Mechanical engineer: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Mechanical engineers (SOC 2122)
About £41,023 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +1.9% on last year
£4,377 a month About £3,419 a month after tax 67 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 £40,580 in 2021 to £52,527 in 2026 (+29%); 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 | £28,011 | £35,696 | £40,580 | x | x |
| 2022 | x | £36,268 | £41,100 | £48,969 | x |
| 2023 | £27,518 | £36,682 | £43,137 | £55,674 | x |
| 2024 | £32,217 | £38,402 | £46,760 | £60,270 | x |
| 2025 | £33,066 | £39,224 | £51,558 | £65,377 | x |
| 2026 | £34,241 | £41,938 | £52,527 | £64,856 | 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 £52,527 a year and half earn more. That is 28% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £41,938 and £64,856; one in ten earns less than £34,241.
Ranked by median, it is number 54 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £3,419 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £3,285 in Scotland.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £34,241 | £2,853 |
| 20th | £39,106 | £3,259 |
| 25th (P25) | £41,938 | £3,495 |
| 30th | £43,710 | £3,642 |
| 40th | £47,808 | £3,984 |
| Median (50th) | £52,527 | £4,377 |
| 60th | £56,176 | £4,681 |
| 70th | £61,016 | £5,085 |
| 75th (P75) | £64,856 | £5,405 |
| 80th | £68,264 | £5,689 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £52,427 | £56,536 | 62 |
| Women | x | £56,580 | x |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £41,023 | £3,419 |
| Scotland | £39,423 | £3,285 |
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 £53,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 67 job titles to SOC 2122 Mechanical engineers. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Area chief engineer
- Area mechanical engineer
- Automobile engineer
- Automotive design engineer
- Automotive engineer
- Automotive homologation engineer
- Certifying officer
- Chassis engineer
- Chief engineer
- Chief engineering inspector
- Chief inspector
- Chief marine engineer
- Chief mechanical engineer
- Chief mechanical transport officer
- Design engineer
- Designer
- Diesel engineer
- Electrical machinery designer
- Engineer
- Engineering consultant
- Engineering inspector
- Engineering officer
- Group mechanical engineer
- Heavy engineer
- Homologation engineer
- Hydraulic engineer
- Hydrodynamicist
- Incorporated engineer
- Inspection officer
- Inspector of fighting vehicles
- Locomotive engineer
- Machine tool engineer
- Marine engineer
- Marine salvage engineer
- Marine salvage expert
- Mechanical and electrical engineer
- Mechanical building services engineer
- Mechanical design engineer
- Mechanical designer
- Mechanical development engineer
- Mechanical engineer
- Mechanisation engineer
- Mill engineer
- Motorsport engineer
- Nautical designer
- Naval architect
- Naval constructor
- Naval designer
- Operations engineer
- Piping engineer
- Plant engineer
- Principal technical officer
- Research assistant
- Research associate
- Research officer
- Researcher
- Scientific officer
- Senior marine engineer
- Stress engineer
- Superintendent marine engineer
Show all 67 titles
- Systems integrator
- Textile engineer
- Tool design engineer
- Train engineer
- Unit mechanical engineer
- Welding engineer
- Works engineer
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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.