Forklift Operator Salary in North West
Official ONS earnings for North West.
Median salary — North West
£29,736
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 8.5% change on the previous year
Mean
£31,481
What a typical forklift operator takes home
On the median of £29,736, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£2,077
Take-home a year
£24,930
Income Tax
£3,433
National Insurance
£1,373
What most forklift operators actually earn
Half of forklift operators across the UK earn between £26,467 and £38,799. Earning above £38,799 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 forklift operators earn less than this.
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Fork-lift truck drivers
- SOC 2020 code
- 8222
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
ONS publishes a sampling error of 12.6% 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 North West against anywhere else, so this page doesn't.
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.
Forklift Operator salary FAQs
What is the average Forklift Operator salary in North West?
The median is £29,736 a year and the mean is £31,481, 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 forklift operator earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £14.76 excluding overtime. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only, so there is no separate rate for North West.
What is a good Forklift Operator salary?
Half of forklift operators earn between £26,467 and £38,799. Anything above £38,799 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a forklift operator?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of forklift operators earn under £23,761 and the lowest quarter under £26,467 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Do forklift operators in North West earn more than the UK average?
The median in North West is £29,736 against £31,016 across the UK, 4.1% lower. ONS marks the North West figure as imprecise, so treat the gap as indicative.
Has forklift operator pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +8.5% for this occupation in North West. 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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