Okinawa salary benchmark — annual income by age (official wage census)
The average annual salary for Okinawa in Japan is ¥3,923,000 (2023, MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure, 241,140 workers surveyed) — 22.7% below the national average of ¥5,078,000.
Median salary in Okinawa (estimate)
The estimated median annual salary in Okinawa is ¥3.48M, about 89% of the average of ¥3.92M (national estimated median: ¥4.47M). A few high earners pull the average up, so the person in the middle earns less than the average.
| Area | Average | Estimated median | Median / average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Okinawa | ¥3,923,000 | ¥3,480,000 | 89% |
| Japan (national) | ¥5,078,000 | ¥4,470,000 | 88% |
Method: wage distributions are not published by prefecture, so we scale the national distribution of scheduled monthly pay for each age band (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles) to the average annual salary of that age band in Okinawa, combine the bands weighted by the number of workers, and take the 50th percentile. Differences in inequality between prefectures are not reflected, so the actual median may differ.
Age-based earnings curve — Okinawa
| Age band | Total annual | Male annual | Female annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| ~19 | ¥2,148,000 | ¥2,156,000 | ¥2,129,000 |
| 20-24 | ¥2,829,000 | ¥2,942,000 | ¥2,730,000 |
| 25-29 | ¥3,366,000 | ¥3,549,000 | ¥3,180,000 |
| 30-34 | ¥3,649,000 | ¥3,957,000 | ¥3,254,000 |
| 35-39 | ¥3,832,000 | ¥4,337,000 | ¥3,164,000 |
| 40-44 | ¥4,302,000 | ¥4,915,000 | ¥3,509,000 |
| 45-49 | ¥4,355,000 | ¥5,000,000 | ¥3,550,000 |
| 50-54 | ¥4,489,000 | ¥5,215,000 | ¥3,610,000 |
| 55-59 | ¥4,642,000 | ¥5,317,000 | ¥3,742,000 |
| 60-64 | ¥3,913,000 | ¥4,440,000 | ¥3,018,000 |
| 65~ | ¥3,147,000 | ¥3,327,000 | ¥2,820,000 |
Understanding Workers in Okinawa salary data
Okinawa: average annual salary
Workers in Okinawa earn a weighted-average annual income of ¥3,923,000 (sample: 241,140 workers), −22.7% lower than the national average (about ¥1,155,000 less). By estimated average this ranks 44 of 47 prefectures. The estimated median is ¥3,480,000. Figures are estimates derived from a worker-count-weighted average of age-band data.
At what age does pay peak in Okinawa?
Income peaks in the 55-59 age band at ¥4,642,000 (about 1.6x the entry level). The steepest rise is in the 20-24 band.
Okinawa: male vs female average salary
At ages 30-34, women earn 82.2% of what men earn (75% across all ages). A lower figure means a wider gender gap.
Okinawa: how pay changes with age
The age curve is classified as “inverted-U”. Inverted-U is the standard Japanese pattern, peaking before retirement; rising means expertise compounds with experience. About 12.7% of the estimated annual income is bonus (annual special cash earnings).
Okinawa average salary by age and gender
Estimated annual income for Okinawa by age band (total / male / female):
| Age | Total | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25-29 | ¥3,366,000 | ¥3,549,000 | ¥3,180,000 |
| 30-34 | ¥3,649,000 | ¥3,957,000 | ¥3,254,000 |
| 35-39 | ¥3,832,000 | ¥4,337,000 | ¥3,164,000 |
| 40-44 | ¥4,302,000 | ¥4,915,000 | ¥3,509,000 |
| 45-49 | ¥4,355,000 | ¥5,000,000 | ¥3,550,000 |
| 50-54 | ¥4,489,000 | ¥5,215,000 | ¥3,610,000 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the average salary for Okinawa?
- About ¥3,923,000, estimated from the MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure (2023, weighted-average estimate).
- At what age does income peak for Okinawa?
- In the 55-59 age band, at an estimated ¥4,642,000.
- How big is the gender pay gap for Okinawa?
- At ages 30-34, women earn about 82.2% of what men earn.
- What is the average salary for Okinawa at age 25-29?
- An estimated ¥3,366,000 overall (male ¥3,549,000 / female ¥3,180,000).
- What is the average salary for Okinawa at age 30-34?
- An estimated ¥3,649,000 overall (male ¥3,957,000 / female ¥3,254,000).
Source: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure (2023). Estimated from a worker-count-weighted average of 5-year age bands; cells not published due to small samples are excluded.
Compare Okinawa with other prefectures
Prefectures ranked next to it
Related prefectures (same region)
Rank = position among the 47 prefectures by average annual salary. ± = difference from Okinawa (estimates).
Okinawa vs nationwide
| Age | Okinawa | Nationwide | Diff | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ~19 | ¥215万 | ¥262万 | ¥-47万 | -18.0% |
| 20-24 | ¥283万 | ¥335万 | ¥-52万 | -15.6% |
| 25-29 | ¥337万 | ¥415万 | ¥-78万 | -18.8% |
| 30-34 | ¥365万 | ¥465万 | ¥-100万 | -21.4% |
| 35-39 | ¥383万 | ¥514万 | ¥-130万 | -25.4% |
| 40-44 | ¥430万 | ¥548万 | ¥-118万 | -21.6% |
| 45-49 | ¥436万 | ¥576万 | ¥-140万 | -24.3% |
| 50-54 | ¥449万 | ¥600万 | ¥-151万 | -25.2% |
| 55-59 | ¥464万 | ¥607万 | ¥-142万 | -23.5% |
| 60-64 | ¥391万 | ¥462万 | ¥-71万 | -15.3% |
| 65~ | ¥315万 | ¥367万 | ¥-52万 | -14.2% |
Average salary in Okinawa by age group (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s)
In 2023, the average annual salary in Okinawa was ¥3,145,000 for workers in their 20s, ¥3,745,000 in their 30s, ¥4,331,000 in their 40s and ¥4,555,000 in their 50s.
| Age group | All | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20s | ¥3,145,000 | ¥3,309,000 | ¥2,988,000 |
| 30s | ¥3,745,000 | ¥4,158,000 | ¥3,207,000 |
| 40s | ¥4,331,000 | ¥4,960,000 | ¥3,531,000 |
| 50s | ¥4,555,000 | ¥5,260,000 | ¥3,665,000 |
| 60 and over | ¥3,571,000 | ¥3,936,000 | ¥2,932,000 |
Estimates: published age-band figures averaged by worker count (monthly pay × 12 + annual bonus).
Average salary in Okinawa by company size
In Okinawa, companies with 1,000+ employees pay ¥4,614,000 a year on average, against ¥3,512,000 at companies with 10-99 employees — a gap of ¥1,102,000.
| Company size | All | Men | Women | Workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10-99 employees | ¥3,512,000 | ¥3,776,000 | ¥3,135,000 | 98,800 |
| 100-999 employees | ¥3,891,000 | ¥4,324,000 | ¥3,263,000 | 79,860 |
| 1,000+ employees | ¥4,614,000 | ¥5,813,000 | ¥3,562,000 | 62,520 |
Estimates: published age-band figures averaged by worker count (monthly pay × 12 + annual bonus).
How the average salary in Okinawa changed (2020 → 2023)
The average annual salary in Okinawa moved from ¥3,740,000 in 2020 to ¥3,923,000 in 2023, a change of +4.9%.
| 2020 | 2023 | Change | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | ¥3,740,000 | ¥3,923,000 | +¥183,000 | +4.9% |
| Men | ¥4,178,000 | ¥4,411,000 | +¥233,000 | +5.6% |
| Women | ¥3,158,000 | ¥3,307,000 | +¥149,000 | +4.7% |
Compares the two most recent years with published prefecture-level figures (2020 and 2023).
Starting salaries in Okinawa by education (2023)
New university graduates in Okinawa start at ¥234,600 a month, -1.1% against the national average of ¥237,300.
| Education | Okinawa | Japan | vs Japan |
|---|---|---|---|
| High school | ¥164,900 | ¥186,800 | -11.7% |
| Specialized school | ¥200,000 | ¥214,500 | -6.8% |
| Junior college / College of technology | ¥200,300 | ¥214,600 | -6.7% |
| University (bachelor) | ¥234,600 | ¥237,300 | -1.1% |
| Graduate school | ¥200,000 | ¥276,000 | -27.5% |
Scheduled monthly pay of new graduates, all genders. Prefecture-level samples are small, so a higher degree does not always show a higher figure.
Run your own calculation (preset to Okinawa)
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Can your salary cover living costs in Okinawa?
In Okinawa, your salary of ¥3,923,000 buys roughly the same as ¥3,822,097 in Tokyo (this region's CPI is 102.6% of Tokyo's).
How much does it cost to live in Okinawa?
Curious how your salary translates to actual living standards in Okinawa? jpcost.keydrop.net breaks down monthly cost of living for major Japanese cities — start with the Okinawa city profile.