Mechanical engineers salary in the UK
SOC 2020 code 2122 · full-time employees · reference year 2025Provisional
Median annual pay (gross)
£51,110
Mean annual pay (gross)
£55,148
The median for this occupation is 1.3× the UK median for all employees (£39,039) in the same 2025 release.
Pay range
| 10th percentile | £33,274 |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | £39,125 |
| Median (50th) | £51,110 |
| 75th percentile | £62,237 |
| 90th percentile | Not published |
"Not published" means the statistics office withheld the estimate because the sample was too small to be reliable. We do not estimate a replacement figure.
About this occupation
Mechanical engineers design and develop machinery, vehicles and energy systems across manufacturing, aerospace, automotive and utilities.
Pay tends to be higher in aerospace, defence and energy than in general manufacturing. Chartered engineer status is a recognised marker of seniority in the UK.
Source and notes
- Office for National Statistics, ASHE Table 14.7a (full-time, gross annual pay), 2025 provisional.
- Gross annual pay for full-time employees on adult rates whose pay was not affected by absence. Figures for 2025 are provisional and are revised by ONS the following year.
- ISCO-08 group 2: Professionals — a broad grouping for loose cross-country orientation only, not an exact match to other countries' job titles.
- Official figures above are gross (before tax). The optional Net view is an estimate: it uses the OECD Taxing Wages model for a single person without children. The percentile range always shows gross pay.
- No official breakdown by experience level exists for this data, so none is shown.
Compare your own salary
Check your pay against the United Kingdom national and sector benchmarks.
Open the United Kingdom sector comparison →