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Average Highway Engineer Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

A highway engineer in United Kingdom earns about 59,800 GBP a year. That's 14% below the national average of 69,700 GBP.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in United Kingdom sit around 31,800 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 92,500 GBP. Everything on this page is in British pound (GBP, symbol £), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in United Kingdom, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

To turn a gross salary in United Kingdom into a take-home figure, use our United Kingdom salary after tax calculator, which works the latest tax brackets and contributions through the math for you.

How much does a highway engineer make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
59,800 GBP
4,983 GBP per month
Lowest reported
31,800 GBP
2,650 GBP per month
Highest reported
92,500 GBP
7,708 GBP per month

A typical highway engineer working in United Kingdom brings home around 4,983 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 31,800 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 92,500 GBP for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior highway engineer working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around. For a cross-country comparison, see the highway engineer salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How highway engineer pay ranges in United Kingdom

A good way to think about salary in United Kingdom is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all highway engineers in United Kingdom earn less than 59,700 GBP a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 39,500 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 73,500 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of highway engineers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 31,800 GBP. The highest stretch to 92,500 GBP, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

31,800
Low
59,700
Median
92,500
High
39,500
25th
73,500
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

Highway engineer pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a highway engineer in United Kingdom, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical highway engineer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    35,300 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +32% from previous
    46,700 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +32% from previous
    61,700 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +20% from previous
    74,200 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +11% from previous
    82,200 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +8% from previous
    88,600 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 32%. That is the point at which a highway engineer typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Highway engineer pay by education in United Kingdom

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving highway engineer pay in United Kingdom. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average highway engineer salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    51,300 GBP
  • Master's Degree
    +36% from previous
    70,000 GBP

Highway engineer gender pay gap in United Kingdom

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and United Kingdom is no exception. Male highway engineers in United Kingdom earn an average of 61,800 GBP a year, while female highway engineers earn around 58,600 GBP. That works out to a 5% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Highway Engineer gender pay gap

5%

Men earn this much more than women on average in United Kingdom.

Men 61,800 GBP
Women 58,600 GBP

Pay raises for a highway engineer in United Kingdom

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in United Kingdom sees a raise of about 12% every 15 months, which works out to roughly 10% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in United Kingdom, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in United Kingdom:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Highway engineer bonus rates in United Kingdom

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

55%

55% of highway engineers in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a highway engineer a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5% of base salary. The remaining 45% of highway engineers reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in United Kingdom

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Highway engineer: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in United Kingdom is about 7% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in United Kingdom on average.

Public sector 72,700 GBP
Private sector 68,200 GBP

Highway engineer salary by city and region in United Kingdom

Highway engineer pay is not even across United Kingdom. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • England
  • Scotland
  • London
  • Sheffield
  • Bristol
  • Leicester
  • Edinburgh
  • Birmingham
  • Manchester
  • Somerset
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion125,400 GBP118,900 GBP64,800-187,500 GBP
ScotlandRegion88,000 GBP80,300 GBP46,700-132,000 GBP
LondonCity77,300 GBP79,600 GBP33,000-119,700 GBP
SheffieldCity73,700 GBP73,100 GBP39,100-114,900 GBP
BristolCity73,500 GBP68,200 GBP36,700-111,700 GBP
LeicesterCity73,100 GBP71,700 GBP33,300-112,700 GBP
EdinburghCity72,700 GBP66,400 GBP38,000-108,200 GBP
BirminghamCity71,900 GBP80,800 GBP33,000-115,600 GBP
ManchesterCity71,800 GBP72,400 GBP35,300-112,700 GBP
SomersetCity71,700 GBP68,400 GBP40,500-112,700 GBP
GlasgowCity71,400 GBP76,000 GBP33,000-114,900 GBP
CoventryCity70,100 GBP66,400 GBP35,300-105,800 GBP
CardiffCity69,400 GBP67,400 GBP38,100-109,000 GBP
LiverpoolCity69,200 GBP66,900 GBP37,100-105,800 GBP
PortsmouthCity68,900 GBP73,500 GBP30,600-109,700 GBP
BrightonCity68,500 GBP68,500 GBP33,300-109,700 GBP
NottinghamCity68,400 GBP63,900 GBP36,700-105,200 GBP
SwanseaCity67,900 GBP67,900 GBP35,500-105,200 GBP
SouthamptonCity67,900 GBP60,600 GBP36,400-100,700 GBP
LeedsCity67,800 GBP73,100 GBP32,300-108,200 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity67,800 GBP63,900 GBP37,300-102,700 GBP
NewcastleCity67,600 GBP67,600 GBP32,200-103,600 GBP
PlymouthCity67,500 GBP65,800 GBP34,000-105,200 GBP
YorkCity66,900 GBP68,500 GBP31,400-105,200 GBP
BelfastCity66,700 GBP62,600 GBP33,000-100,700 GBP
BradfordCity66,400 GBP68,500 GBP34,100-107,300 GBP
DerbyCity66,000 GBP62,100 GBP35,400-99,400 GBP
PeterboroughCity65,700 GBP69,400 GBP33,300-105,800 GBP
ArmaghCity64,600 GBP64,600 GBP30,300-99,700 GBP
WolverhamptonCity64,500 GBP69,800 GBP30,800-100,700 GBP
LincolnCity63,900 GBP61,600 GBP33,200-96,500 GBP
NorwichCity63,700 GBP63,100 GBP35,500-100,400 GBP
OxfordCity63,700 GBP67,800 GBP30,100-100,200 GBP
AberdeenCity63,500 GBP63,500 GBP34,100-100,700 GBP
PooleCity63,200 GBP56,900 GBP32,900-93,300 GBP
ExeterCity63,200 GBP65,200 GBP31,300-96,000 GBP
NewportCity63,000 GBP67,500 GBP29,300-99,900 GBP
DerryCity62,600 GBP59,700 GBP34,000-97,200 GBP
DundeeCity62,600 GBP58,200 GBP30,200-93,300 GBP
DurhamCity62,100 GBP67,000 GBP26,500-97,200 GBP
HartlepoolCity61,700 GBP58,000 GBP30,300-94,500 GBP
CanterburyCity61,300 GBP64,800 GBP29,600-97,200 GBP
ChesterCity61,300 GBP63,100 GBP31,200-94,500 GBP
StirlingCity60,100 GBP58,100 GBP33,200-92,900 GBP
CambridgeCity60,100 GBP54,900 GBP32,900-93,100 GBP
BangorCity59,500 GBP58,500 GBP29,100-91,200 GBP
LisburnCity58,800 GBP64,100 GBP26,300-94,900 GBP
NewryCity58,800 GBP59,800 GBP30,800-94,300 GBP
WalesRegion58,700 GBP58,700 GBP27,700-88,300 GBP
StrontianCity58,600 GBP60,500 GBP26,200-87,900 GBP
GloucesterCity58,500 GBP58,500 GBP29,300-90,900 GBP
TruroCity57,800 GBP58,700 GBP25,800-87,900 GBP
St DavidsCity57,400 GBP62,100 GBP26,500-91,200 GBP
WellsCity57,200 GBP54,200 GBP27,300-88,400 GBP
RiponCity57,100 GBP58,800 GBP25,800-91,700 GBP
SalisburyCity57,100 GBP57,100 GBP29,300-87,800 GBP
WinchesterCity56,900 GBP52,800 GBP31,400-88,400 GBP
KirkwallCity56,900 GBP57,200 GBP29,300-87,800 GBP
WakefieldCity56,800 GBP57,400 GBP29,600-88,600 GBP
AbingdonCity54,900 GBP55,700 GBP27,200-86,600 GBP
InvernessCity54,500 GBP56,800 GBP28,800-85,700 GBP
StromnessCity54,100 GBP56,900 GBP24,800-83,300 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion54,100 GBP60,500 GBP27,800-86,100 GBP

Highway Engineer in United Kingdom: FAQs

  • How much does a highway engineer make per month in United Kingdom?

    A highway engineer in United Kingdom earns about 4,983 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 59,800 GBP.

  • What's the salary range for a highway engineer in United Kingdom?

    Entry-level highway engineers in United Kingdom start near 31,800 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 92,500 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 39,500 and 73,500 GBP.

  • Is the median highway engineer salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 59,700 GBP, lower than the average of 59,800 GBP. Half of highway engineers in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for highway engineers in United Kingdom?

    Men working as a highway engineer in United Kingdom earn around 5% more than women on average (61,800 vs 58,600 GBP a year).

  • Do highway engineers in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 55% of highway engineers in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5% of base salary.

  • Do highway engineers earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?

    In United Kingdom, the public sector pays a highway engineer about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do highway engineers in United Kingdom get a pay raise?

    A highway engineer in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 12% every 15 months, equivalent to roughly 10% a year.