What is the average income by age in the US?

From Census CPS data (full-year 2024 individual income): the median is about $19,000 at ages 18–22, $41,150 at 23–27, $52,000 at 28–32, $60,000 at 33–37, $61,970 at 38–42, and peaks at $67,144 at ages 43–47 before declining gradually. Across all US individual earners, the median is $53,010 and the average is $77,652 — the average is pulled upward by the highest earners, so the median is the honest benchmark.

Average Income by Age: Where Do You Rank? (2026 Data)

Q: What is a good salary at 30?

The median individual income for ages 28–32 is $52,002, so anything above that beats half of earners your age. The top 25% starts at $84,017 and the top 10% at $130,030. A $70,000 salary at 30 lands around the 65th percentile — comfortably above typical. Location matters too: the same salary ranks very differently in Memphis and San Francisco.

Q: What income is in the top 10% for my age?

From CPS 2024 data, the top-10% threshold for individual earners is roughly $94,000 at ages 23–27, $130,000 at 28–32, $167,000 at 33–37, $178,000 at 38–42, and about $190,000 through the 40s. Across all US earners, the top 10% starts at $155,042 and the top 1% at $450,100.

Median individual income is $41,150 at ages 23–27, $52,000 at 28–32, $60,000 at 33–37, and peaks at $67,144 at 43–47 (Census CPS 2024). See the full table, top-25% and top-10% thresholds by age, and how to turn your percentile gap into a negotiation anchor.

Median individual income by age (Census CPS, full-year 2024): about $41,150 at ages 23–27, $52,000 at 28–32, $60,000 at 33–37, and a peak of $67,144 at 43–47 — declining gradually after that. Across all US individual earners the median is $53,010, while the average is $77,652, pulled upward by the highest earners. The median — half of earners above, half below — is the honest benchmark.

Average income by age

The full distribution by five-year bracket. This is individual income — one person’s pre-tax earnings from all sources — not household income, which combines every earner under one roof and runs substantially higher.

Age	Median income	Top 25% starts at	Top 10% starts at
18–22	$19,000	$31,201	$47,000
23–27	$41,150	$65,000	$94,040
28–32	$52,002	$84,017	$130,030
33–37	$60,000	$100,000	$167,000
38–42	$61,970	$106,020	$178,001
43–47	$67,144	$117,001	$190,100
48–52	$65,000	$113,501	$190,900
53–57	$63,350	$110,000	$170,000
58–62	$62,001	$101,700	$170,060
63+	$70,001	$114,850	$201,805

Source: Census Bureau Current Population Survey (ASEC), full-year 2024 income. Want your exact rank instead of a bracket? The Income Percentile Calculator interpolates your precise percentile from your age and income — and shows the exact annual raise that reaches the next milestone.

Individual earnings climb steeply through the 20s and 30s, peak at ages 43–47, then decline as part-time work and early retirement enter the data.

The earnings curve: steep 20s, peak 40s, gradual decline

The single most useful fact in this data is the shape of the curve, because it tells you when income moves are most valuable:

Ages 22–32 is the steepest climb — the median rises from $19,000 to $52,000. Job switches, credentials, and negotiation compound hardest here because every raise re-bases decades of future earnings.
Ages 43–47 is the peak — median $67,144. Raises still happen, but the bracket-level growth flattens; from here, savings rate matters more than income growth for most earners.
After 50, the median declines — not because individuals get pay cuts, but because part-time work and early retirement enter the data. The 63+ bracket rises again because it reflects those still working plus investment and retirement income.

Are you paid well for your age? A worked example

Take a 35-year-old earning $75,000. The 33–37 bracket median is $60,000, so they are ahead of it — roughly the 61st percentile for their age (about the 65th among all US earners). The next milestones:

Benchmark (ages 33–37)	Threshold	Gap from $75,000
Median (50th percentile)	$60,000	Ahead by $15,000/yr
Top 25%	$100,000	$25,000/yr to go
Top 10%	$167,000	$92,000/yr to go

That $25,000 gap to the top quarter is the practical number: the typical job switch raises pay 10–20% — $7,500–$15,000 at this income — so the top 25% is one strong switch plus one good negotiation away, not a fantasy. The how to negotiate salary guide covers turning that gap into an ask.

How to move up a percentile band

Switch jobs strategically. The median job-switch raise (10–20%) is 3–5× the typical annual raise (3–5%). Below your bracket’s median, switching is statistically the fastest path to the next band.
Negotiate with the percentile as your anchor. “Market rate” is vague; “the 75th percentile for my role and experience is $X” is a number a manager can take to a comp committee.
Check your raise against inflation. A 3% raise in a 4% inflation year is a real-terms pay cut that silently costs rank — see what to do when your salary is not keeping up with inflation.
Count total compensation, not just salary. The survey counts all income sources. A W-2 offer with a 6% 401(k) match and $8,000 of health premiums paid can beat a higher-headline 1099 rate — W-2 vs 1099: which actually pays more runs that math.

Key takeaways

Median individual income peaks at $67,144 (ages 43–47); the all-ages median is $53,010 and the average is $77,652.
Top-10% thresholds range from $94,000 (ages 23–27) to about $190,000 (ages 43–52); across all ages, the top 10% starts at $155,042.
This is individual income — never benchmark your solo salary against household figures.
The 20s-to-early-30s window is when income moves compound hardest; after the mid-40s peak, savings rate matters more than further income rank.
Percentile gaps convert directly into negotiation anchors: the gap to the top 25% of your bracket is your target raise.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good salary at 30?

The median for ages 28–32 is $52,002, so anything above that beats half of individual earners your age. The top 25% starts at $84,017 and the top 10% at $130,030. A $70,000 salary at 30 lands around the 65th percentile — comfortably above typical.

What income is in the top 10% for my age?

Roughly $94,000 at ages 23–27, $130,000 at 28–32, $167,000 at 33–37, $178,000 at 38–42, and about $190,000 through the 40s. Across all US earners, the top 10% starts at $155,042 and the top 1% at $450,100. The Income Percentile Calculator gives your exact rank.

Is this individual or household income?

Individual — one person’s pre-tax income from all sources (wages, self-employment, bonuses, investment income). Household income combines every earner under one roof, which is why household medians run substantially higher. Comparing your solo salary against a household benchmark makes you look artificially behind.

Why does median income fall after 50?

Individual earnings peak in the mid-to-late 40s. After that, bracket medians decline as more people shift to part-time work or phase into early retirement — the composition of the bracket changes, not necessarily any individual’s paycheck. The 63+ bracket rises again because it reflects those still working plus investment and retirement income.

Is $100,000 a good income?

Against all US individual earners, $100,000 is roughly the 77th percentile — the top 23%. Against your own age group it varies: about the 80th percentile at ages 28–32, closer to the 68th at the 43–47 earnings peak. Location matters as much as age — the same salary buys very different lives in Memphis and San Francisco.