Average UK Salary By Age In 2026

Ever wondered what the average salary is for workers of your age? We’ve used government research from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), alongside data from other sources, to answer this question and more.

Overview of earnings in the UK

According to the latest ONS figures, growth in employees’ average earnings stood at 4.3% in March 2026 compared to the previous year. The figure refers to regular earnings (excluding bonuses) and total earnings (including bonuses).

The median monthly pay in March was £2,599 according to estimates. This equates to an annual salary of £31,188 before deductions.

For weekly earners, the average income across all industry sectors in February (latest figures) was £745, slight rise from £742 on the previous month. The figure is equivalent to an annual pre-tax salary of £38,740.

While wage growth is slowing overall, rises are outpacing the current rate of inflation, which stood at 3.3% in the year to March, up from 3% in February 2026.

The public administration, and defence sectors were the strongest in terms of earnings growth in March, with annual growth rate of 7.5% set against the 4.3% industry-wide average. Professional scientific and technical sectors were the worst performing growth of 2.9%.

The UK unemployment rate stood at 5.2% December 2025 to February 2026, unchanged from the previous quarter.

However, Kevin Pratt, editor of Forbes Advisor, comments: “ONS data is a blunt measure of overall earnings. Wages vary widely depending on a range of factors, such as your age, where you live in the country, whether you’re in the public or private sector, and the industry you work in – as well as your seniority level.”

High and low pay

The median annual pay of the top chief executives (FTSE 100 bosses) in the 2024/2025 financial year stood at £4.58 million – marking a 6.8% annual increase on the previous year and a record high for the third consecutive year. The figure was published in August 2025 by the High Pay Centre, a think tank that tracks executive pay.

At the other end of the spectrum, around 4.5 million workers (accounting for 15.7% of employed jobs) were paid below the Real Living Wage (a voluntary commitment from employers) in April 2024 – an increase from 13% (3.7 million) in April 2023. This is according to registered charity, Living Wage Foundation.

Eligibility for the National Living Wage (a legal minimum for workers over a certain age) was extended from age 23 down to 21 in April 2024.

From April 2026, the National Minimum Wage is paid as follows:

£12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over (National Living Wage)

£10.85 an hour for workers aged 18-20 (National Minimum Wage)

£8 an hour for younger workers aged 16 and 17 (National Minimum Wage).

Average earnings by age

ONS data reveals that age has a major bearing on earnings. Pay tends to rise throughout our 20s, 30s and 40s, as it tends to be these decades when the most significant career advancements happen, bolstered by factors such as skills and training, educational attainment, experience, job change and promotion.

Full-time median earnings start to decline after the age of 50, according to the survey. This could be due to more people taking early retirement or leaving the workforce, to go part-time or due to ill health, for example.

The below table shows how earnings change by age.

Average earnings by age and gender

men earn more than women for full-time work in every age range

the gender pay gap among full-time workers was 6.9% in April 2025* (down slightly from 7.1% in April 2024)

there remains a stark difference in the gender pay gap between employees aged between 30 and 59

compared with lower-paid employees, with higher earners experiencing a much larger difference in hourly pay between the sexes.

*The gender pay gap is calculated by the ONS as the difference between average hourly earnings of men and women as a proportion of men’s average hourly earnings. It is a measure across all jobs, not of the difference in pay between men and women doing the same job.

According to the ONS, median weekly pay of men working full-time outstrips that of women at every age. The gap widens significantly from the age of around 30 until workers are in their 60s, likely due to more women than men having a more disrupted career path due to caring responsibilities, either children or elderly relatives.

Women tend to be more likely to take career breaks and re-enter the workforce in lower paid roles.

The median annual salary of men aged between 50 and 59 in full-time work is £43,940 – 8% more than women of the same age, where the median salary is £40,456.

And while the differential is smaller for younger workers – the median salary for men aged 22 to 29 is 3% higher at £33,176 compared to £32,292 for women, it shows the gender pay gap is still prevalent.

The only area where women tend to earn more than men is in part-time work. The median part-time salary for women is £273 per week, according to the ONS, compared to £241 per week for men.

UK taxpayers

National data on taxpayers can also give an indication of typical earnings in the UK.  

there were 35.4 million taxpayers in the UK, a 1.5 million rise compared to the previous tax year. This was largely due to pay and pension increases and a freeze to the tax-free personal allowance threshold at £12,570

total gross income – which means paid before tax and National Insurance – stood at £1.39 trillion, representing an increase of 7.3% compared to the previous tax year

the number of higher rate taxpayers (earning a gross annual salary of £50,270 or more) stood at 5.1 million

the biggest group of taxpayers, at 28.2 million, were basic rate taxpayers, earning between the personal allowance (typically £12,570) and the higher rate tax threshold

around 600,000 people paid the additional rate of tax (2022-23), which applies when earning a gross salary of £125,140 a year or more, representing just 1.7% of taxpayers.

Number of taxpayers by age and gender

The table above shows that, across every age group, there are more male than female taxpayers and that males have a higher median income.

The median average income across all age groups was £31,100 for males and £25,500 for females.

The highest median income for both men and women was found in the 45 to 49 age range, recorded at £39,700 for males and £30,100 for females.

How does location affect average salary?

Earnings vary significantly by region, ranging from £34,403 in the North East to £49,692 in London, as of April 2025.

Across all regions and countries of the UK, Northern Ireland saw the highest growth in median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees (7.4%) in April 2025, compared with April 2024. This can be partly explained by public sector pay increases that took place in early 2025.

The regions with the smallest growth in median full-time earnings were the South East (2.9%) and Wales (4.2%).

UK median weekly wage by location (full-time gross pay)

Which occupations earn the most?

workers in managerial and professional occupations earn the highest salaries

health professionals earn slightly less on average than teaching and education professionals

the leisure and travel sector pays among the lowest weekly wages.

The lowest-earning employees tend to be part time, younger (aged between 18 and 21 years) and in so-called ‘elementary occupations’, such as cleaning, food services, deliveries or in the hospitality industry.

The highest-earning employees are concentrated in managerial and professional occupations and are aged between 35 and 49 years.

UK median weekly wage by occupation (full-time gross pay)

Top 10 highest paying jobs

When it comes to the top paying roles in the UK unsurprisingly senior executives, directors and managers tend to be paid the most.

Listed below are the occupations with the highest median pay for full-time workers, according to the ONS ASHE research for 2024, which is the most recent to break down the subject. We have calculated the average annual salaries for each occupation based on the median weekly pay listed in the ONS research.

pilots and air traffic controllers: £91,208

IT directors: £81,588chief executives: £81,328

marketing, sales and advertising directors: £80,912

public relations and communications directors: £73,944

logistics, warehousing and transport directors: £73,840

specialist medical practitioners: £73,320

head teachers and principals: £71,656

functional managers and directors: £69,784

financial managers and directors: £68,744