Salary and Education Level in Russia: How Much a Degree Actually Gives

2026-08-18 · Wages

In April 2025, a worker with higher education earned on average 123,183 rubles per month, with secondary vocational 79,237, with general secondary 77,580. The gap between university and college was 1.55 times and has stayed at this level for twenty years. Rosstat data, a sample survey of organisations for April.

The most unexpected in these rows is not the premium for a degree, but who ended up in third place. Below are the full series since 2005, analysis by professional groups and by age, interactive charts.

Salary by Education Level: Table

Average accrued wages, rubles per month, April of the respective year.

Year	All workers	Higher	Secondary vocational	General secondary	Basic general	Without basic general
2005	8,694	11,383	7,722	7,726	6,418	5,772
2009	18,084	24,366	15,276	14,780	12,343	10,793
2013	28,702	38,233	23,869	22,886	21,622	19,850
2017	38,609	51,316	30,777	29,982	27,952	30,917
2021	57,240	75,185	45,110	43,532	41,241	47,967
2023	73,664	95,065	59,495	57,890	55,694	57,511
2025	97,179	123,183	79,237	77,580	75,660	80,295

Average salary by education level: gap between university diploma and others

The order of groups is broken at the very bottom of the table. Since 2017, workers without basic general education earn more than workers with secondary vocational: in 2025 this is 80,295 rubles versus 79,237. The explanation is simple and unrelated to education. The group is very small, and it mainly includes those engaged in heavy physical labour with shift allowances and northern coefficients. The average for such a group reflects working conditions, not the value of the certificate.

Premium for higher education by year

Ratio of a worker with a university degree salary to a worker with secondary professional education salary:

2005: 1.47 times
2009: 1.60
2013: 1.60
2017: 1.67
2021: 1.67
2023: 1.60
2025: 1.55

The premium rose in the zeroes, stayed at its peak until the early twenties and has been slowly shrinking since. The reason for the shrinkage is visible in another dataset: the strongest recent gains were in manual occupations, not office ones. Full education rows are available in the dataset on the website.

Salary by professional groups

Here the picture is clearer than by diplomas. Rubles per month, April 2025:

Group	2015	2025	Growth
Managers	60,719	177,990	2.9 times
High‑level specialists	37,023	102,998	2.8
Qualified industrial and transport workers	32,062	98,120	3.1
Plant, machine operators, drivers	32,083	97,921	3.1
Mid‑level specialists	29,492	85,722	2.9
Qualified agricultural workers	20,051	69,349	3.5
Documentation and accounting staff	22,330	64,878	2.9
Service and trade workers	20,235	59,516	2.9
Unskilled workers	15,529	52,067	3.4

Salary by professional groups: managers, specialists and workers

Ten years ago a high‑level specialist earned 15% more than a qualified worker. Now the gap is 5%. Turners, welders and machinists have almost caught up with engineers and doctors, while unskilled labor increased 3.4 times amid an overall growth of 3.0 times. The labour shortage in production is clearer in these numbers than in any surveys.

Is Age More Important Than a Diploma?

The third slice of the same survey shows that earnings depend most strongly on age, and the relationship is non‑monotonic.

Age	2005	2015	2025
18–19 years	4,823	20,280	68,410
20–24	7,212	28,477	85,488
25–29	8,963	34,449	109,617
30–34	9,107	36,715	117,409
35–39	8,910	36,679	113,533
40–44	9,107	34,483	108,073
45–49	8,934	32,999	101,892
50–54	8,794	31,310	92,360
55–59	8,677	29,783	82,128
60–64	8,076	28,261	74,759
65 and older	7,277	29,916	71,414

Average salary by age groups: the peak is at 30‑34 years

The peak occurs at 30–34 years, then earnings decline. By the age of 55–59 a worker earns less than they did at 20–24 (82,128 versus 85,488), and after 65 it falls to 71,414 rubles. In 2005 the curve was almost flat: the difference between a thirty‑year‑old and a fifty‑year‑old was 4%. Now it is 27%.

Questions and Answers

How much does higher education increase salary?

On average by 27% compared to all workers and by 1.55 times compared to workers with secondary professional education. In money in 2025 this is 123,183 rubles versus 79,237.

Is it true that workers now earn more than engineers?

Not more, but almost the same. Qualified industrial, construction and transport workers in 2025 earned 98,120 rubles, specialists with the highest level of qualification 102,998. The gap narrowed from 15% in 2015 to 5%.

Why do people without education earn more than college graduates?

This is an effect of a small and specific group. It includes those employed in jobs with high allowances for conditions and location, and the average for such a sample shifts upward. The return on education figure does not apply.

At what age is salary in Russia highest?

At 30–34 years. The average earnings in this group in 2025 were 117,409 rubles, which is 21% higher than the average for all workers.

How is this statistic calculated?

Rosstat conducts a sample survey of organizations in April, excluding small business entities. The indicator is gross, i.e., before personal income tax deduction. The survey is carried out once every two years, so the series has a two‑year step rather than an annual one.

In Brief

A worker with higher education in 2025 earned 123,183 rubles per month, with secondary professional education 79,237, with general secondary education 77,580. The premium for a university diploma stays at about one and a half times and has been slowly shrinking in recent years: the fastest growth is seen in earnings of qualified workers and unskilled labor. Age influences earnings almost as much as a diploma, with the maximum at 30–34 years, and a noticeable decline starting after 50.

All rows are taken from Rosstat's open publications and are updated on the website as new data become available.