professionals n.e.c.” (SOC 2129) in the UK. Self-employed work is not included.
Is this figure official?
Yes. It comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an accredited official statistic based on employer PAYE records.
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