Plant Operator Salary
Official ONS earnings for the UK, covering 38,000 jobs.
Median salary
£36,408
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 12.3% change on the previous year
Full-time only
£37,864
Mean
£38,319
Jobs measured
38,000
What most plant operators actually earn
Half of plant operators earn between £29,392 and £45,225. Earning above £45,225 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 plant operators earn less than this.
Plant Operator salary by region
10 of 11 GB regions have a published figure for this occupation.
| Region | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| London | £52,767 | £47,553 |
| Scotland | £40,352 | £39,147 |
| North East | £39,302 | £37,698 |
| South East | £36,967 | £41,111 |
| North West | £36,105 | £39,896 |
| South West | £35,857 | £36,035 |
| West Midlands | £35,709 | £38,535 |
| Wales | £35,476 | £36,030 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £35,080 | £38,810 |
| East | £28,947 | £33,390 |
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Mobile machine drivers and operatives n.e.c.
- SOC 2020 code
- 8229
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
ONS doesn't measure “plant operator” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “Mobile machine drivers and operatives n.e.c.”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS measures mobile machine drivers and operatives not classified elsewhere.
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.
Plant Operator salary FAQs
What is the average Plant Operator salary in UK?
The median is £36,408 a year and the mean is £38,319, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; full-time employees alone have a median of £37,864.
What is a good Plant Operator salary?
Half of plant operators earn between £29,392 and £45,225. Anything above £45,225 is in the top quarter for the role.
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, covering 38,000 jobs in this occupation.
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