Press Release: Wage decile of the main job. Economically Active Population Survey (EAPS). Year 2023.

Main Results

The average monthly wage (in gross terms) was 2,273.0 euros in 2023, an increase of 7.3% over 2022.
A total of 40% of employees earned between 1,534.7 and less than 2,548.2 euros. 30% earned 2,548.2 euros or more and the remaining 30% received less than 1,534.7 euros.
The Autonomous Communities with the highest concentration of high salaries were País Vasco (43.9% of employees with earnings of 2,548.2 euros or more per month), Comunidad Foral de Navarra (39.5%) and Comunidad de Madrid (37.3%).

More Information

Detailed results for wage deciles and average wages

The average wage was 2,273.0 euros gross per month in 2023, an increase of 154.2 euros (7.3%) over 2022.

On the other hand, the median wage - a value that, ordering all individuals from the lowest to the highest wage, leaves one half below and the other half above the median wage - stood at 1,935.5 euros, an increase of 132.7 euros (7.4%).

Evolution of the gross monthly wage of the main job. Years 2018-2023. Euros

Salary distribution by sex

Men had a higher relative concentration in high wages than women. Thus, a total of 34.0% received 2,548.2 euros or more in 2023, as compared with 25.7% of women.

The opposite is true for low wages. A total of 39.7% of women had a salary lower than 1,534.7 euros, compared with 21.0% of men.

The average wage for women was 2,063.2 euros per month, while that for men reached 2,467.9 euros.

Gross average wages by sex. Euros

Salary distribution by age

Older employees have a higher relative weight in higher wages because they have a higher proportion of permanent contracts, more seniority and more work experience. On the other hand, young employees are concentrated in the lower wage brackets due to their higher share of part-time work, temporary contracts and lower seniority.

In 2023, the average gross wage ranged from an average of 1,387.4 euros for those aged under 25 to 2,522.2 euros for those aged 45 to 54.

Average gross wages by age group. Euros

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Wage distribution by educational level

In general, the higher the level of education, the higher the salary. In 2023, 43.4% of employees with a low level of education (at most compulsory education) had a salary of less than 1,534.7 euros, compared to 37.0% of those with upper secondary education and 18.6% of those with higher education.

In contrast, 48.1% of employees with a high level of education earned 2 548.2 euros or more per month, compared to 18.1% of those with a medium level of education and 9.1% of those with a low level of education.

The average wage received by employees who had at most first stage secondary education was 1,513.2 euros, while that of those with higher education was 2,802.4 euros.

Average gross monthly wages by level of education attained. Euros

(1) Includes education for training and labour market integration

Wage distribution by type of working day and type of contract

In 2023, 34.9% of full-time employees earned at least 2,548.2 euros per month, while 20.0% earned less than 1,534.7 euros. On the contrary, 88.9% of part-time employees earned less than 1,534.7 euros. And 1.0% received 2,548.2 euros or more.

Distribution of employees by type of working day and monthly wage bracket. Year 2023

Percentage

By type of contract, employees with permanent contracts received an average monthly wage of 2,363.2 euros in 2023. Those on temporary contracts received 1,832.3 euros.

Wage distribution by branch of activity

In 2023, the lowest wages (below 1,534.7 euros) were concentrated in Activities of households as employers of domestic personnel (78.4%) and in the sector of Agriculture, livestock, forestry and fishing (61.8%).

On the other hand, the branches of activity with the highest relative weight of wages of 2 548.2 euros or more were Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (66.6%), Financial and insurance activities (66.4%) and Education (60.1%).

The lowest average wages in 2023 corresponded to Activities of households as employers of domestic personnel (1,014.5 euros), Accommodation and food service activities (1,455.9 euros) and Agriculture, livestock, forestry and fishing (1,561.6 euros).

And the highest were in Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (4,067.2 euros), Financial and insurance activities (3,542.9 euros) and Public administration and defence, compulsory social security (2,948.9 euros).

Salary distribution by occupation

In 2023, the Directors and managers and Scientific and intellectual technicians and professionals groups were more represented in high wages (2,548.2 euros or more), while employees in Basic occupations presented a greater concentration in low wages (less than 1,534.7 euros).

The highest average wages were recorded in the group of Directors and managers (4,657.1 euros) and in the group of Scientific and intellectual technicians and professionals (3,283.2 euros). And the lowest were in Basic occupations (1,358.8 euro) and Catering, personal, protection and sales employees (1,656.7 euro).

Wage distribution by size of the workplace

In 2023, the lowest wages were concentrated in establishments with up to nine employees (51.1% of these employees earned less than 1,534.7 euros). In contrast, 51.8% of employees in establishments with 250 or more employees had a monthly wage of 2,548.2 euros or more.

Wage distribution by Autonomous Communities

The production structure of each Autonomous Community has a great influence on its wage level. The regions with a higher concentration of high wages were País Vasco (43.9% of employees earned 2,548.2 euros per month or more), Comunidad Foral de Navarra (39.5%) and Comunidad de Madrid (37.3%).

On the other hand, the communities with the highest percentage of low earners (less than 1 534.7 euro) were Extremadura (42.9%), Región de Murcia (37.2%) and Canarias (36.6%).

The Autonomous Communities with the highest average salaries were País Vasco (2,624.3 euros), Comunidad de Madrid (2,575.5) and Comunidad Foral de Navarra (2,515.7).

On the other hand, the lowest average wages were observed in Extremadura (1,915.9 euros), Canarias (1,987.9) and Castilla-La Mancha (2,025.2).

Average gross monthly wages per Autonomous Community. Year 2023

Euros

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Wage definition and decile calculation

The concept of wage used is (according to Commission Regulation (EC) No. 377/2008) the 'monthly wage associated with the main job'; with the main job being the one performed by the person during the reference week of the interview. In cases where there are several jobs, the main job is the one that provides the most significant income. This monthly wage is calculated by dividing the total amount received during the year by 12 (payments that are not paid monthly, such as special payments, are prorated).

In particular, if it is a casual job lasting less than one month, the wage will be an estimate of the wage that would be obtained for a full month's duration for similar work. On the other hand, if it is a part-time job, it is not converted into the full-time equivalent. The latter issue has to be taken into account when comparing the wage distributions of full-time and part-time workers.

Each decile is defined by the average wage of the group and by the lower and upper wages that delimit it. The wage-earning population in 2023 was 18,000,200. In each decile there are thus about 1.80 million wage earners.

In order to facilitate the analysis of the wage distribution, three groups have been identified to which most of the information relates.

The largest group, comprising 40% of employees in the middle deciles (around 7,200,100 people), had a gross monthly wage of between 1,534.7 and 2,548.2 euros.
A second group is made up of the 30% of employees who are in the top pay bracket (bottom three deciles). This consisted of approximately 5,400,100 employees with a gross monthly salary of 2,548.2 euros or more.
Finally, the remaining 30% of employees are in the lower wage bracket (the first three deciles). This consisted of approximately 5,400,100 individuals who earned less than 1,534.7 euros.

When analysing the wages associated with the modalities of a given characteristic (such as men and women), it should be borne in mind that these wages may also be determined by other underlying variables, such as seniority, type of working day, level of education, etc., which are not equally distributed in each group.

Data Revisions and Updates

The 2021 and 2022 data have been updated with the new 2021 base. And both these and the 2023 data are final. All results of this operation are available on INEbase.

Methodological note

Type of operation:: Annual structural survey.
Population scope:: Population of those 16 and over residing in family dwellings in Spain, who have been employed as wage earners.
Geographical scope:: The entire national territory.
Reference period for the results:: 2023. The information is collected throughout the reference year, based on the EAPS sub-sample in the sixth interview in each quarter.
Information reference period:: 2023 for data from the Economically Active Population Survey (EAPS), data on Social Security affiliation and data on personal income tax declarations.
Sample size:: About 10,000 families participate per quarter in the EAPS sub-sample, around 40,000 per year. The sample of wage earners is approximately 30,000 persons.
Type of sampling:: Two-stage sampling with stratification in the first stage units. The first stage units are the census tracts and the second stage units are the inhabited family dwellings.
Collection method:: Combination of information collected in the EAPS with estimated earnings data from administrative sources (General Treasury of Social Security, State Tax Administration Agency, Tax Office of Navarra through the Statistical Institute of Navarra, Provincial Council of Bizkaia, Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa and Provincial Council of Alava).

For more information, you can access the methodology and the standardised methodological report.

INE statistics are produced in accordance with the Code of Good Practice for European Statistics. More information on Quality at INE and the Code of Best Practices.