Chemical Engineer Salary in South West
Official ONS earnings for South West, covering 13,000 jobs.
Median salary — South West
£42,883
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 2.6% change on the previous year
Mean
£48,921
Jobs measured
13,000
What a typical chemical engineer takes home
On the median of £42,883, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£2,866
Take-home a year
£34,395
Income Tax
£6,063
National Insurance
£2,425
What most chemical engineers actually earn
Half of chemical engineers in South West earn between £39,450 and £60,800. Earning above £60,800 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
ONS suppresses the detailed spread for this occupation at regional level, so this range describes the wider “Engineering Professionals” group in South West.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of chemical engineers earn less than this.
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 publishes a sampling error of 13.1% for this figure and asks that anything above 10% is treated as imprecise — too few people in this region answered the survey for this occupation. The figure is shown because it is the one ONS published, but it is not firm enough to rank South West against anywhere else, so this page doesn't.
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 South West?
The median is £42,883 a year and the mean is £48,921, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; ASHE publishes no full-time split at regional level.
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, so there is no separate rate for South West.
What is a good Chemical Engineer salary?
Half of chemical engineers earn between £39,450 and £60,800. Anything above £60,800 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 £31,294 and the lowest quarter under £39,450 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Do chemical engineers in South West earn more than the UK average?
The median in South West is £42,883 against £47,985 across the UK, 10.6% lower. ONS marks the South West figure as imprecise, so treat the gap as indicative.
Has chemical engineer pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +2.6% for this occupation in South West. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many chemical engineers are there in South West?
ASHE counts around 13,000 employee jobs in “Engineering professionals n.e.c.” (SOC 2129) in South West. 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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