In Chiba, the monthly wage gap between companies with 1,000 or more employees and those with 10–99 employees widens from ¥13,700 in the early 20s to ¥115,200 in the late 50s. This article looks at how company size appears in the age-by-age wage curve in a prefecture with major employment centers around Narita Airport, the Keiyo coastal industrial belt, and Makuhari New City.
Scheduled monthly wages in Chiba by company size and age (2023, men and women combined)
| Age | 1,000+ employees | 100–999 | 10–99 | 1,000+ minus 10–99 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All ages | ¥362.5k | ¥340.8k | ¥307.2k | ¥55.3k |
| 20–24 | ¥248.3k | ¥244.7k | ¥234.6k | ¥13.7k |
| 25–29 | ¥294.6k | ¥285.3k | ¥266.8k | ¥27.8k |
| 30–34 | ¥331.7k | ¥316.4k | ¥285.3k | ¥46.4k |
| 40–44 | ¥401.4k | ¥368.9k | ¥316.7k | ¥84.7k |
| 45–49 | ¥426.8k | ¥389.4k | ¥328.5k | ¥98.3k |
| 50–54 | ¥443.7k | ¥402.1k | ¥332.8k | ¥110.9k |
| 55–59 | ¥452.3k | ¥408.6k | ¥337.1k | ¥115.2k |
The gap exceeds ¥80,000 in the 40s and ¥110,000 in the 50s
The difference is ¥46,400 at ages 30–34, ¥84,700 at 40–44, and ¥98,300 at 45–49. It reaches ¥110,900 at ages 50–54 and remains ¥115,200 in the late 50s.
At ages 55–59, wages are ¥452,300 at large companies, ¥408,600 at midsize companies, and ¥337,100 at small companies. Wages at large companies continue to rise with age, while the curve at small companies becomes much flatter in the ¥300,000 range.
Large organizations around the airport, bay area, and Makuhari differ from local SMEs
Large organizations are concentrated in aviation and logistics around Narita Airport, steel and chemicals along the Keiyo coast, and corporate and government functions in Makuhari New City. Workers who advance into managerial, specialist, and technical positions in these organizations help lift large-company wages in the 40s and 50s.
At the same time, local employment is supported by many SMEs, including consumer services in places such as Ichikawa, Funabashi, and Kashiwa, as well as tourism, agriculture, and fisheries across the Boso Peninsula. Chiba's east-west regional differences overlap with company-size differences, so both workplace area and employer size should be considered rather than relying on a single prefectural average.
How to read these figures
The figures in this article are published values for the stated year, area, and aggregation. Averages and rankings are affected by age composition, household composition, industry and company-size mix, and sample size. They should be read as baseline data under comparable conditions, not as predictions for an individual or household.
Summary: In Chiba, company-size differences become household-income differences from the 40s onward
In Chiba, the wage gap by company size widens into the ¥80,000 range in the 40s and the ¥110,000 range in the 50s. Large-scale employment around the airport, bay area, and Makuhari follows a different long-term wage curve from many local SMEs.
- Gap at ages 20–24: ¥13,700
- At ages 40–44: ¥84,700
- At ages 55–59: ¥115,200
- Regional differences and company-size differences need to be considered together
Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Basic Survey on Wage Structure (2023)
📊 Analysis notes
- Statistics used: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Basic Survey on Wage Structure (Table ID: 0003426933, view on e-Stat)
- Area: Chiba Prefecture
- Year: 2023
- Data retrieved: June 6, 2026
- Notes: The article primarily organizes published statistical values. Interpreting the background also involves factors outside the table, including industrial and occupational composition, so directly observable figures should be distinguished from interpretation.
Figures in charts and tables were independently compiled and visualized from the statistical data above.