Wages in New Zealand increased to 42.85 NZD/Hour in the first quarter of 2025 from 42.64 NZD/Hour in the fourth quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - New Zealand Average Hourly Wages - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Key information about New Zealand Monthly Earnings

• New Zealand Monthly Earnings stood at 3,902 USD in Dec 2024, compared with the previous figure of 3,962 USD in Sep 2024
• New Zealand Monthly Earnings data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 1989 to Dec 2024, with an average number of 2,275 USD
• The data reached the an all-time high of 3,962 USD in Sep 2024 and a record low of 1,117 USD in Dec 2000

CEIC calculates Monthly Earnings from Average Weekly Earnings multiplied by 4 and converts it into USD. Stats NZ provides Average Weekly Earnings in local currency. Federal Reserve Board average market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. Average Weekly Earnings are calculated by dividing earnings by the number of full-time equivalent employees, taking into account their hours of workload.


Further information about New Zealand Monthly Earnings

• In the latest reports, New Zealand Population reached 5 million people in Dec 2024
• Unemployment Rate of New Zealand increased to 5 % in Dec 2024
• The country's Labour Force Participation Rate increased to 71 % in Dec 2024

In 2019, Europeans in New Zealand earned a median of ***** New Zealand dollars per week from wages or salaries. In comparison, Pacific people earned around *** New Zealand dollars per week.

Key information about New Zealand Household Income per Capita

• New Zealand Annual Household Income per Capita reached 30,529.095 USD in Jun 2024, compared with the previous value of 28,969.713 USD in Jun 2023.
• New Zealand Annual Household Income per Capita data is updated yearly, available from Jun 2007 to Jun 2024, with an averaged value of 24,380.121 USD.
• The data reached an all-time high of 30,529.095 USD in Jun 2024 and a record low of 16,283.555 USD in Jun 2009.
• In the latest reports, Retail Sales of New Zealand grew 0.362 % YoY in Dec 2024.

CEIC calculates Annual Household Income per Capita from Average Household Income, Number of Households and Total Population and converts it into USD. Stats NZ provides Average Household Income in local currency, Number of Households and Total Population. Federal Reserve Board average market exchange rate is used for currency conversions.

In 2021, the median hourly earnings for men in New Zealand increased by *** percent compared to the previous year. In the same year, the median hourly earnings for women increased at a similar rate.

Wages in Manufacturing in New Zealand increased to 39.49 NZD/Hour in the first quarter of 2025 from 39.36 NZD/Hour in the fourth quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - New Zealand Total Quarterly Wages in Manufacturing - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

New Zealand Median Annual Household Disposable Income data was reported at 86,257.000 NZD in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 81,945.000 NZD for 2023. New Zealand Median Annual Household Disposable Income data is updated yearly, averaging 60,369.000 NZD from Jun 2007 (Median) to 2024, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 86,257.000 NZD in 2024 and a record low of 43,113.000 NZD in 2007. New Zealand Median Annual Household Disposable Income data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Stats NZ. The data is categorized under Global Database’s New Zealand – Table NZ.H026: Annual Household Income.

New Zealand Median Annual Household Gross Income data was reported at 105,278.000 NZD in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 99,278.000 NZD for 2023. New Zealand Median Annual Household Gross Income data is updated yearly, averaging 70,670.000 NZD from Jun 2007 (Median) to 2024, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 105,278.000 NZD in 2024 and a record low of 52,887.000 NZD in 2007. New Zealand Median Annual Household Gross Income data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Stats NZ. The data is categorized under Global Database’s New Zealand – Table NZ.H026: Annual Household Income.

In 2024, the gender pay gap in New Zealand was *** percent. This was a decrease from the previous year, where the gender pay gap stood at *** percent.
Wage differences among New Zealanders The highest wage difference between in New Zealand in 2024, was found between male and female professionals, where the female worker earned almost * New Zealand dollars less than their male counterparts. Despite an increase in average hourly earnings between 2018 and 2024, the pay gap remained consistent, with male employees earning ***** New Zealand dollars per hour and female employees earning ***** New Zealand dollars as of June 2024. Women in the workplace Back in 2016, the female to male ratio in professional and technical work environments showed **** female employees for every male employee. Since then, New Zealand’s female workforce has expanded dramatically, peaking to *** million employees in the beginning of 2024. Moreover, a 2018 survey indicated that over *** million women were quite satisfied with their main job.

Adjusted net national income per capita (annual % growth) in New Zealand was reported at 2.2688 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. New Zealand - Adjusted net national income per capita (annual % growth) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Wages in New Zealand increased 2.50 percent in March of 2025 over the same month in the previous year. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for New Zealand Wage Growth.

New Zealand Average Annual Household Disposable Income data was reported at 104,567.000 NZD in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 98,878.000 NZD for 2023. New Zealand Average Annual Household Disposable Income data is updated yearly, averaging 72,209.000 NZD from Jun 2007 (Median) to 2024, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 104,567.000 NZD in 2024 and a record low of 51,330.000 NZD in 2007. New Zealand Average Annual Household Disposable Income data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Stats NZ. The data is categorized under Global Database’s New Zealand – Table NZ.H026: Annual Household Income.

Graph and download economic data for Labor Compensation: Earnings: All Activities: Hourly for New Zealand (LCEATT01NZA661N) from 1987 to 2022 about New Zealand, compensation, earnings, hours, wages, and labor.

The household economic survey (HES) is an annual survey designed to measure the economic wellbeing of New Zealanders. HES has three components: HES income, HES expenditure, and HES net worth. - HES income is the main vehicle, and it is run every year. It includes household income, housing costs, and material wellbeing – this is ‘core’ HES. - HES expenditure includes additional components – an expenditure diary and an expanded household expenditure questionnaire. It runs every three years. - HES net worth includes additional questions on household assets and liabilities. It also runs every three years.

New Zealand NZ: Wages Index: % Change data was reported at 1.748 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.596 % for 2016. New Zealand NZ: Wages Index: % Change data is updated yearly, averaging 1.950 % from Dec 1993 (Median) to 2017, with 25 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 101.550 % in 1993 and a record low of 1.139 % in 1994. New Zealand NZ: Wages Index: % Change data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s New Zealand – Table NZ.IMF.IFS: Wages, Labour Cost and Employment Index: Annual.

New Zealand has *** of the highest house price-to-income ratios in the world; nonetheless, since the first quarter of 2022, the country's house price-to-income ratio started to trend downward. In the third quarter of 2024, the ratio was ***, a slight decrease from the same quarter of the previous year. This ratio was calculated by dividing nominal house prices by nominal disposable income per head and is considered a measure of affordability. Homeownership dream New Zealand has been in what is widely considered a housing bubble. The disproportionately large increases in residential house prices have placed the dream of owning their own home out of reach for many in the country. In 2024, around ** percent of residential properties were sold for over a million New Zealand dollars. The majority of mortgage lending in the country went to owner-occupiers where the property was not their first home, with first-home buyers often struggling to secure a loan. In general, only New Zealand residents and citizens can buy homes in the country to live in, with new regulations tightening investment activity in that market. Rent affordability Due to New Zealand's high property prices, many individuals and families are stuck renting for prolonged periods. However, with rent prices increasing across the country and the share of monthly income spent on rent trending upwards in tandem with a highly competitive rental market, renting is becoming a less appealing prospect for many. The Auckland and Bay of Plenty regions had the highest weekly rent prices across the country as of December 2024, with the Southland region recording the lowest rent prices per week.

Graph and download economic data for Gross National Income for New Zealand (MKTGNINZA646NWDB) from 1960 to 2024 about New Zealand, GNI, and income.

Household net worth statistics aims to provide a picture of the net worth (wealth) of New Zealanders, by looking at their household assets and liabilities – financial and non-financial.

The New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings is the official count of how many people and dwellings there are in New Zealand. It provides a snapshot of our society at a point in time and helps to tell the story of its social and economic change. The 2023 Census, held on Tuesday 7 March, was the 35th New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings. The first official census was run in 1851, and since 1877 there has been a census every five years, with only four exceptions.

Dataset contains counts and measures for households from the 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses. Data is available by statistical area 1.

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The variables included in this dataset are for households in occupied private dwellings (unless otherwise stated). All data is for level 1 of the classification (unless otherwise stated):

• Count of households in occupied private dwellings
• Access to telecommunication systems (total responses)
• Household crowding index for levels 1 and 2
• Household composition
• Number of usual residents in household
• Average number of usual residents in household
• Number of motor vehicles
• Sector of landlord for households in rented occupied private dwellings
• Tenure of household
• Total household income
• Median ($) total household income
• Weekly rent paid by household for households in rented occupied private dwellings
• Median ($) weekly rent paid by household for households in rented occupied private dwellings.

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Download lookup file from Stats NZ ArcGIS Online or embedded attachment in Stats NZ geographic data service. Download data table (excluding the geometry column for CSV files) using the instructions in the Koordinates help guide.

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Footnotes

Geographical boundaries

Statistical standard for geographic areas 2023 (updated December 2023) has information about geographic boundaries as of 1 January 2023. Address data from 2013 and 2018 Censuses was updated to be consistent with the 2023 areas. Due to the changes in area boundaries and coding methodologies, 2013 and 2018 counts published in 2023 may be slightly different to those published in 2013 or 2018.

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Caution using time series

Time series data should be interpreted with care due to changes in census methodology and differences in response rates between censuses. The 2023 and 2018 Censuses used a combined census methodology (using census responses and administrative data), while the 2013 Census used a full-field enumeration methodology (with no use of administrative data).

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About the 2023 Census dataset

For information on the 2023 dataset see Using a combined census model for the 2023 Census. We combined data from the census forms with administrative data to create the 2023 Census dataset, which meets Stats NZ's quality criteria for population structure information. We added real data about real people to the dataset where we were confident the people who hadn’t completed a census form (which is known as admin enumeration) will be counted. We also used data from the 2018 and 2013 Censuses, administrative data sources, and statistical imputation methods to fill in some missing characteristics of people and dwellings.

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Data quality

The quality of data in the 2023 Census is assessed using the quality rating scale and the quality assurance framework to determine whether data is fit for purpose and suitable for release. Data quality assurance in the 2023 Census has more information.

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Concept descriptions and quality ratings

Data quality ratings for 2023 Census variables has additional details about variables found within totals by topic, for example, definitions and data quality.

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Household crowding

Household crowding is based on the Canadian National Occupancy Standard (CNOS). It calculates the number of bedrooms needed based on the demographic composition of the household. The household crowding index methodology for 2023 Census has been updated to use gender instead of sex. Household crowding should be used with caution for small geographical areas due to high volatility between census years as a result of population change and urban development. There may be additional volatility in areas affected by the cyclone, particularly in Gisborne and Hawke's Bay. Household crowding index – 2023 Census has details on how the methodology has changed, differences from 2018 Census, and more.

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Using data for good

Stats NZ expects that, when working with census data, it is done so with a positive purpose, as outlined in the Māori Data Governance Model (Data Iwi Leaders Group, 2023). This model states that "data should support transformative outcomes and should uplift and strengthen our relationships with each other and with our environments. The avoidance of harm is the minimum expectation for data use. Māori data should also contribute to iwi and hapū tino rangatiratanga”.

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Confidentiality

The 2023 Census confidentiality rules have been applied to 2013, 2018, and 2023 data. These rules protect the confidentiality of individuals, families, households, dwellings, and undertakings in 2023 Census data. Counts are calculated using fixed random rounding to base 3 (FRR3) and suppression of ‘sensitive’ counts less than six, where tables report multiple geographic variables and/or small populations. Individual figures may not always sum to stated totals. Applying confidentiality rules to 2023 Census data and summary of changes since 2018 and 2013 Censuses has more information about 2023 Census confidentiality rules.

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Measures

Measures like averages, medians, and other quantiles are calculated from unrounded counts, with input noise added to or subtracted from each contributing value during measures calculations. Averages and medians based on less than six units (e.g. individuals, dwellings, households, families, or extended families) are suppressed. This suppression threshold changes for other quantiles. Where the cells have been suppressed, a placeholder value has been used.

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Percentages

To calculate percentages, divide the figure for the category of interest by the figure for 'Total stated' where this applies.

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Symbol

-997 Not available

-999 Confidential

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Inconsistencies in definitions

Please note that there may be differences in definitions between census classifications and those used for other data collections.