Average salary in the US by age
Average salary in the US by age

“How much should I be earning at my age?”

It’s one of the most common career questions in the U.S. Yet the answers online are often confusing, outdated, or based on vague “averages” that don’t reflect real workers.

To give a clear, trustworthy comparison, this article uses official earnings data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The figures come from the Current Population Survey, which tracks median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers. These are the most widely cited benchmarks for age-based income comparisons in the United States.

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How this salary data works (important to know)

Before comparing yourself, here’s what these numbers represent:

  • Full-time workers only (typically 35+ hours per week)

  • Wage and salary income, not business profits or freelance income

  • Median earnings, not averages, which better reflect a “typical” worker

  • Weekly pay figures annualized by multiplying by 52 weeks

This approach avoids the distortion caused by extreme high earners and gives a more realistic baseline for comparison.

Average US annual salary by age (2025 estimates)

Average US annual salary by age
Average US annual salary by age

Quick benchmark:

The typical full-time American worker earns about $63,000 per year, but income varies sharply by age.

What these numbers reveal about earning power

Your 20s: rapid growth, lower baseline

Workers aged 20–24 earn just over $41,000, reflecting entry-level roles, limited experience, and job switching. This is the fastest-growth phase of most careers.

Your 30s: the biggest jump

By 25–34, median annual pay rises to nearly $60,000. Many workers specialize, gain credentials, or move into higher-paying firms. Salary growth here is often faster than inflation.

Your 40s and early 50s: peak earning years

The 35–44 and 45–54 groups sit at the top, around $71,000–$72,000. These are typically senior individual contributor or management years, when experience and leverage are strongest.

Late career: stable, not collapsing

Earnings ease slightly after 55, but not dramatically. Even workers 65 and older still show a median annual income above $62,000, reflecting selective continued employment rather than full retirement.

Are you earning above or below average for your age?

Use this simple check:

  1. Take your gross annual income (before taxes).

  2. If hourly: hourly rate × hours/week × 52.

  3. Compare to your age group’s median, not the national headline number.

Being below the median doesn’t mean you’re underpaid. It often reflects:

  • Lower cost-of-living regions

  • Early career stage within an age group

  • Industry-specific pay norms

Why “average US salary” headlines can mislead

Many articles quote a single national average salary. But age alone can swing expected earnings by $30,000+ per year. That’s why age-based benchmarks are far more useful for:

  • Career planning

  • Salary negotiations

  • Relocation decisions

  • Financial goal setting

Bottom line

The median full-time U.S. worker earns about $63,000 annually, with peak earnings typically occurring between ages 35 and 54. Comparing your income to people in the same age group gives a clearer, fairer picture than any one-size-fits-all “average salary” figure.

If you want a more precise comparison, the next step is layering in industry and location, where differences can be even larger than age alone.