Knowing the average salary for your age helps you benchmark your earnings and plan your career. Here’s the full picture of UK median salaries by age group, based on ONS ASHE 2025 (April 2025) data.
Read more: See our Salary By Profession guide for a complete overview of this topic.
UK Median Salary by Age Group (ONS ASHE, April 2025)
| Age group | Median full-time salary | Median all workers (incl. part-time) | Monthly take home (FT, 2026/27) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18–21 | £23,596 | £13,069 | £1,709 |
| 22–29 | £32,347 | £29,855 | £2,234 |
| 30–39 | £40,668 | £36,000 | £2,733 |
| 40–49 | £44,244 | £37,734 | £2,948 |
| 50–59 | £41,866 | £34,835 | £2,805 |
| 60+ | £36,467 | £26,750 | £2,481 |
“All workers” includes part-time earners, which significantly lowers the figure — especially for the 18–21 and 60+ groups, where part-time work is much more common.
Salary by Specific Age (Estimates)
The table below interpolates approximate salary levels within each ONS age band. These are illustrative estimates, not directly published ONS figures, since ONS publishes by band rather than single year of age — treat them as a rough guide rather than an exact benchmark.
| Age | Estimated median FT salary | Top 25% (est.) | Top 10% (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | £26,000 | £31,000 | £38,000 |
| 25 | £30,000 | £36,000 | £44,000 |
| 28 | £32,000 | £40,000 | £50,000 |
| 30 | £34,000 | £43,000 | £55,000 |
| 35 | £40,000 | £50,000 | £64,000 |
| 40 | £44,000 | £55,000 | £72,000 |
| 45 | £44,000 | £56,000 | £73,000 |
| 50 | £42,000 | £53,000 | £69,000 |
| 55 | £41,000 | £51,000 | £66,000 |
| 60 | £37,000 | £46,000 | £59,000 |
The Salary Lifecycle
Earnings follow a predictable lifecycle for most workers:
Phase 1: Rapid Growth (18–30)
| Period | What happens | Annual growth |
|---|---|---|
| 18–21 | Entry-level jobs, apprenticeships | 5–10%/year |
| 22–25 | Graduate entry, early professional | 5–8%/year |
| 25–30 | Role progression, job switching | 4–6%/year |
This is when salaries grow fastest — job switching typically delivers larger increases than staying put.
Phase 2: Career Building (30–40)
| Period | What happens | Annual growth |
|---|---|---|
| 30–35 | Mid-level management, specialist roles | 3–5%/year |
| 35–40 | Senior roles, leadership positions | 2–4%/year |
Growth slows but compounds. The gap between the highest and lowest earners widens significantly in this phase.
Phase 3: Peak Earnings (40–55)
| Period | What happens | Annual growth |
|---|---|---|
| 40–50 | Peak earning years for most | 1–3%/year |
| 50–55 | Plateau for many, continued growth for some | 0–2%/year |
Many workers reach a salary ceiling unless they move into executive roles or start businesses.
Phase 4: Late Career (55+)
| Period | What happens | Annual growth |
|---|---|---|
| 55–60 | Some downshifting, some still climbing | -1% to +2%/year |
| 60–67 | Reduced hours common, pension income begins | Varies widely |
Gender Pay Gap by Age
The gender pay gap widens with age. Figures below are illustrative of the general pattern seen in ONS data — confirm current-year exact splits before citing precise percentages.
| Age group | Pattern |
|---|---|
| 22–29 | Gap is smallest for young workers |
| 30–39 | Gap widens as career breaks begin to bite |
| 40–49 | Gap is typically widest in this bracket |
| 50–59 | Gap remains wide, narrows slightly |
| 60+ | Gap narrows relative to peak-career bands |
The gap is generally attributed to career breaks for childcare disproportionately affecting women’s progression, and to occupational segregation. See our Gender Pay Gap UK guide for current sourced figures.
Salary by Sector and Age
Some sectors pay much more at certain career stages (illustrative, by sector and career stage — confirm current figures for your specific sector):
| Sector | Entry-career | Mid-career | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance & insurance | Lower | Higher | Highest |
| Tech & IT | Lower | Higher | Highest |
| Law | Lower | Higher | Highest |
| Healthcare (NHS) | Moderate | Moderate-higher | Higher |
| Education | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate-higher |
| Construction | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Retail & hospitality | Lower | Lower-moderate | Moderate |
| Public administration | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate-higher |
Finance, law, and tech have the steepest earnings curves — but also the widest ranges within each age group. See Average Salary by Sector UK for sourced current figures.
Regional Salary by Age
Median full-time salary tends to be highest in London at every age, with the gap driven substantially by the concentration of finance, law, and tech roles. See our Average Salary UK and London vs North comparison guides for current sourced regional figures — after housing costs, much of the headline London premium disappears.
How to Know If Your Salary Is On Track
A simple framework using current ONS ASHE 2025 full-time medians as a baseline:
| Your situation | You’re doing well if… |
|---|---|
| Age 25 (22-29 band median: £32,347) | Earning above £36,000 |
| Age 30 (30-39 band median: £40,668) | Earning above £45,000 |
| Age 40 (40-49 band median: £44,244) | Earning above £50,000 |
| Age 50 (50-59 band median: £41,866) | Earning above £48,000 |
These are roughly “above average” benchmarks for full-time workers, set a little above the relevant ONS ASHE 2025 age-band median.