Groundworkers: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time groundworkers in the UK earned a median £37,925 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): £1,114 below the all-jobs median of £39,039.
What the figures show
That puts it 157th of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £31,416 and £44,540.
A full-time median is published for men only; the sample of women is too small.
Paid hours are long: a full-time median of 43 a week including overtime, against 37.5 across all jobs.
ASHE counts roughly 14,000 employee jobs, 100% full-time.
From £29,926 in 2021, the median is up 26.7%, close to the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 33,500 people in this line of work across the UK.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | – | £531.00* | – | £25,448* | £514.90* | – |
| 20th percentile | £29,465 | £582.30 | £14.00 | £29,031 | £578.80 | £13.99 |
| 25th percentile | £31,416 | £589.90 | £14.44 | £31,012 | £586.40 | £14.41 |
| 30th percentile | £32,152 | £621.80 | £14.89 | £31,885 | £611.50 | £14.81 |
| 40th percentile | £35,257 | £671.60 | £15.44 | £34,864 | £664.40 | £15.38 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £37,925 | £735.00 | £16.29 | £37,849 | £718.40 | £16.21 |
| 60th percentile | £40,029 | £790.40 | £17.40 | £39,304 | £786.90 | £17.19 |
| 70th percentile | £43,541 | £850.50 | £18.68 | £43,180 | £845.90 | £18.33 |
| 75th percentile | £44,540 | £872.50 | £19.30 | £44,182 | £867.60 | £19.20 |
| 80th percentile | – | £893.30 | £20.00 | – | £890.90 | £19.98 |
| Mean | £38,309 | £741.00 | £16.91 | £37,839 | £729.00 | £16.89 |
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 | £29,926 | £581.10 | £13.30 | £29,595 | £578.10 | 13* |
| 2022 revised | £31,634 | £658.50 | £15.16 | £31,515 | £652.80 | 11* |
| 2023 revised | £35,638 | £682.70 | £16.00 | £35,387 | £682.30 | 16* |
| 2024 revised | £38,642 | £744.50 | £17.44 | £38,049 | £741.50 | 12* |
| 2025 provisional | £37,925 | £735.00 | £16.29 | £37,849 | £718.40 | 14* |
Groundworkers by region
UK: 33,500 (± 7,100), April 2025 to March 2026.
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What groundworkers do
Groundworkers prepare construction sites for building work by digging out and levelling the ground and laying concrete foundations, installing pipes and drainage and building paths, roads and driveways. (ONS SOC 2020, 9121)
Also covers: drainage worker, ground worker (building construction), trench digger, drain tester, drainage contractor and pipe tester.
- Mark out site area set up the construction site
- Prepares site and lays concrete for shallow foundations and fabricates steel cages
- Installs drainage and pipes and redirects waterways away from site
- Builds paths, roads, kerbs and footpaths, using flagstones, paving and tarmac
No academic qualifications are required. Training is typically provided on-the-job. Vocational qualifications in Ground Works Operations at level 2 and apprenticeships are available.
Related
Elementary construction occupations (median £30,419) · Elementary construction occupations n.e.c. · Fishing and other elementary agriculture occupations n.e.c. · salary percentile · Average weekly hours worked in the UK · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026