Plumbers and heating and ventilating installers and repairers: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time plumbers and heating and ventilating installers and repairers in the UK earned a median £37,881 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): £1,158 below the all-jobs median of £39,039.
What the figures show
That puts it 159th of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £31,656 and £45,451.
Median full-time pay: women £25,734 a year, men £38,008 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 62,000 employee jobs, 94% full-time.
Since 2021 it has risen 19.4%, from £31,725, slower than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 153,700 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 | £24,916 | £500.00 | £12.49 | £21,000* | £429.50 | £12.42 |
| 20th percentile | £29,582 | £585.60 | £14.24 | £27,075 | £538.50 | £14.00 |
| 25th percentile | £31,656 | £611.50 | £15.19 | £29,640 | £580.30 | £14.95 |
| 30th percentile | £32,861 | £642.80 | £15.99 | £32,116 | £610.80 | £15.84 |
| 40th percentile | £35,165 | £689.80 | £17.00 | £34,027 | £666.60 | £16.96 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £37,881 | £747.70 | £18.18 | £36,563 | £737.90 | £18.00 |
| 60th percentile | £40,152 | £800.00 | £19.43 | £39,602 | £780.70 | £19.16 |
| 70th percentile | £43,979 | £865.30 | £20.75 | £43,000 | £855.20 | £20.70 |
| 75th percentile | £45,451 | £891.10 | £21.31 | £45,176 | £883.20 | £21.22 |
| 80th percentile | £47,330 | £950.10 | £22.09 | £46,785 | £934.50 | £22.01 |
| 90th percentile | – | – | – | – | £1,035.00* | – |
| Mean | £38,337 | £763.60 | £18.42 | £37,073 | £736.00 | £18.50 |
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 | £31,725 | £622.60 | £15.26 | £31,645 | £617.00 | 57 |
| 2022 revised | £33,384 | £637.70 | £15.77 | £32,871 | £633.00 | 58 |
| 2023 revised | £35,963 | £692.30 | £17.00 | £35,038 | £676.80 | 65 |
| 2024 revised | £38,101 | £724.70 | £17.71 | £37,416 | £715.80 | 59 |
| 2025 provisional | £37,881 | £747.70 | £18.18 | £36,563 | £737.90 | 62 |
Plumbers and heating and ventilating installers and repairers by region
UK: 153,700 (± 15,200), April 2025 to March 2026. 4 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 25,800* | ± 6,400 |
| North West | 16,700* | ± 4,900 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 16,400* | ± 4,700 |
| East of England | 14,900* | ± 5,300 |
| South West | 14,100* | ± 4,300 |
| Scotland | 12,500* | ± 4,000 |
| Wales | 10,000* | ± 2,800 |
| North East | 6,600* | ± 2,500 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What plumbers and heating and ventilating installers and repairers do
Plumbers and heating and ventilating installers and repairers assemble, install, maintain and repair plumbing fixtures, heating and ventilating systems and pipes and pipeline systems in commercial, residential and industrial premises and public buildings for non-renewable and renewable energy. (ONS SOC 2020, 5315)
Also covers: gas engineer, heating and ventilating engineer, heat pump installer, meter installer (water), plumber, plumbing and heating engineer, stove repairer (gas stoves), ventilation fitter, appliances fixer, bathroom fitter, bathroom installer, burner fitter, coupling connector, distribution craftsman, district fitter, domestic engineer, ferrule inserter and field engineer (91 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Examines drawings and specifications to determine layout of system
- Measures and cuts required lengths of copper, lead, steel, iron, aluminium or plastic using hand or machine tools
- Installs fittings such as storage tanks, cookers, baths, toilets, taps and valves, refrigerators, boilers, heat pumps, radiators and fires
- Tests completed installation for leaks and makes any necessary adjustments
- Attaches fittings and joins piping by welding, soldering, cementing, fusing, screwing or other methods
- Repairs burst pipes and mechanical and combustion faults and replaces faulty taps, washers, valves, etc
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 3 qualification, or through building up work experience supplemented with short courses. It is also the law that gas engineers to be registered with Gas Safe Register.
Related
Construction and building trades (median £34,643) · Roofers, roof tilers and slaters · Carpenters and joiners · salary percentile · Average weekly hours worked in the UK · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026