Average earnings by age and region
This statistical briefing and data tool show how median wages have changed over time by UK region and country and by age group and gender.
Summary tables provide data on earnings by gender and age group between 1997 and 2025 and by region between 2002 and 2025. More detailed data can be accessed using an Earnings data tool.
Trend in average earningsMedian weekly pay for full-time employees in the UK was £767 at April 2025. After adjusting for CPI inflation this is 1.7% higher than in 2024, and 2% lower than in 2008.
The chart shows the trend since 1997, adjusting for CPI inflation. The median is the point at which half of employees earn more and half earn less.
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025
Regional differencesMedian weekly pay was highest for full-time employees living in London and lowest for those in the North East at April 2025. Median weekly wages increased in real terms in the year to April 2025 for all UK regions and countries. Northern Ireland saw the largest real annual increase.
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025
Pay for younger and older workersMedian weekly pay was highest for employees in their 40s and lowest for younger workers at April 2025.
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025
Following the economic downturn in 2008, median earnings decreased in real terms across age groups. In April 2025, real median pay was 12% higher than in 2008 level among 18-20 year olds and 27% higher for 16-17 year olds. For other age groups, real earnings only just returned to 2008 levels in April 2025.
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025
Note the charts are not tracking a particular group of people over time. Rather they are comparing people, for example, aged 40-49 in 2022 with people aged 40-49 in 2008. Those aged 40-49 in 2008 will now be in their 50s and 60s, while those aged 40-49 in 2025 would have been in their 20s and 30s in 2008.
Accessing the dataSummary tables provide data on earnings by gender and age group between 1997 and 2023 and by region between 2002 and 2025.
More detailed data are provided in the Earnings data tool¸ which allows users to view data on median pay for male or female, full-time or part-time employees by region and by age group back to 1997 where available. Users can select data on weekly, hourly or annual pay and can select the group of employees of interest. Guidance on interpreting the estimates and the effect of survey error is provided within the tool.
Further informationThe data presented in this note are taken from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. More up to date (but much less detailed) estimates for average earnings growth are published on a monthly basis in the ONS UK Labour Market bulletin. The latest figures from both sources can be found in the Library briefing Average Earnings: Key Economic Indicators.
The Library’s briefing paper on the Gender pay gap takes a detailed look at pay between men and women.