Purchasing manager: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Purchasing managers and directors (SOC 1134)
About £44,889 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +2.1% on last year
£4,933 a month About £3,741 a month after tax 51 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £47,110 in 2021 to £59,192 in 2026 (+26%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | £29,176 | £34,196 | £47,110 | £59,494 | x |
| 2022 | £30,302 | £36,973 | £49,645 | £61,494 | x |
| 2023 | £32,183 | x | £51,183 | x | x |
| 2024 | x | £42,515 | £54,988 | £73,622 | x |
| 2025 | £36,620 | £44,616 | £57,997 | £83,964 | x |
| 2026 | £33,206 | £43,778 | £59,192 | £81,398 | x |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £59,192 a year and half earn more. That is 45% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £43,778 and £81,398; one in ten earns less than £33,206.
Ranked by median, it is number 30 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £3,741 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £3,596 in Scotland.
The median for men is £64,140 and for women £53,027, a gap of 17% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £33,206 | £2,767 |
| 20th | £41,854 | £3,488 |
| 25th (P25) | £43,778 | £3,648 |
| 30th | £47,269 | £3,939 |
| 40th | £53,154 | £4,429 |
| Median (50th) | £59,192 | £4,933 |
| 60th | £65,914 | £5,493 |
| 70th | £77,774 | £6,481 |
| 75th (P75) | £81,398 | £6,783 |
| 80th | £86,003 | £7,167 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £64,140 | £68,778 | 31 |
| Women | £53,027 | £62,509 | 20 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £44,889 | £3,741 |
| Scotland | £43,155 | £3,596 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £59,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 22 job titles to SOC 1134 Purchasing managers and directors. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Bid production manager
- Buying manager
- Category manager
- Commissioning manager
- Contract manager
- Contracts manager
- Director of contracts
- Estimating director
- Estimating manager
- Head of buying
- Head of procurement
- Head of purchasing
- Procurement category manager
- Procurement director
- Procurement manager
- Purchase manager
- Purchasing director
- Purchasing manager
- Sourcing manager
- Supplier manager
- Supplier relationship manager
- Supplies manager
Similar occupations
All jobs in Managers, directors and senior officials
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.