About this data

Source: Bank of England, A millennium of macroeconomic data for the UK (version 3.1); ONS, Average weekly earnings

• Up to 2016, the Bank of England's index of real consumption wages: average earnings divided by consumer prices. Early figures are mostly for craftsmen and labourers in southern England, from records of wages and prices.
• After 2016, the index grows with ONS's average weekly earnings adjusted for inflation (CPI). The whole series is scaled so that 2025 equals average weekly earnings in 2025 (£728).
• This is an average (mean), which is pulled up by high earners, so it is higher than median pay.

This chart appears in Economic growth and productivity.