Income · ATO 2023–24 · Updated July 2026
The median income in Australia is $58,733. Here's yours by age.
The median taxable income across all 16.6 million Australian taxpayers was $58,733 in 2023–24 (ATO). Half of taxpayers earn less than this. The median moves enormously with age and sex — from about $29,000 for women under 25 to $94,763 for men 45–54.
Compare your income to your age group → — Instant percentile from real ATO data
Median taxable income by age and sex
These are the actual middle values of each demographic's distribution — the person standing exactly halfway up their cohort's ladder:
| Age band | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Under 25 | $33,185 | $29,422 |
| 25–34 | $69,126 | $55,835 |
| 35–44 | $91,298 | $63,001 |
| 45–54 | $94,763 | $66,872 |
| 55–64 | $77,441 | $54,473 |
| 65+ | $35,982 | $32,248 |
How to read this table honestly
Incomes peak in the 45–54 band and fall away sharply after 65 — but the 65+ figures mostly reflect that super drawdowns after 60 are tax-free and invisible to taxable income, not that retirees live on $33,000.
The male–female median gap widens from about $3,800 under 25 to $28,000 in the 35–44 band — the years where part-time work and career interruptions concentrate. These are medians of everyone who lodged a return, full-time or not.
Common questions
Why is the median income lower than the 'average wage'?
Because they measure different populations and different things. The median taxpayer includes part-timers, casuals and semi-retirees. Full-time wage measures exclude all of them, and mean-based measures are pulled up by very high earners. $58,733 is the honest middle of everyone who filed a return.
What's the median household income?
Roughly $110,000–$125,000 for working-age households once you combine partners' incomes (ABS survey data by age puts couple-household medians between $108,000 and $134,000 in the 25–54 bands). Our ranking page compares household income separately from personal income.
Is this before or after tax?
Before — taxable income is the pre-tax base your tax is assessed on. The median earner takes home about $50,000 after tax and Medicare in FY 2026–27. Run any figure through the income tax calculator to see its take-home.