Patrick Cripps salary and the national average
Patrick Cripps, the Carlton captain and Brownlow Medal winner, is one of the AFL's highest-profile players. But when it comes to a precise, publicly confirmed salary figure, the official sources we rely on — the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Fair Work Australia, and the Australian Tax Office — do not publish individual player contracts. That means we cannot place his exact pay on the line today. However, we can show you exactly how the site works, so that if you do have a figure (from a reliable media report or a club announcement), you can see how it stacks up against the national full-time average.
How the site reads a salary
The tool on this page is built around a simple idea: take a yearly salary before tax and read it as a week, an hour, and a distance from the national full-time average. The week is the yearly figure divided by 52. The hour is that weekly figure divided by 38 — the standard full-time week used by the ABS and Fair Work. The distance is the difference between that weekly figure and the ABS Average Weekly Earnings for full-time adult ordinary-time earnings, which is $2,083.70 per week as of May 2026. Place a salary on the line to see how any figure compares.
The full-time average
The national full-time adult ordinary-time average is $2,083.70 per week, or about $108,352 per year (multiplied by 52). This is the line. It comes from the ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey for May 2026, released on 13 August 2026. The figure is a seasonally adjusted estimate for persons. For men, the full-time ordinary-time average is about $2,181.00 per week ($113,412 per year); for women, it is about $1,934.50 per week ($100,594 per year). These are averages, not medians, and they include salary sacrifice.
Medians and the minimum wage
The ABS also publishes medians. In its Employee Earnings and Hours survey for August 2025, the median weekly earnings for all employees was $1,436.00 (about $74,672 per year). For full-time employees, the median was $1,674.00 per week (about $87,048 per year). The site uses the full-time median of about $90,532 per year (based on the published weekly figure multiplied by 52). The all-employees median is about $74,100 per year. These medians give a different picture from the average because they are not pulled up by very high incomes.
Fair Work sets the national minimum wage. From 1 July 2026, the minimum wage is $26.44 per hour, $1,004.90 per week, or about $52,255 per year on a 38-hour week. Award minimums rose by 4.75% from that date. The minimum wage is a floor; most full-time workers earn above it.
State averages
Full-time average weekly ordinary-time earnings vary by state and territory. The ABS provides original estimates for May 2026. Here are the annualised figures (multiplied by 52):
- New South Wales: $2,108.80 per week, about $109,658 per year
- Victoria: $2,041.10 per week, about $106,137 per year
- Queensland: $2,039.70 per week, about $106,064 per year
- South Australia: $1,970.20 per week, about $102,450 per year
- Western Australia: $2,227.40 per week, about $115,825 per year
- Tasmania: $1,846.30 per week, about $96,008 per year
- Northern Territory: $1,984.10 per week, about $103,173 per year
- Australian Capital Territory: $2,290.20 per week, about $119,090 per year
These are averages for full-time adults in each state. States and territories has more detail.
What about Patrick Cripps?
While we cannot confirm Patrick Cripps' salary from the ABS, Fair Work, or the ATO, media reports have suggested that top AFL players earn between $800,000 and $1.2 million per year, with some stars on multi-year deals worth over $1 million annually. If you have a reliable figure, you can enter it into the tool to see how it compares to the national full-time average of $108,352. For example, a salary of $1,000,000 per year would be $19,230.77 per week and $506.07 per hour on a 38-hour week — well above the line. But remember, AFL players are not paid by the hour in the same way as most employees; their contracts cover a season and include match payments, endorsements, and other benefits.
How the figures are set
The ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey is conducted twice a year, for May and November. The next release is 25 February 2027 for November 2026 data. The survey measures the level of average earnings at a point in time, and movements can be affected by changes in earnings per employee or the composition of the labour force. The site updates its line with each new release. About this site explains how we use the data.
Using the tool
To see where any salary sits, enter a yearly figure before tax. The tool will show you the weekly and hourly equivalents on a 38-hour week, and the distance from the ABS full-time average. You can also compare to the full-time median, the all-employees median, or the national minimum wage. The chart on the page visualises the gap.
If you are an AFL player or a fan wanting to check a reported contract, remember that the site uses before-tax figures. Tax on a salary of $100,000 in 2026-27 would be about $24,967 plus Medicare levy, leaving about $73,033 after tax. The tax brackets are: nil up to $18,200; 15% from $18,201 to $45,000; 30% from $45,001 to $135,000; 37% from $135,001 to $190,000; and 45% above $190,000. The Medicare levy is 2% of taxable income, with reductions for low-income earners.
Final note
Patrick Cripps' salary remains a matter of public curiosity but not public record in the sources we use. If you have a figure you trust, Place a salary on the line and see for yourself how it compares to the national full-time average of $108,352 per year.