What is the average salary in 【Chiba】? We have put together a complete national comparison by age and by occupation.

Average Salary in Chiba Prefecture

Chiba is a prefecture in the Kanto region of Japan, and part of the Greater Tokyo Area. It had a population of 6.255 million in 2018, and a nominal GDP of 21.1 trillion yen in 2017. Many major Japanese corporations have their headquarters in Chiba, including the retail giant AEON, Matsumoto Kiyoshi Holdings, and the Oriental Land Company, the operator of the Tokyo Disney Resort.

Chiba is located to the east of Tokyo, and like Saitama Prefecture, it has served as a commuter town for the capital since its early modern history. Chiba is home to the Keiyo Industrial Zone that spans the coast of Tokyo Bay from Urayasu through Chiba City and up to Futtsu. This industrial zone is a major supplier of products such as chemicals, metals, machinery, and petroleum. Chiba is also home to Narita International Airport, known as the Gateway to Japan.

Outside the urban and industrial areas, Chiba also has a flourishing agricultural industry that boasts one of the highest agricultural outputs in Japan, and a large fishing industry centered on the major port of Choshi. This makes Chiba an important area for both primary and secondary industries.

・Chiba Average vs. National Average Annual Salary

The following table shows the average annual salary in Chiba Prefecture. The overall annual average is 4.784 million yen, with men and women earning an average of 5.333 million yen and 3.842 million yen respectively. Annual bonuses are relatively low, with men receiving 909,000 yen and women receiving 538,000 yen on average. Chiba ranks 13th among all 47 prefectures of Japan in terms of average annual salary.

For comparison, the table below shows the average salary for all of Japan. The national average annual salary is just over 5 million yen, which puts Chiba below the Japan average. This also applies to the average annual bonus. On the other hand, the average annual salary for women in Chiba is basically on par with national average, indicating a relatively smaller gender wage gap in the prefecture.

One of the reasons for Chiba’s relatively low figures is that most of its residents actually work in neighboring Tokyo. Chiba has a working population of 828,000, which is a mere 13.2% of its resident population.

Chiba Average Annual Salary by Gender

The following graph shows the average annual salary in Chiba Prefecture by gender for the 15-year period from 2005 to 2019. When compared with the trend for all of Japan for the same period, the most notable feature is the gradually declining salary in the prefecture. The average annual salary in Chiba was 5.135 million yen in 2005, but just 4.784 million yen in 2019, a decrease of 6.8%.

The 2008 Global Financial Crisis caused wages to drop all over Japan, but it recovered in the following years in most prefectures, with annual salaries in 2019 generally higher than those in 2005. While the salary in Chiba showed decrease between 2005 and 2019, this was mainly an effect of a drop in men’s wages. Annual wages for women in Chiba actually increased from 3.673 million yen in 2005 to 3.842 million yen in 2019.

Chiba Average Annual Salary by Age Group

The following graph shows the average annual salary in Chiba Prefecture by age group. We also give an analysis for each age group below.

Average Annual Salary for Workers in their 20s

Annual salaries for men and women in Chiba generally increase in a linear fashion throughout the 20s, with men’s salaries crossing the 4 million yen mark in the late 20s. The gender wage gap in this age group is still relatively small.

Average Annual Salary for Workers in their 30s

Men’s salaries continue to increase virtually linearly in the 30s, while women’s salaries appear to hit a ceiling at just over 4 million yen, even showing a sudden drop from the early 30s to the late 30s. This causes the gender wage gap to widen significantly.

Average Annual Salary for Workers in their 40s

The respective trends for men and women continue in the 40s, with men’s salaries continuing to increase (albeit at a slightly slower rate), and women’s salaries hovering around the 4 million yen mark, reaching a maximum in the early 40s. Men’s salaries cross the 6 million yen mark in the late 40s.

Average Annual Salary for Workers in their 50s

The annual salary for men peaks in the early 50s at 6.426 million yen, then starts to decrease as the age goes up. In contrast, women’s salaries start to decline significantly from the late 50s. The gender wage gap reaches its highest point in the late 50s, with a difference of 2.738 million yen, but quickly narrows down with age, falling to 218,000 yen for workers in their 70s.

Average Entry Level Salary in Chiba

The following graph shows the average entry-level salary in Chiba Prefecture by educational attainment. Entry-level salaries in Chiba for high school and junior/technical college graduates are significantly higher than the national average, but is slightly lower for master’s degree holders. Interestingly, female high school and university graduates earn higher entry-level salaries than their male counterparts on average.

Chiba Average Annual Salary by Industry

The table below shows the average annual salary in Chiba Prefecture by industry for the year 2019. The only industry with an average salary over 6 million yen is the Electricity, Gas, Heat Supply and Water industry. Industries with average salaries in the 5 to 6 million yen range include Scientific Research/Professional/Technical, Mining and Quarrying of Stone and Gravel, Construction, Finance and Insurance, and Education/Learning support.

The industry that pays the lowest on average in Chiba is the Accommodations/Food and Beverage industry. Other industries that have relatively lower annual salaries (in the 3 million range) include Transport and Postal Activities, Living-related/Amusement Services, and Services. One noteworthy point is the salary for the Information and Communications industry, which at 4.594 million yen is lower than the overall prefectural average of 4.784 million yen. Chiba ranks 39th among all prefectures in this industry, which is quite low considering the fact that the neighboring prefectures of Kanagawa (6.369 million yen, rank 1) and Tokyo (6.075 million yen, rank 3) are at the top of the list.

Summary

Despite being a close neighbor to Tokyo, average annual salaries in Chiba Prefecture are fairly lower than those in the capital. This indicates how Chiba functions as a commuter town for Tokyo, with many Chiba residents choosing to work in the metropolis where wages are higher.

出典：政府統計の総合窓口(e-Stat)

出典：令和元年 賃金構造基本統計調査　結果の概況｜厚生労働省