Carpenters and joiners: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time carpenters and joiners in the UK earned a median £34,014 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): £5,025 below the all-jobs median of £39,039.
What the figures show
That puts it 214th of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £28,900 and £40,477.
Median full-time pay: women £25,002 a year, men £34,083 a year.
Paid hours are long: a full-time median of 40 a week including overtime, against 37.5 across all jobs.
ASHE counts roughly 59,000 employee jobs, 93% full-time.
From £27,802 in 2021, the median is up 22.3%, close to the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 175,400 people in this line of work, 17% of them in South East.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £23,458 | £485.00 | £12.21 | £20,798 | £409.30 | £12.22 |
| 20th percentile | £27,633 | £546.90 | £13.85 | £26,532 | £522.80 | £13.80 |
| 25th percentile | £28,900 | £574.70 | £14.48 | £27,860 | £551.50 | £14.39 |
| 30th percentile | £30,029 | £600.00 | £15.04 | £29,250 | £580.00 | £15.00 |
| 40th percentile | £32,337 | £646.50 | £16.13 | £31,585 | £633.90 | £16.05 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £34,014 | £678.70 | £17.04 | £33,797 | £673.70 | £17.00 |
| 60th percentile | £36,190 | £721.70 | £17.91 | £35,889 | £710.60 | £17.86 |
| 70th percentile | £38,532 | £773.00 | £18.89 | £38,303 | £768.20 | £18.97 |
| 75th percentile | £40,477 | £800.40 | £19.86 | £40,043 | £789.90 | £19.78 |
| 80th percentile | £42,560 | £848.50 | £20.44 | £42,219 | £840.80 | £20.39 |
| Mean | £37,256 | £736.90 | £17.89 | £36,363 | £716.10 | £17.95 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £27,802 | £541.30 | £13.22 | £27,473 | £536.90 | 68 |
| 2022 revised | £28,823 | £566.50 | £14.03 | £28,465 | £559.90 | 64 |
| 2023 revised | £30,509 | £612.20 | £14.99 | £30,134 | £600.00 | 65 |
| 2024 revised | £32,900 | £651.60 | £16.24 | £32,426 | £644.80 | 61 |
| 2025 provisional | £34,014 | £678.70 | £17.04 | £33,797 | £673.70 | 59 |
Carpenters and joiners by region
UK: 175,400 (± 16,200), April 2025 to March 2026.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 30,200* | ± 6,900 |
| London | 18,200* | ± 6,900 |
| South West | 16,900* | ± 4,700 |
| Scotland | 16,300* | ± 4,600 |
| East of England | 15,700* | ± 5,400 |
| North West | 13,600* | ± 4,500 |
| West Midlands | 13,300* | ± 4,800 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 12,300* | ± 4,100 |
| East Midlands | 12,000* | ± 4,600 |
| Northern Ireland | 10,500* | ± 3,300 |
| North East | 9,300* | ± 3,000 |
| Wales | 7,200* | ± 2,400 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What carpenters and joiners do
Carpenters and joiners construct, erect, install and repair wooden structures and fittings used in internal and external frameworks and cut, shape, fit and assemble wood to make templates, jigs, scale models and scenic equipment for theatres. (ONS SOC 2020, 5316)
Also covers: carpenter, carpenter and joiner, joiner, kitchen fitter, shop fitter, aircraft joiner, architectural modeller, bank fitter, bar fitter, bedroom fitter, bedroom installer, bedroom manufacturer, bench hand, bench joiner, bench man, builder's joiner, carpentry contractor and door manufacturer (64 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Examines drawings and specifications to determine job requirements
- Selects and measures appropriate wood and cuts, shapes and drills to specification using saws, planes, chisels and other power or hand tools
- Aligns and fixes prepared wood pieces by screwing, nailing, gluing and dowelling to form frames, shop fronts, counter units, decking, theatrical sets, furniture, small wooden craft, scale models and wooden templates
- Checks accuracy of work with square, rule and spirit level
- Maintains and repairs woodwork and fittings
There are no formal academic entry requirements, though GCSEs/S grades are advantageous. Entry is typically through an approved apprenticeship programme or college course in conjunction with on-the-job training, leading to a NVQ/SVQ level 2/3 qualification, or through building up work experience supplemented with short courses.
Related
Construction and building trades (median £34,643) · Plumbers and heating and ventilating installers and repairers · Glaziers, window fabricators and fitters · salary percentile · Average weekly hours worked in the UK · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026