What is the average wage in the US?
Updated monthly
About $1,275 per week in January 2026, 1.9% higher than a year before. The average weekly wage, the typical earnings that employees bring home for one week of work, is a valuable indicator to assess economic conditions, labor market health, and wage trends.
$1.27K
average weekly earnings, January 2026
1.9%
higher than a year before (adjusted for inflation)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases monthly statistics tracking the wages of all non-government employees. In January 2026, the average weekly wage was $1,275. That represents the average wages of 135.3 million workers in different industries (excluding the government) and parts of the country.
Wage levels are dependent on several factors, including labor demand and supply, inflation, and changes in workforce composition. Since the Great Recession, which ended in July 2009, the average weekly wage has generally increased, with a spike in 2020 at the start of the pandemic when a large number of low-wage workers lost their jobs. Higher-wage workers were less likely to be laid off in that period, causing the average weekly wage to jump.
In January 2026, the average weekly wage was $1,275.
Average weekly wage, adjusted for inflation
As with other averages, most people earn more or less than the average weekly wage. Pay varies based on industry and occupation.
In January 2026, workers in the Information sector had the highest average weekly earnings at $2,017 per week. Leisure and hospitality workers had the lowest at $596 per week.
In January 2026, the information sector had the highest average wage among various industries.
Average weekly wage by economic sector, January 2026
Wages also vary by state. In January 2026, the latest month for which state-level data is available, Washington had the highest average weekly wage at $1,502 per week and Mississippi had the lowest average weekly wage at $988.
In December 2025, Washington state, Massachusetts, and California had the highest average weekly wages.
Average weekly wage, December 2025
Cost of living, which also varies based on location, impacts how far a person’s wages go. Someone earning the weekly average would have more purchasing power — the amount their money can actually buy — in states with lower costs of living like Arkansas, Mississippi, and Iowa instead of those with the highest, such as California, Hawaii, and New Jersey.
Adjusting for regional cost of living differences, Washington has the highest average weekly wage at $1,403. New Mexico has the lowest at $1,097.
Accounting for cost of living differences, Washington state, North Dakota, and Massachusetts had the highest average weekly wages.
Average weekly wage, December 2025, adjusted with regional price parity (2024)
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
