salary benchmark · uk · free & anonymous

What is the average UK salary?

The median full-time salary is about £35,000 — but the number that matters is the one for your age. Here is the breakdown, plus a tool to see exactly where you land.

where do you rank?

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the bit the other sites can’t tell you

but is your salary actually good?

The average tells you the middle. It can’t tell you if you’re doing alright. The crowd can.

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guidance · not advice

Average (median) UK salary by age

The single “average salary” headline hides the thing you actually care about: how you compare to people your own age. A £35,000 salary is below the middle at 45 and well above it at 23. Here is the median full-time salary by age band:

agemedian full-time salary
18–21£21,000
22–29£31,000
30–39£38,000
40–49£40,000
50–59£37,000
60+£33,000
Median vs mean: you will see higher “average” numbers elsewhere — that is usually the mean, which a small number of very high earners drag upward. The median (the middle person) is the fairer benchmark, and it is what we use here.

Average is a number. “Doing alright” is a verdict.

Knowing the average only tells you the midpoint — not whether your pay is something to celebrate or to renegotiate. That judgement is what you came for. On The Money Verdict, real people anonymously rate whether a salary at your age is sound or a bit silly, so you get an honest second opinion no salary table can offer.

Quick answers

What is the average UK salary? The median full-time salary is roughly £35,000 — half of full-time workers earn more, half earn less. The mean is higher because top earners pull it up, which is why the median is the fairer comparison.

Average salary by age? It rises through your 20s and 30s, peaks around your 40s near £40,000, then eases in your 50s and 60s. The full table is above.

Average or median — which should I use? Use the median. The “average” (mean) is skewed upward by very high earners, so it makes a typical salary look lower than it really ranks.

Keep digging

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