Kitchen and catering assistants: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time kitchen and catering assistants in the UK earned a median £22,886 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 41% less than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
Just 5 of 382 occupations with a published full-time median are lower.
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £18,811 and £26,766.
Median full-time pay: women £22,155 a year, men £23,849 a year.
Most jobs here are part-time: 98,000 of about 473,000 are full-time.
Since 2021 the median has risen 40.9% (from £16,246), faster than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 424,300 people in this line of work, 13% 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 | £15,092 | £385.90 | £11.74 | £3,005 | £61.40 | £9.97 |
| 20th percentile | £17,437 | £418.00 | – | £5,785 | £109.50 | £11.21 |
| 25th percentile | £18,811 | £427.50 | £12.21 | £6,788 | £130.60 | £12.03 |
| 30th percentile | £19,765 | £438.30 | £12.26 | £7,727 | £152.30 | £12.21 |
| 40th percentile | £21,533 | £460.60 | £12.50 | £9,720 | £196.80 | £12.25 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £22,886 | £483.90 | £12.78 | £11,840 | £239.00 | £12.41 |
| 60th percentile | £24,084 | £514.10 | £13.14 | £13,847 | £285.10 | £12.69 |
| 70th percentile | £25,677 | £549.00 | £13.61 | £16,598 | £340.40 | £13.21 |
| 75th percentile | £26,766 | £563.10 | £13.87 | £17,846 | £371.20 | £13.51 |
| 80th percentile | £27,898 | £585.30 | £14.16 | £20,183 | £413.20 | £13.87 |
| 90th percentile | – | £652.40 | £15.33 | £24,354 | £503.20 | £15.58 |
| Mean | £22,825 | £511.60 | £13.28 | £12,974 | £266.50 | £13.06 |
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 | £16,246 | £336.00 | £9.01 | £9,047 | £181.90 | 366 |
| 2022 revised | £18,287 | £387.10 | £10.00 | £10,276 | £190.00 | 419 |
| 2023 revised | £20,104 | £421.50 | £11.00 | £10,297 | £197.30 | 473 |
| 2024 revised | £21,653 | £456.20 | £12.00 | £11,068 | £228.00 | 454 |
| 2025 provisional | £22,886 | £483.90 | £12.78 | £11,840 | £239.00 | 473 |
Kitchen and catering assistants by region
UK: 424,300 (± 25,300), April 2025 to March 2026.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 56,800 | ± 9,400 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 47,200 | ± 8,000 |
| West Midlands | 45,200 | ± 8,800 |
| North West | 41,400 | ± 7,800 |
| East of England | 39,800* | ± 8,600 |
| Scotland | 39,000 | ± 7,100 |
| London | 35,300* | ± 9,700 |
| South West | 33,100* | ± 6,600 |
| Wales | 27,600 | ± 4,700 |
| East Midlands | 27,300* | ± 6,900 |
| North East | 18,000* | ± 4,200 |
| Northern Ireland | 13,800* | ± 3,800 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What kitchen and catering assistants do
Kitchen and catering assistants assist in the preparation and service of food and beverages in restaurants, cafés and other eating establishments, and perform various cleaning, fetching and carrying tasks. (ONS SOC 2020, 9263)
Also covers: catering assistant, crew member (fast food outlet), kitchen assistant, kitchen porter, sandwich artist, attendant (catering), buffet attendant, buffet maid, buttery assistant, cafe assistant, cafe staff, cafe worker, cafeteria assistant, cafeteria hand, canteen assistant, canteen attendant, canteen hand and canteen help (171 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Cleans or prepares food for cooks by hand or machine
- Carries meat, vegetables and other foodstuffs from delivery van to storeroom and from storeroom to kitchen
- Cleans and tidies service area, kitchen surfaces, crockery, cutlery, glassware, kitchen utensils and disposes of rubbish
- Prepares and serves beverages and light refreshments, accepts payment and gives change
- Keeps service area well stocked
There are no formal academic entry requirements. Training is typically received on-the-job. NVQs/ SVQs in relevant areas are available at levels 1 and 2.
Related
Other elementary services occupations (median £23,628) · Hospital porters · Waiters and waitresses · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026