The latest official figures
| Measure | Figure | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median weekly earnings, full-time wage and salary workers | $1,232 a week (≈ $64,064 a year) | Third quarter 2026 | BLS |
| Median household income | $87,460 | 2025 | Census Bureau |
| National average wage index | $72,800.33 | 2025 | Social Security Administration |
| Average (mean) wage, all occupations | $69,770 | May 2025 | BLS OEWS |
Median weekly earnings (BLS)
The BLS reported on October 21, 2026 that median weekly earnings of the nation's 122.2 million full-time wage and salary workers were $1,232 in the third quarter of 2026 (not seasonally adjusted). That's 1.5% more than a year earlier, while consumer prices (CPI-U) rose 3.5%, so typical pay lost ground to inflation. The seasonally adjusted figure was $1,239.
The same release breaks it down: men's median was $1,352 a week and women's $1,127. Workers with a bachelor's degree had a median of $1,752, and high school graduates with no college $993.
Multiplied by 52 weeks, $1,232 is $64,064 a year. Over a 40-hour week, it's about $30.80 an hour; see $30 an hour and $31 an hour for those yearly totals. The figures cover full-time wage and salary workers only, so part-time workers aren't included.
Median household income (Census)
The Census Bureau's report Income in the United States: 2025 (P60-289, September 15, 2026) found that "median household income was $87,460, an increase of 2.6 percent from the 2024 estimate of $85,210." The Bureau's estimates are adjusted for inflation, and it called the 2025 figure the highest on record since 1967. After taxes and credits, median household income was $76,060.
Household income adds up everyone in a household, so a two-earner home can have a high household income with two modest salaries. It's not a salary figure, and it's not the same as what a typical worker earns.
National average wage index (SSA)
The Social Security Administration's national average wage index for 2025 is $72,800.33, which is 4.23% higher than the $69,846.57 for 2024. It's built from wages subject to federal income tax and contributions to deferred compensation plans, and SSA uses it to index past earnings when it figures benefits and to update amounts such as the Social Security taxable maximum.
Mean vs median: why "average" depends on who's asking
The mean is the total divided by the number of people. The median is the middle: half earn more and half earn less. Pay is lopsided. A small number of very high earners pull the mean up, but they barely move the median.
A simple example: five people earn $40,000, $50,000, $60,000, $70,000 and $500,000. The median is $60,000. The mean is $720,000 ÷ 5 = $144,000, higher than what four of the five earn. That's why the BLS average (mean) wage of $69,770 and SSA's average wage of $72,800.33 are above what a typical full-time worker's median pay works out to over a year. When you ask "what's a normal salary," the median is usually the better answer. Try it yourself with the average calculator.
How to compare your own pay
- Compare gross to gross. All the figures above are before taxes. See gross vs net income.
- Compare like with like. Your salary should be compared with individual earnings, not household income.
- Convert to the same unit. Turn an hourly rate into a yearly figure with the hourly to salary table, or a salary into weekly pay with the salary to hourly table. For example, $65,000 a year is $1,250.00 a week, just above the BLS median.
- Think about location and job. Pay differs a lot by state, city, occupation and experience, and these national figures don't show that.
Sources
- BLS: Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers, third quarter 2026
- BLS: Table 1, median weekly earnings by quarter (seasonally adjusted)
- Census Bureau: Income in the United States: 2025 (P60-289)
- Census Bureau: Median household income in 2025
- SSA: National average wage index
- BLS: Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2025
Figures last reviewed October 2026.