Median full time salary Australia: what the figures tell us
When you search for the median full time salary Australia, you are looking for the middle point of full-time earnings – the figure that splits the workforce into two equal halves. It is a more representative measure than the average for understanding what a typical full-time worker earns, because it is not distorted by a small number of very high incomes.
According to the ABS Employee Earnings and Hours survey (August 2025), the median weekly total cash earnings for full-time employees was $1,887 per week. That works out to about $98,124 per year if you multiply by 52, but the on-site notes use the more precise figure from the ABS: the full-time median is about $90,532 per year. (The difference arises because the ABS median is based on ordinary-time earnings, not total cash earnings, and because the survey reference period is May 2025.) The ABS also publishes an all-employees median (including part-time) of about $74,100 per year.
By contrast, the national full-time adult ordinary-time average – the figure used as the line on this site – is $2,083.70 per week, or about $108,352 per year (ABS Average Weekly Earnings, May 2026). That is roughly $17,820 higher than the median. This gap is normal in most developed economies: the average is pulled up by high earners in professions such as medicine, law, finance, and senior management.
Where the median sits on the line
Place a salary on the line to see how your own pay compares. If you earn exactly the national full-time median of about $90,532, you are about $17,820 below the average line. That does not mean you are underpaid – it means you are typical. The line is set at the average, not the median, because the average is the standard benchmark used by the ABS and by most pay-setting bodies.
Why a state or an award can move your figure off the national line
Your actual salary may differ from the national median for two main reasons: where you work (state or territory) and how your pay is set (award, collective agreement, or individual arrangement).
State and territory differences
The ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey provides state-level averages for full-time adults. These are not medians, but they give a reliable indication of how earnings vary across the country. The on-site notes list the following annualised full-time averages:
- New South Wales: about $109,658
- Victoria: about $106,137
- Queensland: about $106,064
- South Australia: about $102,450
- Western Australia: about $115,825
- Tasmania: about $96,008
- Northern Territory: about $103,173
- Australian Capital Territory: about $119,090
If you work in the ACT, your salary is likely to be above the national median because of the concentration of high-paying public-sector jobs. In Tasmania, the average is lower, so the median there is probably also lower than the national figure. States and territories provides more detail on how each region compares.
Award coverage and method of setting pay
The way your pay is determined also affects where you sit relative to the median. The ABS Employee Earnings survey (May 2025) shows that employees covered only by an award earn an average of $922.20 per week (about $47,954 per year), well below the national median. Those on collective agreements average $1,746.10 per week ($90,797 per year), close to the median. Employees on individual arrangements average $1,876.50 per week ($97,578 per year), above the median.
Award-reliant workers – common in retail, hospitality, and care industries – tend to earn less than the median full-time salary. If you are on an award, your pay may be set at or near the minimum wage plus loadings. The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, or about $52,255 per year on a 38-hour week. That is well below the median, but many awards include higher rates for skill levels, experience, or shift work.
Job medians and Industry medians can help you see how your occupation or industry compares. For example, managers and professionals have the highest hourly earnings ($69.20 and $64.50 respectively), while sales workers and labourers earn less.
Using the median to understand your position
The median full-time salary is a useful reality check. If you earn around $90,000, you are in the middle of the full-time workforce. If you earn $108,000 (the average), you are above the middle. If you earn $52,000 (the minimum wage), you are in the bottom quarter.
This site uses the average as its line because it is the most widely cited benchmark. But the median gives you a better sense of where you stand among your peers. Guides explains how to interpret both figures.
How the figures are set
The ABS calculates the average from its quarterly survey of employers, while the median comes from the biennial Employee Earnings and Hours survey. How the figures are set describes the methodology. The key point is that the median is less volatile and more representative of typical experience.
Summary
The median full-time salary in Australia is about $90,532 per year. It is lower than the average of $108,352 because high earners skew the average upward. Your own salary may differ from the median depending on your state and how your pay is set. Use the tools on this site to place your salary on the line and see exactly where you sit.
About this site explains why we use the average as the benchmark and how you can interpret the distance from the line.