Britain is enjoying a boom in household income, a welcome change from the long and dreary years of the Great Recession.
Disposable income for households has finally managed to creep up beyond the high before the 2008 crash for those in retirement.
Working age households have lagged behind somewhat but are nearly back to their 2008 level.
Median household disposable income was £25,600 for the 2014-15 financial year, according to the Office for National Statistics. Before the crisis it was £25,400.
Retired households were reported to have £21,100 in real terms compared to a high of £19,300 before the recession.
But median income for working age households stood at £28,100. This was £800 below the pre-crisis high of £28,900.
The figures include salaries and state benefits and have been adjusted to account for inflation and household size. Analysts point out that the data illustrate that the economic recovery is being experienced in different degrees by the generations.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has shown that work pensions and better state support have resulted in pensioners getting better weekly incomes. It found that pensioners earned £394 a week compared to the £385 average among the working age population.
Nevertheless, total pay, including bonuses, went up by 3% in the third quarter of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014. Householders of all age groups have also benefitted from low inflation and low fuel prices.
