Average Salary in Australia: What You Actually Earn (and Keep)
The average salary in Australia is around $100,000, but most workers earn less. What the ABS data shows by state, industry and gender, and after tax.
By Timothy Hirou GaschereauPublished 9 min read
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The “average Australian salary” gets thrown around constantly, in news headlines, job ads, and dinner-table arguments. But the number most people quote is a mean, dragged upward by a relatively small group of very high earners. Knowing the difference between mean and median could change how you read your next payslip. This is part of our salary and career series.
🎯 The essential: The official average (AWOTE, full-time adults) is around $100,000 a year, but the median full-time salary of roughly $88,400 is a better benchmark for most workers. Earnings vary enormously by state, industry and gender. On $100,000, you take home around $77,000 after tax, with super paid on top.
What is the average salary in Australia in 2024-25?
The most widely cited figure comes from the ABS Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings (AWOTE) survey. For May 2024, full-time adult AWOTE was about $1,923 a week, which annualises to roughly $100,000 a year. A few caveats: it covers ordinary time only (no overtime), full-time adult employees only (not part-timers or casuals), and it's released twice a year, so it lags a few months. The bottom line: $100,000 is the mean for full-time adults on ordinary hours. It is not the typical Australian wage.
Average vs median: why this distinction matters
Put 10 people in a room. Nine earn $60,000 a year; one earns $10 million. The average (mean) is just over $1 million. The median is $60,000. Which better describes a “typical” person in that room? Exactly. The same logic applies nationally: a small number of executives and top-end professionals pull the mean up. The ABS puts median weekly earnings for full-time employees at about $1,700 a week, or roughly $88,400 a year, the number where half earn more and half earn less.
| Measure | Annual (approx.) | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Average (mean) AWOTE | ~$100,000 | Dragged up by high earners |
| Median full-time earnings | ~$88,400 | The true middle: half earn more, half less |
Average salary by state and territory
Where you live makes a real difference: the highest and lowest states differ by more than $400 a week.
| State/Territory | Approx. annual |
|---|---|
| ACT | ~$110,600 |
| WA | ~$108,900 |
| NSW | ~$100,700 |
| Queensland | ~$98,900 |
| Victoria | ~$97,900 |
| NT | ~$96,000 |
| SA | ~$92,400 |
| Tasmania | ~$89,000 |
The ACT is high because Canberra's workforce is dominated by well-paid federal public servants. WA is high because of mining. Tasmania and South Australia sit lower, reflecting a higher share of lower-wage industries.
Average salary by industry: where the big money is (and isn't)
The spread by industry is enormous, and it tells you more than any single national figure.
| Industry | Approx. annual |
|---|---|
| Mining | ~$156,800 |
| Information media & telecoms | ~$126,700 |
| Financial & insurance services | ~$118,700 |
| Professional, scientific & technical | ~$116,800 |
| Public administration & safety | ~$105,900 |
| Health care & social assistance | ~$98,900 |
| Construction | ~$94,700 |
| Manufacturing | ~$88,700 |
| Retail trade | ~$75,600 |
| Accommodation & food services | ~$73,900 |
These are averages across all roles within each industry. The key takeaway: mining and finance pull the national average up; hospitality and retail pull it down. If you work in a lower-wage industry, comparing yourself to the $100,000 average is a bit like comparing your 5km time to an Olympic sprinter's.
The gender pay gap: what the numbers actually show
The gender pay gap in Australia is real and persistent. WGEA figures put women at around 78 cents for every dollar men earned in total remuneration in 2023-24, a gap of about 21.8%. The ABS backs this up: full-time adult AWOTE was about $2,014 a week for men versus $1,783 for women, a gap of roughly $12,000 a year. It's driven by industry concentration, unpaid care work, part-time patterns, and underrepresentation in senior roles. It ties directly into the super gender gap.
What does $100,000 look like after tax and super?
On a $100,000 gross salary under 2024-25 rates, your employer contributes 11.5% ($11,500) super on top, not from your pay. Income tax is about $20,788 and the 2% Medicare levy adds $2,000, so total tax is around $22,788, leaving roughly $77,000 take-home (about $1,485 a week), before any HECS repayments or salary sacrifice.
Remember super is extra, not deducted from your pay: a $100,000 salary package effectively costs your employer $111,500. See exactly how the tax stacks up in our tax brackets guide, and run your own figure with the salary calculator.
Does “average” tell you what you should earn?
Honestly, not really, not on its own. The national average ignores almost everything that determines your pay: your industry, your location (cost of living and demand vary enormously), your experience level, and your negotiating position. A nurse in regional Queensland and a software engineer in Sydney both feed the same national average but live in completely different labour markets.
The bottom line: the average salary is a starting point for the conversation, not a verdict on your worth. Use it as context, benchmark your actual role and location, then close the gap between what you earn and what you could with our pay rise guide.
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❓ Frequently asked questions
Is $100,000 a good salary in Australia?
+
It depends heavily on where you live and your household situation. $100,000 puts you above the median full-time salary (~$88,400), so you're earning more than half of all full-time workers. In regional areas it goes a long way; in inner Sydney or Melbourne with a mortgage and kids it feels tighter. After tax and Medicare levy, you take home around $77,000, roughly $1,485 a week.
What is the average salary for someone under 30?
+
Earnings ramp up sharply through your twenties. Workers aged 20-24 average around $61,000 to $62,000 a year, while those aged 25-34 average roughly $78,000 to $83,000 depending on gender and industry. These are mean figures and vary significantly by field.
Does the average salary include superannuation?
+
No. The ABS figure and most salary benchmarks refer to your gross salary before super. Your employer's Superannuation Guarantee contribution (11.5% in 2024-25) is paid on top of your salary. So a $100,000 salary effectively costs your employer $111,500 once super is included.
Why is the ACT average salary so high?
+
The ACT workforce is dominated by federal government employees: public servants, defence, policy and regulatory staff. The public sector pays above the private sector average, and Canberra has a very high concentration of professional and managerial roles, with little low-wage retail or hospitality relative to other cities.
How do I find out if I'm being paid fairly?
+
Start with the industry data here for a sector-level benchmark, then use Seek Salary Insights and LinkedIn Salary to narrow to your specific role and location. The ATO's taxation statistics also show income distributions by occupation. If you're significantly below market, that's your starting point for a data-backed salary negotiation.
Has the average salary kept up with inflation?
+
Broadly, but only just, and not consistently. Wage growth outpaced inflation in the year to mid-2024, but wages fell well behind inflation during 2022-23, so many workers are still catching up in real terms even after recent gains.
📚 Recommended reading
The Barefoot Investor
Scott Pape
The Barefoot Investor
Scott Pape
Australia's best-selling money book ever. A simple system for accounts, budgeting, debt and a real emergency fund in one.
Making Money Made Simple
Noel Whittaker
Making Money Made Simple
Noel Whittaker
Australia's classic, comprehensive money guide covering tax, super and investing, updated for today.
The Psychology of Money
Morgan Housel
The Psychology of Money
Morgan Housel
19 short stories on how people actually think and feel about money, not just the maths of it.
Some links above are affiliate links. If you buy through them, Snowball Invest may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend books we'd suggest anyway.
Sources
This article is general information only and does not constitute personal financial or tax advice. Earnings figures are approximate ABS averages and tax calculations use 2024-25 rates; individual circumstances vary. Check the latest ABS and ATO data before relying on any figure.
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Timothy Hirou Gaschereau
Founder of Snowball Invest, not a financial adviser.
I write about what I'm learning myself, because nobody ever taught us how to take control of our own money. It's a skill, not a mystery, and it's never too late to learn it. The best day to start was yesterday, the second best is today.
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