Average Salary by Age, Median, Top & Percentiles - DQYDJ (2024)

In this post areUnited States Salary Brackets by Age for 2023. You'll also find average salary by age, plus median and top 1% salaries by age.

Salaries/wage incomes aregross(pre-tax),earned between January and December 2022 (the survey was conducted in early 2023).

Table of Contents show ▼

Salary Benchmarks by Age in 2023

Age is an excellent proxy for experience in most datasets – generally, the longer you've been at a job or career, the better you are in that job or career. While that's not auniversallaw, it's good practice to separate salary data by age. (Although you can find aggregate salary averages and stats here).

The best summary statistics for salary are:

  • Median salary by age
  • Average salary by age
  • Top 1% salary by age

We'll hit each summary statistic in kind, but here's a quick visualization of the main salary breakpoints for selected ages.

Average Salary by Age, Median, Top & Percentiles - DQYDJ (1)

What is the median salary by age in the United States?

In full-year 2022 in the United States, these were the median salaries earned by age:

  • Age 25:$41,000.00
  • Age 35:$55,900.00
  • Age 45:$60,000.00
  • Age 55:$65,000.00
  • Age 65:$55,000.00

The following table lists the median salary for every age from 16-70 in the United States for 2023:

AgeMedian Salary
16$10,000.00
17$9,000.00
18$14,000.00
19$22,000.00
20$25,000.00
21$25,000.00
22$27,000.00
23$32,000.00
24$37,000.00
25$41,000.00
26$47,000.00
27$46,800.00
28$50,000.00
29$50,000.00
30$50,000.00
31$54,000.00
32$52,000.00
33$55,000.00
34$60,000.00
35$55,900.00
36$60,000.00
37$60,000.00
38$60,000.00
39$61,000.00
40$59,000.00
41$60,000.00
42$60,000.00
43$60,000.00
44$63,000.00
45$60,000.00
46$64,000.00
47$63,000.00
48$60,000.00
49$62,864.00
50$60,000.00
51$64,000.00
52$62,000.00
53$65,000.00
54$62,000.00
55$65,000.00
56$60,000.00
57$61,000.00
58$60,000.00
59$55,000.00
60$55,000.00
61$60,000.00
62$55,000.00
63$57,200.00
64$62,000.00
65$55,000.00
66$53,000.00
67$50,000.00
68$50,000.00
69$55,000.00
70$38,000.00

What is the average salary by age in the United States?

In full year 2022 in the United States, these were the average salaries earned by age:

  • Age 25:$51,358.29
  • Age 35:$75,771.95
  • Age 45:$83,492.78
  • Age 55:$82,291.66
  • Age 65:$72,797.99

In this next table, I've summarized the average salary for every age from 16-70 in the United States in 2023:

AgeAverage Salary
16$15,326.90
17$12,402.94
18$20,822.24
19$25,662.69
20$27,537.89
21$28,095.45
22$33,573.67
23$38,278.59
24$43,702.78
25$51,358.29
26$55,723.35
27$59,446.48
28$63,042.77
29$61,845.50
30$67,134.58
31$71,060.19
32$72,487.64
33$70,483.34
34$73,420.97
35$75,771.95
36$79,030.40
37$82,723.84
38$80,948.51
39$76,101.30
40$81,981.37
41$79,778.46
42$89,710.22
43$79,797.44
44$88,048.20
45$83,492.78
46$87,729.18
47$81,872.90
48$81,330.33
49$84,966.71
50$89,785.68
51$88,337.34
52$85,380.92
53$83,690.31
54$87,908.88
55$82,291.66
56$84,419.03
57$83,662.01
58$79,114.10
59$77,266.03
60$77,182.23
61$77,211.25
62$80,398.81
63$81,937.18
64$88,373.91
65$72,797.99
66$77,745.21
67$63,480.34
68$72,603.15
69$74,505.92
70$59,247.49

What is the top 1% salary by age in the United States?

Here are the summary top 1% salary benchmarks in the US in full year 2022, starting at 25 years old and moving up a decade at a time:

  • Age 25:$191,000
  • Age 35: $400,000
  • Age 45:$500,000
  • Age 55:$350,000
  • Age 65:$334,785

Remember to be appropriately skeptical with top 1% salaries. By definition, fewer people earn up here and the distribution isn't as well behaved.

AgeTop 1% Salary
16$70,000.00
17$60,000.00
18$100,000.00
19$100,000.00
20$90,000.00
21$75,000.00
22$105,000.00
23$150,000.00
24$170,000.00
25$191,000.00
26$200,000.00
27$235,000.00
28$253,700.00
29$215,000.00
30$300,000.00
31$350,000.00
32$420,000.00
33$317,000.00
34$350,000.00
35$400,000.00
36$420,000.00
37$450,000.00
38$375,000.00
39$350,000.00
40$460,000.00
41$350,000.00
42$840,000.00
43$350,000.00
44$460,000.00
45$500,000.00
46$500,000.00
47$450,000.00
48$410,000.00
49$350,000.00
50$750,000.00
51$400,000.00
52$530,000.00
53$375,000.00
54$500,000.00
55$350,000.00
56$500,000.00
57$500,000.00
58$372,585.00
59$357,000.00
60$600,000.00
61$400,000.00
62$540,000.00
63$500,000.00
64$420,000.00
65$334,785.00
66$600,000.00
67$400,000.00
68$520,000.00
69$400,000.00
70$350,000.00

My warning in the income by age post applies here, too: to smooth over the spikes, look at a few adjacent ages to get a 'feel,' don't take one age as the correct value. (For what that's worth!)

Income vs. Salary

Salaryis what you earn from a job, yourwageincome.Incomeis a much more expansive set of ways to earn money. Here, think: business, investment, interest, rent, etc.

We specialize in income here on DQYDJ – find all our recentincome posts here. (Includinghousehold incomeandindividual income).

Salary by Age Summary for the United States in 2023

Want a bit more resolution? Check out the salary percentile by age calculator for the full picture.

You can also find past years here:

Methodology on 2023 United States Salary Brackets

This data comes from the United States Census Bureau's Annual ASEC survey fromSeptember 2023.

Sarah Flood, Miriam King, Renae Rodgers, Steven Ruggles, J. Robert Warren, Daniel Backman, Annie Chen, Grace Cooper, Stephanie Richards, Megan Schouweiler, and Michael Westberry. IPUMS CPS: Version 11.0 [dataset]. Minneapolis, MN: IPUMS, 2023. https://doi.org/10.18128/D030.V11.0

Here is an estimate of the number of workers in age group, along with the sample count:

AgeSamplesCount of Workers
16132256,247
17292578,975
18425856,931
194761,107,092
206101,609,597
216771,814,723
227572,090,027
238962,594,835
249452,830,429
251,0652,884,790
261,0772,927,605
271,1243,007,614
281,1793,036,665
291,2643,243,738
301,2923,296,714
311,3903,319,514
321,3863,314,684
331,4153,358,656
341,3783,194,486
351,4253,208,120
361,4223,115,692
371,4253,151,560
381,4672,982,396
391,3712,915,999
401,5193,123,576
411,4052,963,898
421,4092,969,046
431,3762,883,393
441,3552,836,279
451,3132,648,920
461,2702,687,311
471,2842,754,233
481,2212,752,213
491,1492,522,210
501,1822,566,221
511,2282,818,073
521,2612,865,301
531,2132,744,922
541,0412,430,360
559732,356,147
561,0772,566,280
571,0392,482,325
581,0082,434,425
599842,475,565
609452,306,180
617981,953,618
627841,927,034
637011,622,696
646551,619,529
655711,315,634
664451,048,591
67347793,257
68304718,313
69242602,917
70233518,159

What is your screen?

You can find the worker screen in the salary research post's methodology section.

Average Salary by Age, Median, Top & Percentiles - DQYDJ (2)

PK

PK started DQYDJ in 2009 to research and discuss finance and investing and help answer financial questions. He's expanded DQYDJ to build visualizations, calculators, and interactive tools.

PK lives in New Hampshire with his wife, kids, and dog.

Average Salary by Age, Median, Top & Percentiles - DQYDJ (2024)

FAQs

What is the average salary in DC by age? ›

Residents aged 25 to 44 earn $109,135, while those between 45 and 64 years old have a median wage of $97,226. In contrast, people younger than 25 and those older than 65 earn less, at $46,853 and $64,232, respectively.

Am I in the top 1 percent for my age? ›

How Does Income Change with Age?
Age RangeTop 10%Top 1%
20-24$64,855$129,709
25-29$142,680$303,736
30-34$188,079$468,035
35-39$230,234$1,048,484
8 more rows
Oct 20, 2023

How much do you need to make to be in the top 5%? ›

What are the annual wages of top earners?
BracketAverage annual wages
Top 0.1%$3,212,486
Top 1%$823,763
Top 5%$342,987
Top 10%$173,176
6 days ago

What percentage of Americans make $150,000 a year? ›

Income Brackets in the United States
Income Bracket*Percentage of Americans
$75,000-$99,99912.3%
$100,000-$149,99916.4%
$150,000-$199,9999.2%
Over $200,00011.9%
5 more rows
Apr 12, 2024

What is a good salary in DC? ›

The median salary in Washington, DC is $76,908, with 80% of salaries falling between $34,800 and $167,040.

Is $90,000 a good salary in Washington DC? ›

🧠 Be smart: The median household income in D.C. is $90,000, per census data. In the city, 16.5% of people live below the poverty line.

How much money a month is considered rich? ›

The amount of money you need to make each month to be rich depends on which metric you're using. If you're going by the IRS standard, then you'd need to make approximately $45,000 a month to be rich. On the other hand, if you're aiming for the top 1% as measured by the EPI, you'd need a monthly income of $68,277.

What yearly salary is considered middle class? ›

What does this all mean? By the Census data, it means that if you earn between $50,000 and $150,000 a year, you are considered middle class. It's a pretty straightforward answer, but it isn't particularly helpful if you're trying to climb up out of a lower income bracket into the middle class.

What is considered a good salary? ›

As a rule of thumb, a good salary in Los Angeles is between $100k and $200k gross per year. Based on the cost of living in Los Angeles, this should come down to a minimum of $76,710 yearly after taxes.

What is considered wealthy in 2024? ›

For example, individuals with $1 million in liquid assets are generally classified as having a high net worth. To be considered very high net worth, one might need assets ranging from $5 million to $10 million, while an ultra-high net worth status could require $30 million or more.

What is considered wealthy in the US? ›

According to Schwab's 2023 Modern Wealth Survey, Americans perceive an average net worth of $2.2 million as wealthy​​​​. Knight Frank's research indicates that a net worth of $4.4 million is required to be in the top 1% in America, a figure much higher than in countries like Japan, the U.K. and Australia​​.

What is considered middle upper class? ›

Many have graduate degrees with educational attainment serving as the main distinguishing feature of this class. Household incomes commonly exceed $100,000, with some smaller one-income earners household having incomes in the high 5-figure range. "The upper middle class has grown...and its composition has changed.

How rare is a 100k salary? ›

According to the U.S. Census, only 15.3% of American households make more than $100,000 annually. A $100,000 salary can yield a monthly income of $8,333.33, a biweekly paycheck of $3,846.15, a weekly income of $1,923.08, and a daily income of $384.62 based on 260 working days per year.

How many US citizens make 100k a year? ›

According to the US Census Bureau, the majority of Americans (54.98%) make $50,000 per year or less, while only 18% of individual Americans make $100,000 per year or more. This means that over 80% of Americans make less than $100,000 per year.

Is 200k a year middle class? ›

In 2020, according to Pew Research Center analysis, the median for upper income households was around $220,000 and the median for middle income households was slightly above $90,000.

What is a livable wage in DC? ›

Living Wage Calculation for District of Columbia, District of Columbia
1 ADULT2 ADULTS (BOTH WORKING)
0 Children2 Children
Living Wage$23.90$33.13
Poverty Wage$7.24$7.50
Minimum Wage$17.00$17.00

How much is middle class in DC? ›

D.C.'s median household income is only slightly lower at $90,088, making the range to be considered middle class between $60,359 and $180,176.

What should my salary be by age? ›

The median salary of 20- to 24-year-olds is $706 per week, which translates to $36,712 per year. Many Americans start out their careers in their 20s and don't earn as much as they will once they reach their 30s. For Americans ages 25 to 34, the median salary is $1,003 per week or $52,156 per year.

What is the upper class salary in DC? ›

Upper Class Salary in Washington, DC
Annual SalaryMonthly Pay
Top Earners$92,335$7,694
75th Percentile$73,009$6,084
Average$65,242$5,436
25th Percentile$41,872$3,489

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