átlagkereset

Átlagkereset, Hungarian for "average earnings," is the arithmetic mean of earnings received by employees over a specified period, most commonly a calendar month or a year. In statistical releases, havi átlagkereset usually refers to gross earnings (bruttó kereset), including base wages, bonuses, and other monetary allowances, divided by the number of employees. In some contexts the net amount (nettó) is reported, or distinctions are made between gross and net figures. The calculation treats all contributors equally and is sensitive to very high earners, which can raise the average compared with the typical wage.

Mean earnings are used to gauge overall wage levels, compare sectors or regions, and index contracts or social benefits. They are frequently published by national statistical offices, such as Hungary's Központi Statisztikai Hivatal (KSH), and harmonized in EU statistics as part of Eurostat datasets. Differences arise from factors like occupation, education, age, full-time vs part-time status, and urban/rural location; Budapest and the service sector often show higher averages than other regions.

A common alternative is the median wage, which better represents a typical worker's earnings when the distribution is skewed. Limitations of mean earnings include failure to convey income distribution and the exclusion of self-employed and informal work in some datasets. Analysts may use both gross and net figures and may adjust for purchasing power parity or employment intensity when comparing over time or across countries.