It makes the world go round, rules everything around us, and as per the assertions of modern American poet Christopher Wallace, creates mo’ problems.
Naturally, people are generally curious about money in two key regards, especially given the ongoing cost of living / rising inflation crisis:
- How do I get my hands on more of it?
- How does my take-home compare to the average annual salary in Australia (slash what are the key indicators that I’m earning enough)?
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Average Salary in Australia (2023)
*Note: All $$$ = Before Tax
According to data sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, as of November 2022, full-time workers need to rake in an annual salary exceeding $94,000 to be considered an above-average income earner (average full-time weekly pay: $1,807.70).
This is, of course, a one-size-fits-all figure. The adjusted numbers will obviously vary depending on factors such as gender, sector, education level, qualifications, job title, industries, and geography. Plus none of these average figures account for performance bonuses, side hustles, and whatnot.
The average weekly earnings for all employees in Australia, on the other hand, sits at $1,344. This effectively translates to a significantly lower average annual salary of $69,888 when we include part-time, casual, and other workers outside of the full-time sphere in the mix.
And just in case you were curious: as determined by the Fair Work Commission, as of July 2022, the minimum wage in Australia is $812.60 per week for full-time employees (38 hours per week). Or a minimum of $21.38 per hour.
Is it time to start working weekends or is it time to schedule a meeting with the boss?
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Average Australian Salary By Gender & Sector
Male
Public Sector | Private Sector | |
Average Weekly Earnings | $2,091.20 | $1,874.40 |
Average Salary | $108,742.40 | $97,468.80 |
Female
Public Sector | Private Sector | |
Average Weekly Earnings | $1,857.50 | $1,573.00 |
Average Salary | $96,590 | $81,796 |
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Average Australian Salary By State & Territories
New South Wales
Male | Female | Overall | |
Average Weekly Earnings | $1,894.30 | $1,686.10 | $1,810.20 |
Average Salary | $98,503.60 | $87,677.20 | $94,130.40 |
Victoria
Male | Female | Overall | |
Average Weekly Earnings | $1,896.30 | $1,640.10 | $1,793.90 |
Average Salary | $98,607.60 | $85,285.20 | $93,282.80 |
Queensland
Male | Female | Overall | |
Average Weekly Earnings | $1,865.30 | $1,590.00 | $1,760.70 |
Average Salary | $96,995.60 | $82,680.00 | $91,556.40 |
South Australia
Male | Female | Overall | |
Average Weekly Earnings | $1,704.30 | $1,568.50 | $1,658.00 |
Average Salary | $88,623.60 | $81,562.00 | $86,216.00 |
Western Australia
Male | Female | Overall | |
Average Weekly Earnings | $2,162.80 | $1,684.70 | $1,988.50 |
Average Salary | $112,465.60 | $87,604.40 | $103,402.00 |
Tasmania
Male | Female | Overall | |
Average Weekly Earnings | $1,621.90 | $1,525.10 | $1,586.40 |
Average Salary | $84,338.80 | $79,305.20 | $82,492.80 |
Northern Territory
Male | Female | Overall | |
Average Weekly Earnings | $1,868.20 | $1,525.10 | $1,603.20 |
Average Salary | $97,146.40 | $83,366.40 | $90,693.20 |
Australian Capital Territory
Male | Female | Overall | |
Average Weekly Earnings | $2,116.20 | $1,914.60 | $2,019.10 |
Average Salary | $110,042.40 | $99,559.20 | $104,993.20 |
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The 5 Highest Average Salaries By Profession
Mining Industry
Male | Female | Overall | |
Average Weekly Earnings | $2,896.10 | $2,429.70 | $2,811.70 |
Average Salary | $150,597.20 | $126,344.40 | $146,208.40 |
Information Media and Telecommunications
Male | Female | Overall | |
Average Weekly Earnings | $2,401.90 | $1,996.60 | $2,270.70 |
Average Salary | $124,898.80 | $103,823.20 | $118,076.40 |
Financial and Insurance Services
Male | Female | Overall | |
Average Weekly Earnings | $2,412.30 | $1,952.20 | $2,201.50 |
Average Salary | $125,439.60 | $101,514.40 | $114,478.00 |
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
Male | Female | Overall | |
Average Weekly Earnings | $2,344.70 | $1,846.50 | $2,140.40 |
Average Salary | $121,924.40 | $96,018.00 | $111,300.80 |
Electricity, Gas, Water, and Waste Services
Male | Female | Overall | |
Average Weekly Earnings | $2,137.30 | $1,953.20 | $2,098.20 |
Average Salary | $111,139.60 | $101,566.40 | $109,106.40 |
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Median Salary in Australia (2023)
While “average salary Australia” is the search term that brought you here, a more realistic read of what you should be earning lies in the country’s median salary.
Considering an average is calculated by adding every recorded value of a dataset before being divided by the total number of values, the 1%-ers (i.e. multi-billionaires such as Twiggy Forrest, the Atlassian fellas) will inevitably skew the results.
A median, on the other hand, organises a dataset in ascending order before revealing the middle value.
So what does this look like in the context of personal income in Australia?
Now keep in mind these media figures are slightly out of date with the next official report due to be published on December 6th, 2023 — watch this space for the update.
In the meantime, you can check out the full run of the numbers in the link below.