Last updated: May 19th, 2025
Making a decent income is critical to staying afloat in the current environment of rising prices and interest rates — as well as striving towards long-term financial goals.
Australia was ranked the second-richest country in the world in 2023 in terms of median wealth per adult.
It has one of the highest proportions of millionaires per capita — at almost 10%.
But we all know wealth isn’t evenly distributed. The Australian Productivity Commission found the number of households living on below-average incomes was increasing, and that Aussies who come from a poor background have a harder time climbing the income ladder.
Let’s explore what the average salary in Australia is, how incomes vary across different states and industries, and what you can expect from wages in 2025.
Important!
Aggregate salary averages are notoriously poor at providing you with meaningful insights. I’ve segmented the data (by state, industry, gender, and more) to provide you with a more sophisticated snapshot of Aussie incomes.
Key Takeaways:
- Based on averages, a typical Aussie might take home over $100K, but the more accurate median is just under $60K.
- People employed in mining, utilities, finance and professional services industries earn the highest weekly incomes.
- Workers in the ACT have the highest median salary, and public sector workers generally out-earn private sector employees.
- Male workers out-earn female employees across all sectors, but the gender pay gap is declining.
Average Australian Salary By Industry And State.
If you work in the mining sector, you’re more likely to earn an above-average salary, with average weekly earnings of $3,111.70.
Other high-paying sectors included:
| Sector | Avg. Weekly Earnings |
|---|---|
| Information media & telecommunications (includes online publishing, data storage/software) | $2,507 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | $2,319 |
| Financial and insurance services | $2,290 |
| Utilities such as electricity, gas, water and waste services | $2,352 |
The public-service heavy workforce in the Australian Capital Territory accounts for it having the highest average weekly earnings for full-time employees.
Not surprisingly — given the state’s expansive mining sector — full-time employees in Western Australia earn the second-highest average weekly salary in Australia.
(Related: How To Invest Money In Australia.)
Image source: ABS, Average Weekly Earnings, November, 2024.
How Much Do Australians Earn On Average, Weekly & Annually?
According to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data from 2024, full-time workers in Australia, on average, bring home:
- $1,975.80 in weekly income (or $2,043.80 if you include overtime earnings).
- Approximately $102,741 in annual income (based on ordinary weekly income X 52 weeks).
These are pre-tax numbers, but exclude any amounts salary sacrificed.
Important!
Of course, not everyone works full-time. Around 22%, or 2.6 million, of all Aussie workers have casual jobs with earnings that vary week-to-week
According to the same ABS data from the November 2024 reference period, when you account for all workers — including part-time employees — the average income per week is more than 20% lower at $1,510.
(Related: Interest Rate News: When Will They Go Down?)
Although the national minimum wage increased by 3.75% in 2024 — at $24.10 an hour, it equates to just $915.90 per week.
Important!
In some industries, annual salaries may also be boosted by bonuses.
For instance, an ABS Earnings Indicator update found salaries paid by employers rose by over 5% in some industries in September 2024 due to the payment of cyclical bonuses.
What Is The Median Salary In Australia?
Average salary figures are great for creating sensationalist headlines but are poor at providing meaningful insights.
Median income figures paint a very different picture.
If we instead turn to the median — the exact middle number in a range — we find a typical average income for employed Australians is closer to $58,260 (based on ABS data from 2021-22).
| Median Income (21-22) | Median Income Growth (Last Year) | Median Income Growth (Since 2017-18) | Income Share (Top 1% earners) | Income Share (Top 5% earners) | Income Share (Top 10% earners) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | $55,062 | 4.0% | 16.0% | 10.3% | 23.4% | 34.7% |
| New South Wales | $55,105 | 2.2% | 15.2% | 11.9% | 25.6% | 36.8% |
| Victoria | $54,708 | 4.8% | 16.4% | 10.3% | 23.4% | 34.7% |
| Queensland | $54,076 | 4.9% | 16.6% | 9.1% | 21.7% | 32.8% |
| South Australia | $53,353 | 4.7% | 15.2% | 8.3% | 20.7% | 31.6% |
| Western Australia | $59,426 | 5.3% | 18.1% | 9.7% | 22.4% | 33.7% |
| Tasmania | $50,645 | 5.2% | 16.9% | 8.5% | 20.6% | 31.3% |
| Northern Territory | $65,301 | 4.6% | 15.7% | 6.1% | 17.4% | 27.9% |
| Australian Capital Territory | $72,115 | 3.4% | 15.3% | 7.2% | 19.2% | 29.8% |
Source: ABS, Personal income in Australia 2021-22 financial year (released November 2024).
What Are The Biggest Influences On Average Yearly Salary?
Average salaries don’t reflect the enormous variance in what you as an individual could earn. Your compensation depends on many factors, including:
| The profit margins in your chosen industry, e.g., how much can your employer afford to pay? |
| Your performance, especially when you’re pushing for a salary increase at your current job. |
| Working conditions. Jobs that few people want can attract higher pay, especially riskier/dirtier jobs that require extensive travel or intensive working hours. |
| Education and skills required. Highly specialised roles that require a Masters or Doctorate-level education often pay better. Skills shortages can force employers to offer higher salaries to compete for a small pool of qualified hires. |
| Your experience and influence level, e.g., the C-suite tends to earn more. Some senior executives at large listed companies raked in pay rises more than double the rate of inflation this year, according to the Governance Institute of Australia. |
Average Weekly Earnings In Australia By Gender And Sector.
ABS data shows men out-earn women in both the public and private sectors.
The public sector attracted a higher average wage, at $2,132 per week across all full-time employees, compared to average earnings of $1,933 working full-time in the private sector.
| Average Weekly Salary | Full-time Employees | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Sector | $2,132 | $2,256 | $2,029 |
| Private Sector | $1,933 | $2,038 | $1,742 |
The gender pay gap fell to 21.8% in 2024, according to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA).
That’s technically a decrease of 0.6 from 2023. That means, on average, women earn over $28K less than men each year.
It’s complex to analyse earning disparities in a way that offsets for:
- Number of hours worked.
- Type of employment (casual, part-time, full-time).
- Career choices (industry, sector).
- Time off work.
But WGEA highlights that regardless of the kind of job chosen, there’s a pay gap favouring men across every industry. It reflects access to opportunities more than anything.
All the more reason for women to know how to present themselves confidently, ask for pay rises, and demonstrate their leadership skills.
(Related: Will Australia Go Into A Recession In 2025?)
How Does The Cost Of Living In Australia Affect Salaries?
Your take-home pay buys you less when purchasing power is eroded by inflation.
Rising prices across essential goods and services saw many Aussies struggling in 2023-24, in what many social welfare groups describe as a cost of living crisis.
While inflation has abated in 2025, with the CPI (consumer price index) now within target range at 2.4% — that still means prices are 2.4% higher than the same time last year.
Between 2021-24 wages weren’t keeping up with CPI rises, meaning ‘real’ incomes were falling.
Compared to inflation below 3%, that means wages are finally increasing substantially faster than prices.
What Size Pay Rise Should You Expect In 2025?
You might typically expect to receive a pay rise every year or so based on performance, but that’s not always the case.
Less than one-third of employees surveyed said their pay had increased enough to match inflation, and a staggering 54% were considering moving states for better pay and opportunities.
(Related: How To Buy Gold In Australia.)
Professional services firm Mercer said:
- Labour market conditions are starting to favour employers, and pay rises in 2025 would likely be conservative.
- Most industries experienced a salary drop in 2024, with ‘chemicals’ and ‘insurance’ being exceptions.
But for now, Australia’s talent market is tight, which means there’s scope for people looking to get a raise or change jobs to secure a higher salary.
While workers are human beings, not commodities, to a large extent, the size of your salary is determined by supply and demand in the market.
If you’re in demand, maybe it’s time to get that bread!
Jody
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