Average UK Salary by Age: Where Do You Stand in 2025?

“Am I being paid enough for my age?” It is one of the most common salary questions in the UK, and one of the hardest to answer — because nobody talks about money. Your friends won’t tell you. Your colleagues definitely won’t tell you. And the figures you find online are often outdated, misleading, or American.

So we went to the source. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) every year, covering millions of UK employees. Here is what British workers actually earn at every age, and what it means for your career.

UK Median Salary by Age Group (2024)

Age Group	Median Salary	Mean Salary	Typical Range (25th–75th)
18-21	£16,800	£17,200	£12,000 – £20,500
22-29	£28,500	£30,100	£22,000 – £35,000
30-39	£35,500	£39,800	£27,000 – £46,000
40-49	£37,500	£43,200	£27,500 – £50,000
50-59	£35,800	£40,500	£26,000 – £47,000
60+	£30,200	£35,600	£22,000 – £40,000

Source: ONS ASHE 2024, full-time employees, gross annual pay. The overall UK median salary is £34,963.

A few things jump out immediately.

Your 20s: The Steepest Climb

The biggest salary growth happens between 22 and 29. Graduates typically start on £24,000-28,000 and can reach £35,000+ by their late twenties — a 30-40% increase in under a decade.

This is normal and expected. Your twenties are when you:

• Move from entry-level to mid-level roles
• Build core skills that make you productive
• Get your first promotions or switch employers for a pay bump

What the data tells you: If you are in your late twenties and still earning under £25,000, you are in the bottom quartile for your age group. That does not mean you are failing — it depends heavily on your industry and region — but it is worth investigating whether you are being underpaid relative to your market rate.

Career paths with the steepest 20s growth tend to be in technology, finance, and engineering. Those with slower early growth include creative industries, education, and charity sector roles.

Your 30s: The Peak Growth Decade

The thirties are when most people hit their stride. Median earnings jump from £28,500 (late twenties) to £35,500 — and the gap between median and mean widens significantly. This tells us that high earners are pulling away from the pack.

In your thirties, career paths diverge. Some people:

• Move into management (and the pay premium that comes with it)
• Develop deep specialisms that command higher rates
• Switch careers entirely — career changing in your 30s is more common than you might think

Others plateau, often because they stay in the same role too long without renegotiating or upskilling.

Key stat: The jump from 25th percentile (£27,000) to 75th percentile (£46,000) is £19,000 — nearly a 70% gap. By your thirties, the decisions you make about career direction, negotiation, and skill development have compounding effects.

What the data tells you: If you are 35 and earning the median of £35,500, you are exactly middle-of-the-road for your age. But “average” hides enormous variation by occupation. A 35-year-old software engineer earning £35,500 is underpaid. A 35-year-old teaching assistant earning £35,500 is doing very well.

Always compare against your specific occupation, not just your age group. Our salary explorer lets you do exactly this.

Your 40s: Peak Earnings

The forties are the peak earning decade in the UK. Median pay hits £37,500 — the highest of any age group — and mean pay reaches £43,200, reflecting the pull of senior executives and specialists at the top.

This is when seniority, experience, and accumulated expertise command the highest premiums. Directors, partners, senior consultants, and principal engineers tend to be in their 40s and early 50s.

But there is a ceiling. The median only rises £2,000 from the thirties to the forties. Most people’s salary growth slows dramatically after 40 unless they:

• Move into senior leadership
• Start a business
• Develop a rare, high-demand specialism

What the data tells you: If you are in your forties and your salary has been flat for several years, this is the norm for most people. The UK labour market rewards experience up to a point, then plateaus. Breaking through requires either a strategic career move or entrepreneurship.

Your 50s: The Quiet Decline

Here is where the data surprises people. Median pay in the 50s (£35,800) is actually lower than in the 40s (£37,500). This is not a reporting error.

Several factors drive this:

• Restructuring and redundancy — Older workers are disproportionately affected by corporate restructuring. Many re-enter the workforce at lower salaries.
• Voluntary downshifting — Some people in their 50s choose less demanding (and lower-paid) roles, prioritising work-life balance over maximising income.
• Industry shifts — Workers in declining industries may find their skills commanding lower premiums than a decade earlier.
• Part-time transitions — Some move to part-time work, which can reduce average annual earnings even at the same hourly rate.

What the data tells you: Financial planning in your 40s should account for the possibility that your 50s may not maintain peak earnings. Building savings, pension contributions, and passive income during your peak earning years is not just prudent — the data suggests it is necessary. See our pension tax relief guide for how to maximise your contributions.

Your 60s: Winding Down

Median pay drops further to £30,200 in the 60s. Many workers in this age group are:

• Working part-time while drawing pensions
• In less senior roles after stepping back from leadership
• Semi-retired or working in advisory/consultancy roles

The state pension age is currently 66, so most workers in the 60-65 bracket are still in the workforce. Beyond 66, those still working tend to be either high earners (consultants, directors, professionals) or people who need to work (lower-paid roles, insufficient pension).

Men vs Women: The Age Gap Compounds

The gender pay gap exists at every age, but it widens dramatically over time:

Age Group	Men (Median)	Women (Median)	Gap
22-29	£29,500	£27,500	7%
30-39	£38,500	£32,000	17%
40-49	£42,000	£33,000	21%
50-59	£39,500	£31,500	20%

Source: ONS ASHE 2024, full-time employees

The gap roughly triples between the twenties and the forties. The primary driver is the “motherhood penalty” — women who take career breaks or move to part-time work during their 30s see a lasting impact on their earnings trajectory. This is not opinion; it is what the tax data shows consistently, year after year.

We explore this in more detail in our article on the UK gender pay gap by career.

How Does Your Region Affect These Numbers?

These are national figures. Regional variation is substantial:

Region	Median (All Ages)	vs National
London	£43,500	+24%
South East	£36,500	+4%
East of England	£34,800	-0.5%
South West	£32,500	-7%
West Midlands	£32,200	-8%
North West	£32,000	-8%
Yorkshire	£31,200	-11%
North East	£30,500	-13%
Wales	£30,800	-12%
Scotland	£33,000	-6%
Northern Ireland	£30,000	-14%

London skews the national median significantly. If you live outside London and the South East, the “average” salary figures you see in the media probably feel inflated — because they are.

Our regional pay comparison and cost of living analysis put these figures in the context of what your salary actually buys.

What Should You Do With This Data?

If you are in your 20s: Focus on growth. Take roles that build skills, even if the starting salary is modest. The data shows this decade has the steepest trajectory — make sure yours is trending upward. Learn to negotiate your salary early.

If you are in your 30s: This is the decade where career choices compound. If you are below the median for your age and occupation, consider whether a job change could reset your trajectory. Employers switching is the fastest way to get a significant pay rise.

If you are in your 40s: You are likely at or near peak earnings. Maximise pension contributions while you can — tax relief makes this especially efficient at higher rate. If you earn over £50,000, you are in the top 25% for your age group.

If you are in your 50s or 60s: Plan for the statistical reality that earnings may decline. Ensure your pension, savings, and investments are working for you. If redundancy hits, know that re-entry salaries often come at a discount.

Check Where You Stand

Use our salary explorer to compare your earnings against others in your specific occupation and region — not just your age group. The national median is a useful benchmark, but your real comparison set is people doing similar work in similar places.