The top three trades in terms of turnover earned in 2021 were builders, dry liners and groundworkers.

Trade	Average turnover in 2021
Builder	£103,891
Dry liner	£96,314
Groundworker	£88,589
Glazier	£81,969
Flooring contractor	£81,855
Plumber	£74,171
Joiner	£71,733
Roofer	£67,761
Electrician	£64,006
Bathroom, bedroom, kitchen fitters	£62,611

However, turnover doesn’t equal profit. Tradespeople all over the country suffered supply chain problems throughout 2021, leading to rising costs and project delays. Inevitably this eats into profit and cash flow, causing continued uncertainty.

These challenges look set to continue in 2022, following the outbreak of the Omicron coronavirus variant worldwide at the end of 2021 and further delays at UK ports.

Where did tradespeople earn the most in 2021?

Region	Average tradesperson turnover in 2021
London	£79,599
East Anglia	£78,644
South Central England	£74,551
South East England	£73,456
Northern Ireland	£71,169
The Midlands	£67,064
Scotland	£65,978
North West England	£65,762
North East England	£63,833
South West England	£62,599
Wales	£60,123

The top regions in terms of turnover for tradespeople were London, East Anglia and South Central England.

But again, location can make a big difference to overall profit. While London is top, its recent expansion of its ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) might affect the pockets of tradespeople who regularly drive for work, for example.

How Simply Business calculated the data

Simply Business looked at tradespeople who completed their quote form and requested a quote in 2021, only taking into account trades with more than 3,000 submitted quotes. The turnover is the average across the quotes submitted. For the towns, they have included towns that had more than 100 submitted quotes for builders’ insurance.

References: Simply Business