Does anyone here have an ‘average’ job with an average wage?

[gummybearrr]

A weird thread I know but, whenever I see posts on here about income, jobs, wages, I’m just in awe, people earning 100k+ (I don’t think I know anyone who earns that??) and there seems to be so many, all with really good jobs too, no debt, owns their own house, I mean - good for your you’ve worked hard for this, that’s my dream but unfortunately not yet..

so, is anyone here like me? Never really had ambition to do anything when I was younger. I work in retail on checkout (or I did, I’m on maternity) earning min wage, Dh is a manager in retail and earns just a little above NMW but not by much, we have UC top up and private rent, we’ve nearly paid ALL our debt (yay)!!! But sadly don’t think home owning is something we will ever do, I do plan on going to college when DC is older to try and get a good job, (I don’t know what, I’m one of those people who want to do something good but with no clue as to what) but yeah, I class myself as extremely average, to which I’ve never really come across anyone really on Mumsnet!

this is not me slating these people - I wish I was you 🤣

I earn 38k (before tax) and have about £5 to £6 additional income per year ( after tax) from another source., so about £2800 a month after tax. Have 2 kids and a non-earning husband and we are poor compared to everyone else I know where we live ( affluent here). Its a struggle. We used to be much better off so its hard to live like this now.

As a PP said, NMW isn't 'average' - it's well below. And £50k a year is well above.

Someone who ears in the mid to late £30ks would be 'average'.

I work in a boring admin role, the people are nice but the work is dull, I am 50 and earn between £31K-£34K per annum, I know only two people who earn £100K + one is my boss and the other is my cousin who is a lawyer. We get by but I wish I had a healthy pension pot, I don't and I know I will be working full time until I drop which is a depressing thought but there you go, it's just how it is. Also whilst earning more money would be nice I wouldn't want the stress that goes with it as often I feel those positions come with a lot of responsibility, I am glad I can leave the office at 4pm and switch off until the next day.

This poster also makes a good point.

Talking about 'average' wage lifestyles isn't terribly meaningful if you're in a multi-person household and you're the only person earning.

Location is obviously also an important factor since someone on £38k in Bolton will likely see a lot more bang for their buck than trying to live on £38k in London.

I would add also that the majority of my friends live in an 3 bed semi which they own - but as we are in our 50s/early 60s we got into the housing market at a better time. And although we were at a time before student loans, mostly we went straight into working at 17 or 18.

I earn 25k doing 34hrs a week as a data admin, it’s quite technical system based admin work and the pay is pretty standard for our industry in the charity sector. I’m doing a secondment for 6 months which will mean £300 a month more and that feels like a huge amount more, in reality over the 6 months it’s £1800 which in real terms isn’t much is it for a lot of extra responsibilities and upheaval. My dh has a good steady income in financial services, whereas I have committed career suicide several times by having extended maternity leave and time off with children, then career changes etc. I’ve started at the bottom of lots of ladders. I’ve never been particularly driven in terms of career.
everyone we know seems to have a lot more money than we do, fancy holidays, clothes, immaculate homes and extensions and 50k kitchens 🤷‍♀️

I have an M.A, a B.A and a diploma in a specific mental health category, I do a professional role.
I earn 26k. It's disheartening and makes me feel like an utter failure.l am the most educated in our family and I live in a small terrace whereas my sibling who left school at 16 lives in a (practically) mansion and has no money worries whatsoever. Boomer parents are very wealthy and siblings adult children both earn more than I do, one has one degree but picked the 'right' degree one left school at 17.

I feel you, I often feel depressed seeing what people earn on here!
I was in legal admin at 27k but now sahm and DH is on around 45k. Distinctly average!

Exactly. My 'average' household income of around 70k pa gets us quite a nice life but we: have 1 kid who no longer needs paid child care, live in a very cheap part of the country, pay £400 a month mortgage.

I can see how a family of 5 in the SE with 2 kids in nursery and a huge mortgage could find it tight even on double our household income.

How do you survive on this?!

Surely average must be above minimum wage- otherwise that wouldn't be average thats the least you would earn? Or are we assuming mode rather than median averages?

I am a nurse- average job I'd say! Earn about £42k a year 30 hours a week, whole time would be £52k. We would really struggle on just my salary I don't know how people manage on much less and we aren't excessive! DH is on £80k odd which doesnt feel a huge amount after tax etc.

I earn 28k working for a homeless charity. Dh on 30k but works part time so earns 23k. Live in the south east but still manage a holiday or two each year. We are below average. I like my job though

I work in the civil service and earn about £32k.

Had another career before this with a higher salary and much greater earning potential but there’s more to life than meaningless deadlines and WIP.

Part time admin, 17k a year, single parent to three children in rented accommodation. UC claimant. However when my youngest starts secondary school next year I fully intend to return to work full time.

Me. I make £36k with around £6k per year in bonuses.

It is in London. Even on the low side.

London and just below high rate tax threshold here

I do freelance work. Maybe £15k a year around my health issues and home educating.

My husband works full time. £28k a year.

£50K isn't average but then neither is minimum wage. I dislike this idea that anyone earning above MW or NLW is somehow out of touch.

The median salary in London is 47k so 50k isn't on the low side.

This is what I mean about median feeling poor because it is much lower than the mean. The mean is harder to calculate though, as the very rich will have complicated sources of income.

I once read a thread on here where a woman described her partner has having a good salary. He earned 45k from memory and all the posts after just belittled it as not good at all and were actually quite patronising. I work in an emergency services and know loads of people who live a good life on that type of money. I do live in the north though so maybe that makes a difference

I work 37 hours per week in a hybrid admin role and I earn £29.5K. My mortgage will soon be paid off (due to inheritance), I own my car, and I don't have any debt.

I’m a adult social worker and earn £45k my DW earns slightly more. We’ve both only just reached these wages in last few years though. We’ve own a house but shared ownership. We wracked up a lot of debt in our 20s but we’ve gone from £45k worth of debt (including a finance car) to £13k. Feel quite well off now but we’re both from working class families. Don’t have children yet so maybe will feel a lot less well off when we finally have a baby

Looking at the answers here and the people on 100k I suppose I am pretty average. No debt but don’t own (our bills are cheap so not sure whether I would want to change that although security would be great). Full time nurse.
Better off than many but worse off than many others. I love my job which makes a huge difference.

Compared to my childhood I feel like a millionaire.

Live in SE currently on MAT leave atm but will be going back part time 4 days per week and will hopefully earn over £30k which is pretty good. Partner earns over £45k. Live in a 3 bed terrace. Luckily had 2 holidays in UK so far this year. Very average but happy.

Do those of you on these salaries having holidays also save an amount per month? I would find it very hard to do both.

Statistics don't lie, but people do. As PP have said, median UK household disposable income is about £36,700 as of 2024 - that means half of households have more income than this, and half have less.

The way tax assessment works in the UK along with the cash-in-hand culture makes it, by European standards, really easy to under-report income for people not on PAYE, so I don't doubt that there will be many households better off than the figures suggest.

On the other hand, the distribution curve of household income is nowhere near a traditional bell shape. The ONS doesn't calculate or publish a modal average which would be the figure more households are on than any other; my guess is that it would be a good bit lower than the median. The mean is significantly higher than the median, because it is distorted by small numbers of extremely high incomes. Whichever way you look at it, when the cost of living is taken into account the UK is no longer a rich country.

But more than that, I suspect many of the people here spending all day typing massive essays on MN are either in £100k+ jobs where they don't actually have to do anything all day long (unlikely), or they're fantasists.