What is the average Australian salary?
When people ask "what is the average Australian salary", they are usually after the national full-time adult ordinary-time earnings figure published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The latest release, for May 2026, puts the average at $2,083.70 per week – about $108,352 per year when multiplied by 52 weeks. This is the benchmark used on this site to place a salary on the line.
How the ABS measures it
The ABS surveys a large sample of employers across industries and states. The figure is for full-time adult employees in their ordinary time (excluding overtime). It is a mean, so high earners pull it up. The May 2026 release showed annual growth of 3.7% in ordinary time earnings.
Average vs median
The average is not the same as the typical salary. The ABS also publishes medians from its Employee Earnings survey. In August 2025, the median full-time weekly earnings were $1,741 – about $90,532 per year. For all employees (including part-time and casual), the median was $1,425 per week, or about $74,100 per year. The median is a better measure of what a typical worker earns, but the average remains the headline figure.
A resident take-home sketch
If you earn the average salary of $108,352, what do you actually take home after tax? Using the 2026-27 resident tax rates:
- Nil tax on the first $18,200
- 15% on the next $26,800 (up to $45,000)
- 30% on the next $90,000 (up to $135,000)
- Plus the 2% Medicare levy
On $108,352, the tax before Medicare is about $23,158. The Medicare levy adds $2,167. Total tax and Medicare: about $25,325. That leaves roughly $83,027 after tax. (This excludes the low-income tax offset, which may reduce tax slightly, and assumes no HELP debt or other deductions.)
How this compares to the minimum wage
The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week for a 38-hour week – about $52,255 per year. Award minimums rose by 4.75% at the same time. The average salary is more than double the minimum wage, reflecting the mix of occupations and experience levels in the full-time workforce.
State and territory averages
Full-time average weekly ordinary time earnings vary across Australia. The highest is the Australian Capital Territory at about $119,090 per year, followed by Western Australia at $115,825. The lowest is Tasmania at $96,008. See the full breakdown on the states and territories page.
| State/Territory | Annual average (approx.) |
|---|---|
| New South Wales | $109,658 |
| Victoria | $106,137 |
| Queensland | $106,064 |
| South Australia | $102,450 |
| Western Australia | $115,825 |
| Tasmania | $96,008 |
| Northern Territory | $103,173 |
| Australian Capital Territory | $119,090 |
These figures are derived from the ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey and are annualised by multiplying the weekly figure by 52.
Gender differences
The average also differs by gender. Men's full-time ordinary time earnings averaged $2,181 per week (about $113,412 per year), while women's averaged $1,934.50 per week (about $100,594 per year). The gap partly reflects differences in occupations, industries, and years of experience.
What this means for you
The average salary is a useful benchmark, but your personal situation depends on your industry, location, and hours. If you want to see where your own pay sits, use the tool on this site to place a salary on the line and compare it to the national average, medians, and minimum wage.
A note on data sources
All figures in this article come from the ABS Average Weekly Earnings, May 2026 (for averages) and ABS Employee Earnings, August 2025 (for medians). The minimum wage is from Fair Work's 2026-27 determination. Tax rates are from the ATO for 2026-27. These are the most current official sources available.