Chemical Engineer Salary in Wales
Official ONS earnings for Wales.
Median salary — Wales
£42,989
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 13% change on the previous year
Mean
£48,568
What a typical chemical engineer takes home
On the median of £42,989, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£2,873
Take-home a year
£34,472
Income Tax
£6,084
National Insurance
£2,434
What most chemical engineers actually earn
Half of chemical engineers across the UK earn between £38,739 and £61,160. Earning above £61,160 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
This range is UK-wide — ONS publishes no regional breakdown of the spread for this occupation.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of chemical engineers earn less than this.
How Wales ranks for chemical engineer pay
4th
of 4 GB regions with a published figure
Wales is the lowest-paying of the 4 regions ONS measures for this role, £13,802 behind London on £56,791.
Ranking compares published regional medians for the same occupation. It says nothing about cost of living — a higher median doesn't survive contact with rent. The cost of living calculator is the honest next step.
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 Wales?
The median is £42,989 a year and the mean is £48,568, 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 Wales.
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.
Do chemical engineers in Wales earn more than the UK average?
The median in Wales is £42,989 against £47,985 across the UK, 10.4% lower, which places it lowest of the 4 GB regions with a precise estimate.
Has chemical engineer pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +13.0% for this occupation in Wales. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
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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