This income percentile by age calculator shows how your salary compares with others in your age group. Enter your age and pre-tax income to estimate your percentile and benchmark your progress against peers.
Last updated: April 17, 2026.
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For an all-ages view, use the income percentile calculator. If you want to see how your wealth compares to others in the U.S., check out our net worth percentile calculator or net worth percentile by age calculator.
Income percentile by age
Your age plays a large part in the income percentile that you fall into. Earning potential tends to increase with age as workers gain experience, skills, and seniority. Income generally peaks between ages 45 and 55 before declining as workers transition toward retirement. These tables below show the average income, median income and income to reach the top 1% based on age.
Understanding where you fall relative to your age group is more meaningful than comparing against all income earners. A 25-year-old earning $50,000 is above the median for their age group but right at the overall national median. Context matters when evaluating your financial standing.
Quick income benchmarks by age (P50, P90, P99)
Use this summary table first if you want a fast percentile check by age group. P50 is the median, P90 is the income needed to be in the top 10%, and P99 is the income needed to be in the top 1%.
| Age | Median (P50) | Top 10% (P90) | Top 1% (P99) | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $40,000 | $90,620 | $201,005 | $49,814.72 |
| 35 | $60,000 | $155,000 | $550,001 | $84,002.58 |
| 45 | $60,000 | $165,250 | $517,050 | $85,450.35 |
| 55 | $60,000 | $175,504 | $483,429 | $84,737.64 |
| 65 | $57,668 | $187,000 | $571,700 | $90,170.79 |
Average income by age
The overall average individual income in the U.S. is $73,472. This average varies based on the age of the income earner. The table below shows how the average individual income in the U.S. changes based on age.
| Age | Average |
|---|---|
| 25 | $49,814.72 |
| 35 | $84,002.58 |
| 45 | $85,450.35 |
| 55 | $84,737.64 |
| 65 | $90,170.79 |
Median income by age
The overall median income in the U.S. is $50,200 which varies substantially based on the age category that you fall into. The below table shows a breakdown of the median income by age group.
| Age | Median |
|---|---|
| 25 | $40,000 |
| 35 | $60,000 |
| 45 | $60,000 |
| 55 | $60,000 |
| 65 | $57,668 |
Top 1% income by age
If you want to be in the top 1% of income earners in the U.S. it will take an individual income of $430,000. This threshold to join the elite 1% changes based on your age as shown in the table below.
| Age | Top 1% |
|---|---|
| 25 | $201,005 |
| 35 | $550,001 |
| 45 | $517,050 |
| 55 | $483,429 |
| 65 | $571,700 |
Top 10% income by age
If you make $150,000 or more that places you in the top 10% of individual income earners in the U.S. this figure is based on the overall income needed to be in the top 10%. This below chart breaks down the top 10% threshold based on age category to join the 90th percentile of income earners.
| Age | Top 10% |
|---|---|
| 25 | $90,620 |
| 35 | $155,000 |
| 45 | $165,250 |
| 55 | $175,504 |
| 65 | $187,000 |
How income percentile by age works
Income percentile rankings show what percentage of people earn less than you within your age group. If you are in the 80th percentile, it means you earn more than 80% of people your age. This calculator uses 2024 data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS) which surveys approximately 60,000 households annually.
Income percentile data is based on gross (pre-tax) individual income and includes wages, salaries, self-employment income, and investment returns. The data is grouped into age brackets to provide age-appropriate comparisons, since someone at 25 is at a very different career stage than someone at 55.
Want to see these comparisons beyond just income? Check out our net worth percentile by age calculator for a full picture of how your wealth compares, or see the overall income percentile calculator for all-age rankings.
2024 income percentile source: Sarah Flood, Miriam King, Renae Rodgers, Steven Ruggles, J. Robert Warren, Daniel Backman, Annie Chen, Grace Cooper, Stephanie Richards, Megan Schouweiler, and Michael Westberry. IPUMS CPS: Version 11.0 [dataset]. Minneapolis, MN: IPUMS, 2023. https://doi.org/10.18128/D030.V11.0
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau. “Income and Poverty in the United States.” census.gov/topics/income-poverty
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