Wakayama salary benchmark — annual income by age (official wage census)
The average annual salary for Wakayama in Japan is ¥4,726,000 (2023, MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure, 208,390 workers surveyed) — 6.9% below the national average of ¥5,078,000.
Median salary in Wakayama (estimate)
The estimated median annual salary in Wakayama is ¥4.19M, about 89% of the average of ¥4.73M (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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wakayama | ¥4,726,000 | ¥4,190,000 | 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 Wakayama, 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 — Wakayama
| Age band | Total annual | Male annual | Female annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| ~19 | ¥2,539,000 | ¥2,562,000 | ¥2,462,000 |
| 20-24 | ¥3,315,000 | ¥3,321,000 | ¥3,305,000 |
| 25-29 | ¥4,092,000 | ¥4,310,000 | ¥3,751,000 |
| 30-34 | ¥4,238,000 | ¥4,529,000 | ¥3,650,000 |
| 35-39 | ¥4,808,000 | ¥5,185,000 | ¥3,953,000 |
| 40-44 | ¥4,854,000 | ¥5,442,000 | ¥3,750,000 |
| 45-49 | ¥5,119,000 | ¥5,827,000 | ¥4,220,000 |
| 50-54 | ¥5,329,000 | ¥5,994,000 | ¥4,442,000 |
| 55-59 | ¥5,344,000 | ¥6,025,000 | ¥4,492,000 |
| 60-64 | ¥5,069,000 | ¥5,987,000 | ¥3,399,000 |
| 65~ | ¥3,534,000 | ¥3,882,000 | ¥3,020,000 |
Understanding Workers in Wakayama salary data
Wakayama: average annual salary
Workers in Wakayama earn a weighted-average annual income of ¥4,726,000 (sample: 208,390 workers), −6.9% lower than the national average (about ¥352,000 less). By estimated average this ranks 15 of 47 prefectures. The estimated median is ¥4,190,000. Figures are estimates derived from a worker-count-weighted average of age-band data.
At what age does pay peak in Wakayama?
Income peaks in the 55-59 age band at ¥5,344,000 (about 1.6x the entry level). The steepest rise is in the 25-29 band.
Wakayama: male vs female average salary
At ages 30-34, women earn 80.6% of what men earn (75.4% across all ages). A lower figure means a wider gender gap.
Wakayama: 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 17.1% of the estimated annual income is bonus (annual special cash earnings).
Wakayama average salary by age and gender
Estimated annual income for Wakayama by age band (total / male / female):
| Age | Total | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25-29 | ¥4,092,000 | ¥4,310,000 | ¥3,751,000 |
| 30-34 | ¥4,238,000 | ¥4,529,000 | ¥3,650,000 |
| 35-39 | ¥4,808,000 | ¥5,185,000 | ¥3,953,000 |
| 40-44 | ¥4,854,000 | ¥5,442,000 | ¥3,750,000 |
| 45-49 | ¥5,119,000 | ¥5,827,000 | ¥4,220,000 |
| 50-54 | ¥5,329,000 | ¥5,994,000 | ¥4,442,000 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the average salary for Wakayama?
- About ¥4,726,000, estimated from the MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure (2023, weighted-average estimate).
- At what age does income peak for Wakayama?
- In the 55-59 age band, at an estimated ¥5,344,000.
- How big is the gender pay gap for Wakayama?
- At ages 30-34, women earn about 80.6% of what men earn.
- What is the average salary for Wakayama at age 25-29?
- An estimated ¥4,092,000 overall (male ¥4,310,000 / female ¥3,751,000).
- What is the average salary for Wakayama at age 30-34?
- An estimated ¥4,238,000 overall (male ¥4,529,000 / female ¥3,650,000).
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 Wakayama with other prefectures
Prefectures ranked next to it
Related prefectures (same region)
Rank = position among the 47 prefectures by average annual salary. ± = difference from Wakayama (estimates).
Wakayama vs nationwide
| Age | Wakayama | Nationwide | Diff | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ~19 | ¥254万 | ¥262万 | ¥-8万 | -3.1% |
| 20-24 | ¥332万 | ¥335万 | ¥-4万 | -1.1% |
| 25-29 | ¥409万 | ¥415万 | ¥-5万 | -1.3% |
| 30-34 | ¥424万 | ¥465万 | ¥-41万 | -8.8% |
| 35-39 | ¥481万 | ¥514万 | ¥-33万 | -6.4% |
| 40-44 | ¥485万 | ¥548万 | ¥-63万 | -11.5% |
| 45-49 | ¥512万 | ¥576万 | ¥-64万 | -11.1% |
| 50-54 | ¥533万 | ¥600万 | ¥-67万 | -11.2% |
| 55-59 | ¥534万 | ¥607万 | ¥-72万 | -11.9% |
| 60-64 | ¥507万 | ¥462万 | +¥45万 | +9.7% |
| 65~ | ¥353万 | ¥367万 | ¥-13万 | -3.7% |
Average salary in Wakayama by age group (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s)
In 2023, the average annual salary in Wakayama was ¥3,753,000 for workers in their 20s, ¥4,560,000 in their 30s, ¥5,001,000 in their 40s and ¥5,336,000 in their 50s.
| Age group | All | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20s | ¥3,753,000 | ¥3,911,000 | ¥3,537,000 |
| 30s | ¥4,560,000 | ¥4,905,000 | ¥3,815,000 |
| 40s | ¥5,001,000 | ¥5,641,000 | ¥4,038,000 |
| 50s | ¥5,336,000 | ¥6,009,000 | ¥4,466,000 |
| 60 and over | ¥4,579,000 | ¥5,350,000 | ¥3,267,000 |
Estimates: published age-band figures averaged by worker count (monthly pay × 12 + annual bonus).
Average salary in Wakayama by company size
In Wakayama, companies with 1,000+ employees pay ¥5,607,000 a year on average, against ¥4,114,000 at companies with 10-99 employees — a gap of ¥1,493,000.
| Company size | All | Men | Women | Workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10-99 employees | ¥4,114,000 | ¥4,420,000 | ¥3,443,000 | 63,780 |
| 100-999 employees | ¥4,753,000 | ¥5,308,000 | ¥4,102,000 | 103,710 |
| 1,000+ employees | ¥5,607,000 | ¥6,370,000 | ¥4,100,000 | 40,900 |
Estimates: published age-band figures averaged by worker count (monthly pay × 12 + annual bonus).
How the average salary in Wakayama changed (2020 → 2023)
The average annual salary in Wakayama moved from ¥4,348,000 in 2020 to ¥4,726,000 in 2023, a change of +8.7%.
| 2020 | 2023 | Change | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | ¥4,348,000 | ¥4,726,000 | +¥378,000 | +8.7% |
| Men | ¥4,830,000 | ¥5,228,000 | +¥398,000 | +8.2% |
| Women | ¥3,584,000 | ¥3,940,000 | +¥356,000 | +9.9% |
Compares the two most recent years with published prefecture-level figures (2020 and 2023).
Starting salaries in Wakayama by education (2023)
New university graduates in Wakayama start at ¥239,000 a month, +0.7% against the national average of ¥237,300.
| Education | Wakayama | Japan | vs Japan |
|---|---|---|---|
| High school | ¥180,000 | ¥186,800 | -3.6% |
| Specialized school | ¥208,900 | ¥214,500 | -2.6% |
| Junior college / College of technology | ¥204,900 | ¥214,600 | -4.5% |
| University (bachelor) | ¥239,000 | ¥237,300 | +0.7% |
| Graduate school | ¥248,400 | ¥276,000 | -10.0% |
Scheduled monthly pay of new graduates, all genders. Prefecture-level samples are small, so a higher degree does not always show a higher figure.
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How much does it cost to live in Wakayama?
Curious how your salary translates to actual living standards in Wakayama? jpcost.keydrop.net breaks down monthly cost of living for major Japanese cities — start with the Wakayama city profile.