Highest average income
Many people reach their highest average income around now.
Stormy Weather row · ages 42 to 51
Many people reach their highest average income around now.
Many households are close to owning their home outright.
Help with a deposit or rent for children competes with retirement saving.
Projections of super balance and retirement income become useful.
Portfolio risk is reviewed as retirement approaches.
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Figures from published research for the age groups that cover 50–51. Sources often publish wider age groups, so the group shown is the one that includes these ages. They describe groups of people, not any one person. Checked 23 October 2026.
Income for July 2020 to June 2021. Census 2021 linked with tax and payment records. The ABS cautions that incomes for older age groups are likely under-recorded.
August 2025. Employees. Employee earnings, not household income.
30 June 2024. Per account, not per person, because many people hold more than one account. Median is the middle account; average is pulled up by large balances.
2019–20 financial year. By age of the household's reference person, as shown in the ABS graph. The ABS page does not say whether the values are averages or medians, so treat them as indicative.
2019–20. Share of all recent first home buyers in this age group (age of the household reference person). It is not the share of the age group who buy.
Census 2021. Share of people in the age group who lived alone.
2025. Median age of people who divorced in the year.
2022. Share of people in the age group who provide informal care. About 11.9% of all Australians living in households (3.0 million) were carers.
2022. Share of people in the age group with disability. Overall 21.4% of Australians (5.5 million) had disability in 2022.
2024–25. Share of retirees aged 45 and over who retired at this age.
2024–25. People aged 45 and over who have not yet retired and intend to.
Dollar figures are in the dollars of the year shown. Average and median are not the same: the median is the middle value. Not financial advice.
Illustrative gross incomes: lower about $50,000, middle about $100,000, higher about $200,000 a year. For ages under 18, read these as household incomes. For retirement ages, read them as lower, middle and higher income and savings. They are examples, not official brackets.
Super may need a catch-up. Keeping working years going and avoiding debt are strong levers.
A comfortable retirement may be within reach if contributions continue. Helping children needs to be weighed against it.
A strong asset base. Tax-effective strategies, and passing on wealth, are now a main focus.