Painters and decorators: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time painters and decorators in the UK earned a median £32,763 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 16% less than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
That puts it 232nd of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £28,462 and £39,007.
Median full-time pay: women £14.74 an hour, men £16.37 an hour.
Paid hours are long: a full-time median of 40 a week including overtime, against 37.5 across all jobs.
ASHE counts roughly 24,000 employee jobs, 88% full-time.
Since 2021 the median has risen 34.4% (from £24,382), faster than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 86,200 people in this line of work, 16% 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 | £23,617* | £483.10 | £12.44 | £14,803* | £294.90* | £12.21 |
| 20th percentile | £27,916 | £533.70 | £13.43 | £18,788* | £446.70* | £12.78 |
| 25th percentile | £28,462 | £557.20 | £14.03 | £23,850* | £489.90 | £13.11 |
| 30th percentile | £29,814 | £597.10 | £14.66 | £26,877* | £531.40 | £13.44 |
| 40th percentile | £30,842 | £623.90 | £15.56 | £29,519 | £597.10 | £14.65 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £32,763 | £643.30 | £16.25 | £30,889 | £625.00 | £15.83 |
| 60th percentile | £35,323 | £689.10 | £16.97 | £33,206 | £667.60 | £16.57 |
| 70th percentile | £37,840 | £750.90 | £17.90 | £36,400 | £705.90 | £17.31 |
| 75th percentile | £39,007* | £773.90 | £18.45 | £37,852 | £760.60 | £17.93 |
| 80th percentile | – | £804.80* | £18.79 | £39,209* | £782.60* | £18.71 |
| Mean | £34,106 | £691.20 | £16.82 | £30,974 | £631.50 | £16.48 |
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 | £24,382 | £486.50 | £12.27 | £23,183 | £464.70 | 20* |
| 2022 revised | £26,955 | £515.80 | £13.00 | £25,862 | £511.70 | 19* |
| 2023 revised | £28,598 | £560.50 | £14.27 | £27,810 | £543.90 | 20* |
| 2024 revised | £32,044 | £625.00 | £15.55 | £30,877 | £602.60 | 21 |
| 2025 provisional | £32,763 | £643.30 | £16.25 | £30,889 | £625.00 | 24 |
Painters and decorators by region
UK: 86,200 (± 11,400), April 2025 to March 2026. 10 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 13,900* | ± 4,700 |
| South West | 8,500* | ± 3,300 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What painters and decorators do
Painters and decorators use traditional and modern methods to apply or repair paint, varnish, wallpaper and other protective and decorative materials to interior and exterior walls and surfaces, paint designs on wood, glass, metal, plastics and other materials, and stain, wax and French polish wood surfaces by hand. (ONS SOC 2020, 5323)
Also covers: artexer, french polisher, paper hanger, ship sprayer, wood stainer, artex worker, bridge painter, bridge sprayer, buildings painter, buildings sprayer, ceiling specialist, ceiling texturer, decorating contractor, furniture polisher, house decorator, house painter, industrial painter and interior decorator (39 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Erects working platform or scaffolding up to five metres in height
- Prepares surfaces by cleaning, sanding and filling cracks and holes with appropriate filler
- Applies primer, undercoat and finishing coat(s) using brush, roller, or spray equipment
- Mixes adhesive or removes self-adhesive backing and positions covering material on wall, matching up patterns where appropriate and removing wrinkles and air bubbles by hand or brush
- Stains, waxes and French polishes wood surfaces by hand
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
Building finishing trades (median £33,153) · Floorers and wall tilers · Plasterers · salary percentile · Average weekly hours worked in the UK · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026