Groundworkers: salary in the UK
About £34,034 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +11.4% on last year
£3,532 a month About £2,836 a month after tax 11 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 £29,926 in 2021 to £42,381 in 2026 (+42%); 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 | x | £23,914 | £29,926 | £34,193 | x |
| 2022 | x | £28,105 | £31,634 | £38,783 | x |
| 2023 | £25,360 | £29,296 | £35,638 | £40,506 | x |
| 2024 | £28,126 | £31,300 | £38,642 | £44,824 | x |
| 2025 | x | £31,548 | £38,030 | £44,680 | x |
| 2026 | £26,530 | £31,427 | £42,381 | £49,405 | 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 £42,381 a year and half earn more. That is 4% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £31,427 and £49,405; one in ten earns less than £26,530.
Ranked by median, it is number 127 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £2,836 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,829 in Scotland.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £26,530 | £2,211 |
| 20th | £29,778 | £2,482 |
| 25th (P25) | £31,427 | £2,619 |
| 30th | £33,416 | £2,785 |
| 40th | £38,951 | £3,246 |
| Median (50th) | £42,381 | £3,532 |
| 60th | £44,103 | £3,675 |
| 70th | £48,176 | £4,015 |
| 75th (P75) | £49,405 | £4,117 |
| 80th | x | x |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £42,381 | £41,986 | 11 |
| Women | x | x | : |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £34,034 | £2,836 |
| Scotland | £33,945 | £2,829 |
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 £42,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 8 job titles to SOC 9121 Groundworkers. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Drain tester
- Drainage contractor
- Drainage worker
- Ground worker
- Groundworker
- Pipe tester
- Trench digger
- Trenchman
Similar occupations
All jobs in Elementary 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.