What do the bottom 10% / 25% earn at ages 18-21 in the UK?

Bottom 10% earn at most £14,617; bottom 25% at most £19,105.

2026 reference

the UK salary by age, ages 18-21

Based on ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025 — full-time gross annual pay, by age band (Table 6) + all-ages (Nomis NM_30_1)

ages 18-21 in the UK earn a median of about £23,596. The top 10% earn at least £32,939.

What is the median salary for ages 18-21 in the UK?: About £23,596 (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025 — full-time gross annual pay, by age band (Table 6) + all-ages (Nomis NM_30_1)).
What do the top 10% / 25% earn at ages 18-21 in the UK?: Top 10% earn at least £32,939; top 25% at least £27,571.
What do the bottom 10% / 25% earn at ages 18-21 in the UK?: Bottom 10% earn at most £14,617; bottom 25% at most £19,105.

In the UK, ages 18-21 have a median annual salary of about £23,596. The average is about £24,394. The top 10% earn at least £32,939, top 25% at least £27,571; the bottom 25% earn at most £19,105. Figures are gross (pre-tax) annual pay. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025 — full-time gross annual pay, by age band (Table 6) + all-ages (Nomis NM_30_1).

Distribution within this group

High earnerstop 10%
£32,939
Above the middletop 25%
£27,571
Middle of the packhalf earn more, half less
£23,596
Below the middlebottom 25%
£19,105
Low earnersbottom 10%
£14,617

Longer bar means higher earnings

Per month, per hour

Based on a typical (median) earner

Monthly£1,966annual ÷ 12
Hourly£11assuming 40 hrs/week, 52 weeks
Take-home monthly£1,708single filer · no dependents

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At a glance

This cohort's median is 40% below the all-ages median
Pay peaks at ages 40-49; this cohort is at 53% of that peak

About this page

This page covers the salary distribution for the UK, ages 18-21. The median is £23,596, based on ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025 — full-time gross annual pay, by age band (Table 6) + all-ages (Nomis NM_30_1).

How we calculated

Figures for the UK ages 18-21 are compiled from ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025 — full-time gross annual pay, by age band (Table 6) + all-ages (Nomis NM_30_1). On this page the median is £23,596 and the 10th–90th percentile range runs £14,617–£32,939; the upper and lower percentiles come from rank statistics on the same sample.

Figures are gross (pre-tax) annual pay.

Data Sources

ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025 — full-time gross annual pay, by age band (Table 6) + all-ages (Nomis NM_30_1): https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/annualsurveyofhoursandearnings/2025

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