Groundsmen and greenkeepers: salary in the UK
About £24,255 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +1.7% on last year
£2,400 a month About £2,021 a month after tax 35 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 £20,787 in 2021 to £28,800 in 2026 (+39%); 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 | £17,382 | £18,992 | £20,787 | £23,832 | x |
| 2022 | £18,159 | £19,756 | £21,907 | £25,182 | x |
| 2023 | x | x | x | x | x |
| 2024 | £20,398 | £22,925 | £25,758 | £29,265 | x |
| 2025 | £22,387 | £25,342 | £28,323 | £33,468 | x |
| 2026 | £23,995 | £26,222 | £28,800 | £32,857 | 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 £28,800 a year and half earn more. That is 30% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £26,222 and £32,857; one in ten earns less than £23,995.
Ranked by median, it is number 318 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £2,021 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,025 in Scotland.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £23,995 | £2,000 |
| 20th | £25,826 | £2,152 |
| 25th (P25) | £26,222 | £2,185 |
| 30th | £26,617 | £2,218 |
| 40th | £27,993 | £2,333 |
| Median (50th) | £28,800 | £2,400 |
| 60th | £30,246 | £2,520 |
| 70th | £32,134 | £2,678 |
| 75th (P75) | £32,857 | £2,738 |
| 80th | £33,957 | £2,830 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £28,833 | £30,205 | 34 |
| Women | x | £30,193 | x |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £24,255 | £2,021 |
| Scotland | £24,295 | £2,025 |
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 £29,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 20 job titles to SOC 5114 Groundsmen and greenkeepers. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Golf course man
- Grass keeper
- Green improver
- Green keeper
- Greenkeeper
- Greensman
- Ground attendant
- Ground keeper
- Grounds keeper
- Grounds maintenance operative
- Grounds operative
- Groundskeeper
- Groundsman
- Groundsperson
- Groundsworker
- Turf contractor
- Turf cutter
- Turf digger
- Turf layer
- Turf supplier
Similar occupations
All jobs in Skilled trades occupations
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.