In the first quarter of 2026, the Ulytau region ranked first in average monthly wages among Kazakhstan's regions, according to the website infohub.kz.
According to the Bureau of National Statistics, the average salary in Ulytau was 637,300 tenge in January–March. That is 43.2%, or 192,300 tenge, above the national average of 445,100 tenge.
Second was Atyrau region with an average salary of 610,100 tenge, followed by Mangystau region at 608,400 tenge. Next were Astana (559,900 tenge) and Almaty (551,600 tenge). The lowest salaries were recorded in North Kazakhstan region (308,200 tenge), Zhambyl region (319,000 tenge), Turkistan region (324,900 tenge), and Shymkent (328,600 tenge).
Ulytau's high figures are due to its industrial specialization. The region's economy is based on the mining and metallurgical complex, which traditionally offers high wages. One of the largest employers is the Kazakhmys group of companies, whose enterprises provide thousands of jobs and implement production development projects.
By industry, workers in mining earn the highest average wage of 1,020,632 tenge per month. Second is information and communications with 779,288 tenge. In industry, average monthly pay exceeds 620,000 tenge, while in transportation and warehousing it approaches 600,000 tenge.