Full-time pay peaks at 40 to 49 and falls through the fifties

Median gross annual pay for full-time employees aged 40 to 49 was £44,244 in April 2025. For those aged 50 to 59 it was £41,866, and for those aged 60 and over £36,467. The median hourly rate, which sets aside hours worked, ran the same way: £22.60 at 40 to 49, £21.36 at 50 to 59, £18.39 at 60 and over. Hourly pay in the fifties rose 7.3 per cent over the year, the fastest of any age band.

The figures are from Table 6 of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, provisional results for 2025, published by the Office for National Statistics on 23 October 2025. The survey is a one per cent sample of employee jobs drawn from HMRC PAYE records for April 2025. Median means half earn more and half less. The tables describe employees, not the self-employed.