Average salary by age UK: latest ONS age bands
The typical full-time salary varies by age. In the 2025 ONS data, the median is £32,347 for ages 22–29 and £44,244 for ages 40–49. A national average hides that difference.
New analysis: which age groups gained purchasing power?
The table uses ONS ASHE Table 6, April 2025 provisional. Median is the middle salary; mean is the arithmetic average. Figures are gross annual pay for full-time employees who have been in their job for more than a year. Use the median as the starting point for typical pay.
Swipe the table to see all columns.
| Age group | Median annual pay | Mean annual pay | Top 30% threshold | Top 10% threshold / 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18–21 | £23,596 | £24,394 | £26,561 | £32,939 |
| 22–29 | £32,347 | £35,760 | £38,558 | £52,197 |
| 30–39 | £40,668 | £48,421 | £50,797 | £75,041 |
| 40–49 ★ peak | £44,244 | £54,591 | £56,343 | £88,658 |
| 50–59 | £41,866 | £53,349 | £53,868 | £85,226 |
| 60+ | £36,467 | £46,794 | £46,951 | £74,677 |
| UK full-time | £39,039 | £48,512 | — | — |
Source: ONS ASHE Table 6, April 2025 provisional (published October 2025). Full-time employees only. Gross pay before tax and deductions. Median and mean are separate measures.
Top 10% threshold / 90th percentile means earn above this figure and you are roughly in the highest-paid 10% of full-time employees in that age group. Figures are gross annual pay before tax.
Pay is highest for ages 40–49, with mean full-time salary at £54,591. The top 10% threshold for this age group is £88,658.
How far above typical pay is the mean?
For ages 50–59, the mean of £53,349 is £11,483 (27.4%) above the median of £41,866. For ages 18–21, the gap is only £798 (3.4%). PayPrecise calculated these gaps from the same ONS annual-pay table.
For example, £45,000 is above the 50–59 median but below its mean. Being below the average does not, on its own, show that you earn less than a typical full-time employee your age. For your personal rank, use the salary percentile by age calculator.
Has pay for your age group beaten inflation?
PayPrecise compared the April 2023 and April 2025 ONS full-time weekly medians with CPIH inflation. Prices rose 7.3% over that period. The table separates the cash pay rise from the change in what it could buy.
Ages 50–59 had the largest rise in inflation-adjusted median weekly pay among the 18–59 age bands: 6.1%. For ages 22–29, the equivalent increase was 2.6%. These are changes in group benchmarks, not the pay rises received by the same people.
Published 8 September 2026. UK gross earnings; illustrative take-home model uses England/Wales/NI tax rules at each April snapshot.
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| Age | Modelled monthly gain after tax & inflation | Gross pay rise | After inflation, before tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18–21 | +£96 | +13.2% | +5.5% |
| 22–29 | +£94 | +10.1% | +2.6% |
| 30–39 | +£137 | +10.3% | +2.8% |
| 40–49 | +£188 | +11.8% | +4.2% |
| 50–59 | +£219 | +13.9% | +6.1% |
Monthly gains are expressed in April 2025 pounds. They model take-home at each weekly benchmark; they are not observed net-pay medians.
Why the cash pay rise can overstate the improvement
For ages 30–39, median weekly pay rose from £730 to £805.20: a 10.3% increase. After inflation, the gross-pay improvement was 2.8%. Our tax-and-NI model gives about £137 more a month in April 2025 spending power. Employee NI cuts also contribute to that modelled gain.
Use this to put pay growth in context. Your own position depends on hours, pension, student loans and your household’s costs. The 2026/27 calculator above answers today’s take-home question separately.
Sources, calculation method and full results
Earnings: ONS ASHE Table 6, Full-Time sheet, weekly gross pay (6.1a) and sampling-error table (6.1b). We use 2023 revised, 2024 revised and 2025 provisional files. The comparison above uses the 2023 and 2025 endpoints; the download includes all three years. Weekly pay is used to match each April price snapshot. It is not the annual earnings measure in the table above.
Inflation: ONS CPIH index L522: April 2023 = 128.3; April 2024 = 132.2; April 2025 = 137.7. Real gross change = (2025 weekly pay ÷ 2023 weekly pay) ÷ (137.7 ÷ 128.3) − 1.
Take-home model: weekly pay × 52, with a £12,570 Personal Allowance, 20% basic Income Tax and annualised employee NI. The NI main rate is 12% for the April 2023 snapshot and 8% for April 2025. No pension, student loan, benefits or other income. Monthly real gain = 2025 modelled monthly net − (2023 modelled monthly net × 137.7 ÷ 128.3). This is not a reconstruction of deductions paid throughout either tax year.
Coverage: UK full-time employee jobs; self-employed people excluded. The take-home scenarios cover ages 18–59 under England/Wales/NI rules, not Scotland’s Income Tax bands. The full gross-pay download includes 16–17 and 60+; no net scenario is supplied for those groups. CPIH is a national basket, not an age-specific household budget. Composition and hours may change between surveys. We start in 2023 to avoid the ONS comparability break with 2022 and earlier years. No claim is made that differences between age groups are statistically significant.
Calculations and interpretation: PayPrecise. Source earnings and prices: ONS, available under the Open Government Licence. Values are rounded independently.
What is a good salary for your age?
A good salary is not just the age-band average. It depends on your region, job type and whether you are comparing gross pay or take-home pay. As a quick guide:
| Your salary | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| £30k | Above the 18–21 median (£23,596), but below the 22–29 median (£32,347). |
| £40k | Above the UK full-time median (£39,039), but just below the 30–39 median (£40,668). |
| £50k | Above the median in every age band shown. Below the mean for ages 40–49 and 50–59. |
| £60k | Above the mean in every age band shown, but below each top 10% threshold for ages 30 and over. |
| £80k | Above the top 10% threshold for ages 18–39 and 60+, but below it for ages 40–59. |
For a fuller view, compare your salary with the top 10% salary UK benchmark, check whether £40k or £50k is good for your situation, then use the salary calculator to see the monthly take-home figure.
What it covers: annual gross pay for full-time employee jobs before tax and deductions. Self-employed income is excluded.
What the age pattern can and cannot tell you
Both mean and median annual pay are highest in the 40–49 band in this release. The table compares different groups of employees at one point in time. It does not show what the same worker will earn as they get older, or isolate the effects of experience, occupation, hours or career breaks.
A lower figure for older age bands cannot establish that employers cut pay for the same job. Equally, the higher mid-career benchmark is not a promised progression path.
How gender changes salary-by-age comparisons
ONS reports a full-time gender pay gap of 6.9% in April 2025, down from 7.1% in 2024. The gap is larger among employees aged 40 and over than among those under 40. This measure compares median hourly earnings excluding overtime; it is not a comparison of men and women doing the same job.
The combined age table above is a broad benchmark. For separate male and female earnings, use ONS ASHE Table 6. See the ONS gender pay gap explanation for definitions and limitations.
A quick note on recency
As checked on 8 September 2026, April 2025 provisional is the latest annual ASHE release. The 2026/27 date on this page refers to the calculator’s tax rules, not a new earnings survey. ONS PAYE monthly pay statistics cover a different population, including part-time employees, and should not be substituted directly for these full-time annual benchmarks.
How to use the age table without misreading it
Start with your age-band median for typical pay. Then consider your occupation, region and working hours: the table does not control for those differences. Being below the mean alone does not establish that you are underpaid.
Use the regional table for location context and the calculator above to estimate take-home pay. Separate age and regional averages cannot tell you the typical salary for your exact age and location combined.
Sources: ONS ASHE Table 6, ONS ASHE 2025 bulletin, ONS gender pay gap 2025.
UK average salary by region
London’s mean full-time annual pay is £30,416 above the North East’s. These workplace-based averages reflect different mixes of jobs, employers and hours; they do not measure the pay rise caused by relocating.
The table uses ONS ASHE Table 7, April 2025 provisional: mean gross annual earnings for full-time employee jobs.
Swipe the table to see all columns.
| Region | Mean gross annual salary | vs UK mean | Top 10% threshold / 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| London ★ | £70,275 | +45% | £115,775 |
| South East | £47,619 | −2% | £77,370 |
| East of England | £46,540 | −4% | £74,962 |
| Scotland | £45,586 | −6% | £71,307 |
| South West | £43,852 | −10% | £68,482 |
| North West | £43,731 | −10% | £70,142 |
| West Midlands | £43,722 | −10% | £68,285 |
| Northern Ireland | £43,113 | −11% | £67,518 |
| Yorkshire & The Humber | £41,318 | −15% | £65,286 |
| East Midlands | £41,178 | −15% | £63,883 |
| Wales | £40,626 | −16% | £60,628 |
| North East | £39,859 | −18% | £61,420 |
| UK full-time mean | £48,512 | — | — |
Source: Latest ONS ASHE data, April 2025. Full-time employees. Mean gross annual salary before tax.
The London premium — and what it actually means
London’s mean of £70,275 looks impressive until you run the numbers on what it actually delivers.
Under standard 2026/27 England Income Tax and employee National Insurance assumptions, £70,275 gives about £4,276 a month after those deductions. The North East mean of £39,859 gives about £2,685 a month. Both estimates use the £12,570 Personal Allowance, annualised Category A NI, and no pension, student loan or other deductions.
The gross salary gap is £30,416 a year; after tax and NI, the gap is about £1,592 a month. Compare that extra cash with your own rent and travel costs in each location. These are regional earnings benchmarks, not a comparison of the same job in two places.
For a closer comparison, see our London occupation pay analysis. Compare actual offers after tax, then subtract your additional housing and travel costs. The True Wage calculator also accounts for commuting time.
Scotland and the devolved nations
Scotland’s mean full-time annual pay is £45,586, compared with £43,852 in the South West. Scotland has different Income Tax bands; select Scotland in the calculator when estimating take-home pay.
Northern Ireland (£43,113), Wales (£40,626) and the North East (£39,859) are below the UK full-time mean of £48,512. Compare these means with the UK mean, rather than mixing them with the UK median.
Source: ONS ASHE Table 7, April 2025 provisional, Full-Time annual gross pay (7.7a), workplace basis.
What age does salary usually peak in the UK?
In ONS ASHE 2025 provisional data, both mean and median full-time annual pay are highest for ages 40–49: £54,591 mean and £44,244 median. These compare different groups of employees; they do not predict when an individual’s salary will peak.
What is a good salary for my age?
Compare your gross salary with the median for your age band. £30k is above the 18–21 median but below the 22–29 median; £50k exceeds every age-band median shown. £80k exceeds the top 10% threshold for ages 18–39 and 60+, but not for ages 40–59. Your occupation, hours and costs still matter.
Should I compare my salary only with my age group?
Use your age group as a starting point, not the final answer. Region, sector and working pattern can change the benchmark just as much as age. Compare your age band first, then check the regional table and take-home pay.
Are salary-by-age figures before or after tax?
The main annual age and regional benchmark tables show gross pay for full-time employees. The separate purchasing-power analysis labels its modelled after-tax figures explicitly. Under 2026/27 England/Wales/NI rates, with a standard Personal Allowance, no pension and no student loan, £54,591 gives approximately £3,518 a month after tax and NI; £39,039 gives approximately £2,636. Enter your own deductions in the calculator for a more relevant estimate.
Why can pay fall in older age bands?
The age table compares different groups of full-time employees, not the same people over their careers. Differences in occupation, seniority, hours and who remains in full-time employment can affect the result. The table alone cannot identify why pay is lower in an older group or show what will happen to an individual salary.
Which UK region has the highest average salary?
London has by far the highest average full-time salary in the UK at £70,275 (ASHE 2025 provisional mean). The South East is second at £47,619. The North East has the lowest regional average at £39,859. The gap between London and the North East is £30,416 — more than the entire annual mean salary of an 18–21-year-old full-time worker (£24,394). Use the calculator above with your actual salary to see what these regional figures look like after tax.
Check the income needed for the UK top 10%, top 5% and top 1% taxpayer thresholds, then compare those figures with take-home pay and work costs.
| Primary source | How PayPrecise uses it | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Income Tax rates and allowances (2026 to 2027) | Used for Personal Allowance and main UK tax bands in calculator and editorial explanations. | View source |
| National Insurance rates and category letters | Used for NI examples and take-home calculations. | View source |
| ONS ASHE Table 6, 2025 provisional (October 2025) | Primary source for age-band mean salary figures, top 30% and 90th percentile thresholds. | View source |
| ONS ASHE regional earnings data, 2025 provisional | Source for regional mean salary and regional 90th percentile thresholds. | View source |
| ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 bulletin | Overall full-time median (£39,039), hourly median (£19.67) and contextual earnings data cited in editorial. | View source |
| ONS Gender Pay Gap: 2025 | Full-time hourly gender pay gap (6.9%, April 2025) cited in editorial. | View source |
| Nomis official labour market profiles | Used to cross-check regional and local earnings context where relevant. | View source |
Calculator outputs remain illustrative because tax codes, salary sacrifice, pension settings, benefits, commuting patterns and local costs vary by person.