Street cleaners: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time street cleaners in the UK earned a median £27,633 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 29% less than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
It is in the lowest-paid third of the 382 occupations (56th from the bottom).
A full-time median is published for men only; the sample of women is too small.
ASHE counts roughly 5,000 employee jobs, 80% full-time.
Since 2021 the median has risen 32.8% (from £20,811), faster than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 14,000 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20th percentile | – | – | – | – | – | £12.69 |
| 25th percentile | – | £484.70 | £13.06 | – | – | £12.84 |
| 30th percentile | £25,668 | £490.30 | £13.15 | £25,183* | £474.90* | £13.04 |
| 40th percentile | £26,498 | £496.80 | £13.28 | £25,505* | £482.60* | £13.13 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £27,633 | £522.70 | £13.56 | £26,330 | £490.30 | £13.27 |
| 60th percentile | £27,816 | £542.10 | £14.48 | £27,619 | £510.20 | £13.63 |
| 70th percentile | – | £564.20* | £15.08 | – | £540.00 | £14.80 |
| Mean | £28,309 | £546.20 | £14.60 | £24,484 | £453.10 | £14.45 |
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 | £20,811 | £400.60 | £10.64 | £19,974 | £383.50 | 6* |
| 2022 revised | £21,902 | £425.10 | £11.22 | £21,782 | £422.50 | 6* |
| 2023 revised | £24,378 | £471.30 | £12.68 | £24,147 | £469.70 | 4* |
| 2024 revised | £26,175 | £502.00 | £13.07 | £25,809 | £475.60 | 5* |
| 2025 provisional | £27,633 | £522.70 | £13.56 | £26,330 | £490.30 | 5* |
Street cleaners by region
UK: 14,000 (± 4,600), April 2025 to March 2026.
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What street cleaners do
Street cleaners clean, sweep and remove refuse from public thoroughfares. (ONS SOC 2020, 9222)
Also covers: cleansing operative (street cleaning), litter picker, road sweeper, street cleaner, cleansing operative, environmental cleaner, highways cleaner, market attendant, road orderly, street orderly, street sweeper, public realm operative and street cleansing operative.
- Sweeps pavements, gutters and roadways with hand broom or mechanical sweeper
- Collects litter using hand tools
- Transfers refuse into containers and empties public litter bins into containers.
No academic qualifications are required. On-the-job training is provided. Vocational qualifications in Cleaning and Support Services Skills are available at levels 1 and 2.
Related
Elementary cleaning occupations (median £25,303) · Window cleaners · Cleaners and domestics · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026