Overview
- Stepstone’s Gehaltsreport 2026, based on 1,326,157 self-reported salaries collected from January 2022 to November 2025, sets the national gross median at €53,900.
- Regional gaps are stark, with a median of €56,250 in western states versus €48,750 in eastern states excluding Berlin, and city medians such as Munich (€64,750), Frankfurt (€64,000) and Hamburg (€60,000).
- Women earn a median €50,500 versus €55,900 for men, reflecting a 9.7% unadjusted gap, while an adjusted analysis shows a residual gap of about 4.8%.
- Pay varies sharply by industry, led by banks (€70,250), aerospace (€68,000), insurance (€66,500) and pharma (€66,250), with hospitality at €45,500 and agriculture at €47,250 near the bottom.
- Company size strongly influences earnings, from €48,800 in firms with up to 50 employees to €63,000 in employers with over 5,000 staff, and separate regional data show municipality-level peaks such as Boldecker Land at €5,470 a month in 2024.