UK Income Percentile by Age (2026) — How Does Your Salary Compare?

Comparing your salary to the national average only tells half the story. Earnings follow a predictable arc across a working life — rising steeply through the 20s and 30s, peaking in the 40s, then flattening or declining after 55. Comparing your salary to others at your age gives a much more meaningful benchmark.

The data below comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025, provisional results for April 2025 (Table 6.7a). It covers full-time employees who had been in the same job for at least a year. All figures are gross (before tax) annual pay in GBP. The regular ASHE tables give the 10th to 90th percentiles; they stop at the 90th.

For an instant comparison, use our UK income percentile calculator.

UK Salary Percentiles by Age Group (April 2025)

Ages 18–21

Many workers in this age group are in entry-level roles or apprenticeships, and these figures cover only those working full-time. The National Living Wage (£12.71/hour from April 2026 for those aged 21+) sets a floor for earnings; the rate for 18–20 year olds is £10.85.

Ages 22–29

This decade sees the sharpest earnings growth for most workers, and pay varies a lot by occupation and region.

A worked example: At 26, earning £30,000 full-time places you around the 40th percentile for the 22–29 age group nationally — below the median of £32,347.

Ages 30–39

The 30s are when wage divergence accelerates: the gap between the 25th and 75th percentiles is £23,903, against £14,421 for 22–29 year olds. The 75th percentile of £54,620 is above the £50,270 point where the 40% higher rate starts (outside Scotland), so more than a quarter of full-time workers in their 30s earn above that threshold.

A worked example: A 35-year-old earning £52,000 is around the 72nd percentile for their age group nationally. A 35-year-old earning £37,000 is around the 41st percentile — a little below the £40,668 median.

Ages 40–49

This is the peak earning decade for UK full-time workers. The median salary of £44,244 for 40–49 year olds is the highest of any age group, reflecting career seniority and accumulated experience.

The 90th percentile of £88,658 is still below £100,000, where the Personal Allowance starts to taper away (it is gone at £125,140). Pension tax relief is limited by the £60,000 annual allowance, which is reduced for the highest earners.

A worked example: A 44-year-old earning £75,000 is around the 84th percentile for their age group — in the top 20%, but below the £88,658 top-10% threshold. A 44-year-old earning £45,000 is around the 51st percentile, just above the median.

Ages 50–59

Median full-time earnings are slightly lower than at 40–49. Some workers move to less intensive roles or part-time work (which drops them out of these full-time figures), and early retirement begins to thin the employed population.

Ages 60 and Over

Earnings fall more sharply in this group as part-time work, phased retirement, and reduced hours become more common. State Pension age is 66 for people born before 6 April 1960 and 67 for most people turning 60 to 65 now (born from 6 March 1961 to 5 April 1977), for both men and women.

UK Earnings by Age: Median Full-Time Pay

These are different people at different ages in the same year (April 2025), not one group followed through a career. On this snapshot, the 40–49 median is about 37% above the 22–29 median.

Gender Pay Gap by Age

The UK gender pay gap is not uniform across age groups. For full-time employees in April 2025 (median hourly pay excluding overtime), ONS puts it at 0.9% for ages 22–29 and 3.9% for 30–39, rising to 9.1% for 40–49 and 12.5% for 50–59. ONS notes the gap increases considerably around age 40 and may reflect the impact of motherhood.

This pattern reinforces why age-group comparisons within gender can be more meaningful than comparisons to the overall age-group median.

How Does Your Age-Adjusted Income Rank?

If your gross salary is:

• Below the 25th percentile for your age: your earnings are in the lower quarter for your peer group
• At or above the 50th percentile: you are earning at or above average for your age group
• At or above the 75th percentile: you are in the top quarter earner for your age — comfortably above average
• At or above the 90th percentile: you are in the top 10% of earners for your age group

Use the UK income percentile calculator to find your exact percentile, or browse the UK average salary guide for national benchmarks.

Related Articles

• UK Income Percentile Calculator
• Average Salary in the UK
• Is £50,000 a Good Salary in the UK?
• Average Net Worth by Age in the UK

Sources

• ONS. “Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 2025” (provisional), Table 6.7a. ons.gov.uk
• ONS. “Gender pay gap in the UK: 2025.” ons.gov.uk
• HMRC. “Distribution of income and tax by age range and gender.” gov.uk
• ONS. “EMP04: Employment by occupation.” ons.gov.uk

Written by WealthVieu

WealthVieu researches and writes data-driven personal finance guides using primary sources including the IRS, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve, and Census Bureau.