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Summary tables provide data on earnings by gender and age group between 1997 and 2024 and by region between 2002 and 2024. More detailed data can be accessed using an Earnings data tool.

Trend in average earnings

Median weekly pay for full-time employees in the UK was £728 at April 2024. After adjusting for inflation (to obtain figures “in real terms”), this is 2% lower than in 2010.

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.

Line chart showing real median weekly pay for full-time employees between 1997 and 2024. Real median weekly pay rose between 1997 and 2007, then fell slightly between 2007 and 2013. Since then it has been flat.

Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2024

Regional differences

Median weekly pay was highest for full-time employees living in London and lowest for those in the North East at April 2024.

Bar chart showing median weekly pay for full-time employees in April 2024 by region of residence. London had the highest median pay, at £853, followed by the South East (£779) and Scotland (£740). The North East had the lowest median pay at £661, followed by Northern Ireland (£671) and Yorkshire and the Humber (£675).

Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2024

The East of England and London saw the largest falls in median full-time earnings over the period 2010 to 2024 after adjusting for price inflation (“in real terms”). Northern Ireland and Scotland saw the largest increases.

Bar chart showing the percentage change in real median pay for full-time employees between 2010 and 2024, by region of residence. The East of England saw the largest decrease (-10%), followed by London (-6%) and the South East (-5%). Northern Ireland saw the biggest increase (+4%), followed by Scotland (+3%). Real pay growth in the other UK countries and regions was between -2% and +1%.

Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2024

Pay for younger and older workers

Median weekly pay was highest for employees in their 40s at April 2024.

Bar chart showing median weekly pay for full-time employees in 2024 by age group. 40–49-year-olds had the highest pay at £823, followed by 50–59-year-olds (£778) and 30-39 year olds (£769). 16–17-year-olds (£331), 18–21-year-olds (£470) and 22-29 year olds (621) had the lowest median weekly pay.

Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2024

Following the economic downturn in 2008, median earnings decreased in real terms across age groups. In April 2024, real median pay for 18-21 year olds was 9% higher than its 2008 level, but earnings for older age groups were lower than before the downturn.

Line chart showing real median pay for full-time employees aged 18-21, 22-29 and 30-39, indexed to 2008=100. Real median pay fell for these age groups between 2008 and 2014. Between 2014 and 2024 it slowly recovered, but real pay for 22–39-year-olds was below 2008 levels in 2024. Real pay for 18-21-year-olds recovered much faster: real median pay in this age group was 9% higher in 2024 than it was in 2008.

Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2024

Line chart showing real median pay for full-time employees aged 40-49, 50-59 and 60+, indexed to 2008=100. Real median pay fell for these age groups between 2008 and 2014. Between 2014 and 2024 it slowly recovered, but real pay for these age groups was below 2008 levels in 2024.

Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2024

Note the charts are not tracking a particular group of people over time. Rather they are comparing people, for example, aged 40-49 in 2024 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 2023 would have been in their 20s and 30s in 2008.

Accessing the data

Summary tables provide data on earnings by gender and age group between 1997 and 2023 and by region between 2002 and 2024.

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 information

The 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.

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