"Average wage £29,000"

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I've had an ad on my Facebook for one of those "your baby born on this day" type posters with today's stats, which includes the average wage of £29,000. I'm aware this is the average wage according to stats, but there were loads of comments saying that was wrong, "that's more like household" etc. AIBU to ask does £29k seems that unlikely to be average in your opinion? Do bigger salaries drag it up making it look unrealistic to most?

I live in London. I know very that I'm extremely lucky to make £52k per year compared to most people. I'm a single mum to two kids (10 and 5). Living on £29k where I live would be really hard. Tbh in months where exh has been a twat about maintenance my salary doesn't leave much over.

I know I am really lucky to earn what I earn but with the cost of housing what it is you can see why people on the average struggle.

Well I'm a band 7 nurse and I earn basic of £40,000 plus generous enhancements for unsocial hours. In two years I'll be at the top of my banding which is £44k basic. And that's a nurse - albeit a very senior one.

Not average in my area of south London/Surrey borders... I’m a MIdwife and on a full time salary would be earning basic £40k plus high cost living at 20% and unsociable hours. My partner is in IT and currently on about £65k, and we are far from ‘high earners’ in our area.
£29k would get you nowhere around here unfortunately

@moonrises I'm glad. I suppose we just find more to spend money on then... probably needlessly. I do live in C London so maybe that's skewing my view and I'd be fine back home where it's less expensive. A pint cost me £6.50 the other day.

29k is national average salary but regionally it will show a different picture.

Oh I should mention I'm zone 5 not central London! And public sector.

Yep Hazza - nurses are well-paid these days, compared to lot of other people. Many, many people in offices with degrees earning less than half your wage.

BlackPrism your friend is a fool to pay £950 a month for a room in a shared house. I’ve lived in London 5 years and always lived in zone 2, never paid over £650 all in for a room in a shared house. I now have a 1-bed flat (not a studio) to myself in zone 3 for £950. I don’t understand why you’d choose the most expensive bit of London tbh.

In, for example, Birmingham, you can get a really nice spacious flat 5 mins from the city centre for £650-700. You could easily do that on a £29k salary and have a very nice life

We have a nice life on 13k. I would like a bit more though. It's inequality that pisses me off, not the fact that I can't go to Barbados every year.

Fowles94 the average (or mean, or median) salary after tax isn't what's under discussion though is it?

A lot of this thread is comparing apples with oranges, not only the average/ mean/ median /mode debate but gross versus net and some people throwing in disposable household income which is nothing to do with average salary for one person...

Obviously regional differences are gargantuan, except for people on a fairly regulated public sector salary who often get cost of living allowance which is better than nothing but doesn't actually compensate for vast difference in housing costs.

@anothernotherone I think it's interesting and much better to hear the way it varies across the UK.

Fowles94 yes regional differences are interesting but it's meaningless to compare average national salary before tax to average local salary after tax. At least be clear what you're comparing. Average full time salary shouldn't be 12k anywhere in the UK unless it's a location populated entirely by people under 18. Tax and NI is irrelevant because disposable income isn't what's being compared. Minimum full time wage for over 25s is 17k.

Just under what hubby makes pre tax. After taxman has stole his share and pensions it’s about 24k. I get carers allowance only as my son has substantial needs.

We have a nice life on 13k

I'm sorry if I missed this , it's difficult when it's not the op. But is this 13 k between two of you and do you have kids? Do you rely on benefits?

It's not average where I live in the South East.

This thread has gone off track a bit and it is difficult to tell exactly what people are on about, not helped by the OP saying average wage when it means median, well I think it does, though it may not, Did OP quote their source or was it just Facebook. I have long since lost the plot unfortunately

And 50% of people are of below average intelligence. Sometimes, it seems like more than that

Indeed

@mindproject I'm guessing your outgoing must be tiny, or your income is seriously topped up by benefits? Not judging you if that's the case at all, but we'd be screwed if we only brought home 13k (and we have relativity low outgoings too)

I'm a single parent. 13k is my income, our only income. I don't claim any benefits/tax credits or get maintenance. It's perfectly adequate because I paid my mortgage off years ago, have no debts, no childcare costs, don't run a car, keep my bills low (£50 a week max) and we eat vegetarian/vegan diet and try to live sustainably. I purposely keep our living expenses low so we can afford plenty of treats such as holidays, regular meals out, hobbies, day trips, buy nice things etc. I am very well-organised when it comes to finances. I understand most people have a mortgage/rent to pay and we don't but I still think 29k is a fantastic wage.

mindproject

We have a nice life on 13k. I would like a bit more though. It's inequality that pisses me off, not the fact that I can't go to Barbados every year.

“We” - Do you mean that two of you live comfortably on 13k?
How? Where do you live?

I think it is very insulting to suggest that all people on a low wage are below average intelligence. There are plenty of people who don't earn much for all kinds of reasons - poor health, poor mental health, disabilities, family problems, childcare problems, lack of connections, living in the wrong place, bad luck etc.

We live in the Midlands. There are 2 of us, myself and my child.

Bloody hell - I think our annual food bill is well over 13k.

Do you buy all your fruit and veg in M&S?

You spend OVER £1000 A MONTH on food???? TigerTooth even if you’re a millionaire that’s needlessly excessive, have you got a family of 50? And I say that as someone earning more than £29k!