What are the average US salaries by age?, What are the best paying industries?, What are the worst paying industries?, Which states have the highest average wages?, Which states have the lowest average wages?

It can be tricky to know how your wage really stacks up. Workplaces are notorious for keeping personal earnings hush hush, meaning you never really know if the person you sit next to five days a week is taking home a bigger chunk of cash than you for doing exactly the same job. And even among friends, it's often a taboo subject which is simply left unturned. But thankfully, there is a way to find out how you measure up… (Picture: Getty Images)

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) keeps track of national wage statistics, allowing you to compare your salary to that of your peers. It breaks down average annual salaries into seven age brackets (Picture: Getty Images)

However, looking at the true average salary can be hugely skewed by those top 1% in life. You know, the CEOs taking home multi-million pound pay checks each year. These inflate the average number hugely and make us other 99% feel very inadequate. So, instead, the numbers compiled by Capital One look at the median salary for each age, which finds the middle number of any data set, regardless of values, to give a more realistic view on things (Picture: AP)

What are the average US salaries by age?

So, what are the all-important numbers? Here is the median annual salary for each age group, looking at full-time wage and salary workers:

• 16-19: $31,356
• 20-24: $37,024
• 25-34: $54,184
• 35-44: $63,908
• 45-54: $64,116
• 55-64: $61,672
• 65 and older: $57,252

(Picture: Getty Images)

However, these numbers may not tell the full story for you. We all know the gender pay gap is very real in the US, with analysis by Forbes finding that women earn 16% less than men on average. For every dollar a man makes, a woman will earn just 84 cents. What does this look like in reality? While the median American man earns $61,620 each year, for women the number is $52,052 (Picture: Getty Images)

As well as a gender pay gap, Capital One broke down the numbers for the pay gap found between different ethnicities and races in the US. Here are the results, again looking at the median wage of full-time or salary workers aged 16 and over:

• Hispanic or Latino: $44,252
• Black: $47,476
• White: $58,552
• Asian: $75,348

(Picture: Getty Images)

What are the best paying industries?

If this list is making you reevaluate your career choices, which industries should you be looking to get into to boost that bank balance? The legal profession came out on top with an average salary of $124,540. Computer and mathematical jobs came second with an average salary of $108,130, and health care practitioners and technical roles came third in the charts, earning an average of $96,770 (Picture: Getty Images)

What are the worst paying industries?

Jobs in food preparation and service were among the lowest earning, with an average salary of $32,130, and health care support workers also didn't fare much better, with an average wage of $35,560 (Picture: Getty Images)

Which states have the highest average wages?

Where you live can also impact your earnings. 12 states stood out when looking at average salaries, as they all came out with an average weekly wage of more than $1,434. They were:

• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• District of Columbia
• Illinois
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• New Jersey
• New York
• Texas
• Virginia
• Washington

(Picture: Getty Images)

Which states have the lowest average wages?

On the other end of the scale, the average weekly wage of four states came in at $1,049 and below. They were:

•Idaho
• Mississippi
• New Mexico
• South Carolina

(Picture: Getty Images) This article was originally published in April 2024