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The latest ABS full-time adult ordinary earnings average for Northern Territory is $1,984.10 a week in May 2026, about $103,173 a year when multiplied by 52. This is before tax and excludes employer super and overtime.
What the Territory’s weekly mean covers
The Northern Territory’s full-time adult ordinary earnings mean is $99.60 a week below the matching Australian average, about 4.8%. It is above South Australia’s mean in the same table. This comparison keeps the measure and May 2026 period consistent.
The average is based on in-scope employer units, rather than the personal incomes of all Territory residents. Permanent defence force members, self-employed people and employees of agriculture, forestry and fishing enterprises are among those outside the survey scope. A broad Territory label should not obscure those exclusions.
| Area | Weekly | Annual equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Territory | $1,984.10 | $103,173 |
| Australia | $2,083.70 | $108,352 |
The mean covers full-time adult employee jobs. It is before tax and excludes employer super, overtime and salary sacrifice. It is not the personal income of all residents. Annual equivalents are conversions rather than measured annual salaries.
Take care with the separate median
The August 2025 household survey gives the Northern Territory a main-job median of about $1,510 a week. It was the second-highest state or territory median in that survey, behind the ACT. It includes part-time employees, unlike the full-time mean above.
That household survey excludes people living in very remote regions and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This is particularly relevant when someone tries to describe the median as the earnings of every Territory community. The figure is useful within its coverage, but it cannot stand in for a local pay measure in an area that was not surveyed.
| Area | Weekly median |
|---|---|
| Northern Territory | $1,510 |
| Australia | $1,425 |
These medians come from a different survey, period and employee population from the May 2026 means. Their difference is not a measured mean-to-median gap for one population.
Separate allowances from expenses and overtime
For a role away from your current home, ask the employer to separate base salary, recurring allowances, overtime and reimbursements. Regular shift or other allowances can be included in ordinary earnings. Overtime and reimbursement of work expenses are excluded from the ABS mean used here.
Check who pays for travel, housing or meals and when those arrangements apply. A reimbursement that covers an expense should not be treated as spare money for unrelated bills. If a benefit is part of salary packaging, obtain the cash deductions and any reportable benefit amount before estimating the effect on HELP or the surcharge.
Budget for the written arrangement
Use guaranteed annual cash salary for a first take-home calculation. Test a second case for overtime or other variable earnings, and keep employer super separate. Confirm ordinary hours, paid weeks and the roster cycle rather than assuming every role follows a standard five-day week.
For a relocation decision, add the expenses you will actually meet and the time the role requires away from home. A Territory-wide earnings average does not price your accommodation or establish the value of a remote-work arrangement. The useful comparison combines the benchmark with the particular contract and your household’s needs.
Common questions
Does the median cover every remote community?
No. The August 2025 household survey excludes people living in very remote regions and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Its median should be described with that coverage limit.
Is the state average a Darwin salary?
No. It is a Northern Territory employer-based full-time adult ordinary earnings mean. It is not a separate Darwin average.
Sources you can check
Sources checked for this page on 2 October 2026. Statistics keep their own measurement dates.