- The average yearly U.S. salary for full-time workers is $59,436. (Full-time workers 16 years and older.)
- For those 25 and over, the average yearly salary is $62,452.
Technically, we are talking about median salaries, meaning half the population makes more and half makes less. This is a more accurate picture of the labor market than an “average” salary estimate, as a true “average” salary would be skewed higher by the very few who earn tens of millions (or more) per year.
We base this average/median off of Bureau of Labor Statistics data that report a median wage/salary of $1143 per week in the second quarter of 2024.
That number represents workers across all ages, sexes, education levels, professions, etc.
Other Averages/Medians:
We can find plenty of other interesting information when we break the data down further:
- Men earn a median salary of $65,156 vs. $52,884 for women. (Women make roughly 81% of men’s salaries.)
- Median annual salary for whites: $60,684. For African-Americans: $48,932. For Hispanics: $46,956. For Asians: $78,000.
- Median annual salary for college graduates: $87,568. High school graduates, no college: $47,632. No high school diploma: $37,752.
- Workers aged 45 to 54 have the highest median salary, at $68,432, but the 35 to 44 age group (at $64,844), and the 55-64 group (at $62,244) are only slightly behind. Younger workers from 25-34 have a lower median salary: $57,356.
- Jobs traditionally thought of as “white collar,” described as “management, professional, and related occupations” in the BLS statistics, have the highest median salary, at $82,108. Jobs in “farming, fishing, and forestry occupations” pay the worst, with a median salary of $36,400. Service jobs have the second-lowest median salary, at $38,584.
- To be in the highest-earning 10% of the population, a worker would need to be making $146,120 or more. Those making $30,992 or less would be in the lowest 10%.
Previous Average Salary Numbers:
- First Quarter 2024: $59,228
- Third Quarter 2023: $58,136
- First Quarter 2023: $57,200
- Third Quarter 2019: $47,788
- First Quarter 2018: $45,812
- Third Quarter 2017: $44,668
