Plumber Salary
Official ONS earnings for the UK, covering 56,000 jobs.
Median salary
£37,794
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 2% change on the previous year
Full-time only
£39,179
Mean
£38,259
Jobs measured
56,000
What a typical plumber takes home
On the median of £37,794, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£2,561
Take-home a year
£30,731
Income Tax
£5,045
National Insurance
£2,018
What most plumbers actually earn
Half of plumbers earn between £30,204 and £46,510. Earning above £46,510 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 plumbers earn less than this.
Plumber salary by region
7 of 11 GB regions have a published figure for this occupation.
| Region | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| South East | £40,033 | £38,264 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £39,562 | £41,425 |
| West Midlands | £39,028 | £38,608 |
| East Midlands | £38,931 | £40,542 |
| Scotland | £38,846 | £38,736 |
| South West | £36,221 | £37,775 |
| East | £35,083 | £37,070 |
Plumber jobs hiring now in the UK
Live adverts. Salaries are shown only where the employer states one.
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Pipefitter
BAE Systems · Glasgow, Scotland
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Commercial Plumber Pipe Fitter
Recruitment Helpline Ltd · Perth & Kinross, Scotland
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Plumber£41,329
Places for People · Hilsea, Portsmouth
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Plumber£41,329
Places for People · Cranford, Hounslow
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Plumber£41,329
Places for People · Darley Abbey, Derby
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Plumbers & heating and ventilating installers and repairers
- SOC 2020 code
- 5315
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2026 provisional
ONS doesn't measure “plumber” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “Plumbers & heating and ventilating installers and repairers”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS group also covers heating and ventilating installers.
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.
Plumber salary FAQs
What is the average Plumber salary in the UK?
The median is £37,794 a year and the mean is £38,259, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; full-time employees alone have a median of £39,179.
How much does a plumber earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £18.70 excluding overtime, or £18.95 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only.
What is a good Plumber salary?
Half of plumbers earn between £30,204 and £46,510. Anything above £46,510 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a plumber?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of plumbers earn under £19,432 and the lowest quarter under £30,204 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Has plumber pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +2.0% for this occupation in the UK. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many plumbers are there in the UK?
ASHE counts around 56,000 employee jobs in “Plumbers & heating and ventilating installers and repairers” (SOC 5315) 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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