Average Salary by Age

The average U.S. salary varies based on age, gender, and income class. Where does your income fall? Keep reading to find out.

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Average Salary by Age

Median income is calculated for each age level because it's a better determination of the true average income. Those who make much more than the norm can skew the average income, making it higher than it actually is.

What is the average weekly salary of teenagers ages 16–19?
The average weekly salary of teenagers between ages 16 and 19 is $472.

Men make an average weekly income of $488 while women make a median weekly income of $444.

What is the average weekly salary of young adults ages 20–24?
The average weekly salary of young adults ages 20–24 is $596.

Men have a median weekly income of $621. Women have a median weekly income of $562.

What is the average weekly salary of adults ages 25–34?
Adults between the ages of 25 and 34 have an average weekly salary of $815.

Men in this age group make 15% more than women on average. They have an average weekly salary of $875 while women have an average weekly salary of $760.

What is the average weekly salary of adults ages 35–44?
The average adult ages 35–44 makes $1,044 per week.

Men make an average of 25% more than women do at this age, with an average weekly income of $1,155. The average woman in this age group makes $923 per week.

What is the average weekly salary of adults ages 45–54?
The weekly salary of adults ages 45–54 is $1,017, which is 2.5% less than the median weekly income of adults ages 35–44.

Average income for males between ages 45–54 is $1,170 per week, while the average income for females is $876.

What is the average weekly salary of adults ages 55–64?
Average weekly earnings of adults ages 55–64 is $1,017.

Men make an average of $1,174 per week, which is 32% more than the average woman's salary of $884 per week.

What is the average weekly salary of adults over age 65?
Adults over age 65 earn a weekly salary of $877. Men earn a median salary of $1,033 and women earn a median salary of $757.

U.S. Salary Statistics

The average American earns a monthly income of $3,921, or $47,060 per year. Read on for more information about salaries in the U.S.

How much does the average American make per week?
The weekly income for the average American is $905. Men have a slightly higher median income than women, at $1,004 versus $806 per week.

What is considered a good salary for a single person?
While the answer may vary based on cost of living factors, a good or comfortable salary for a single person is $86,916.

This figure was calculated using the 50-20-30 rule, where:

• 50% of your post-tax income is devoted to necessities (e.g., housing, food, healthcare).

• 20% goes to savings and paying down debt.

• 30% is used for personal use (e.g., dining out, shopping, hobbies).

The cost of necessities is estimated at $43,458, according to the Economic Policy Institute's Family Budget Calculator.

What is considered a good salary for a family of four?
The average family of four in the United States needs at least $110,864 to live comfortably based on the 50-20-30 rule.

The annual cost of necessities for that family would be $55,432, according to the Economic Policy Institute's Family Budget Calculator.

Ranking Income

What is middle-class income?
Middle-class households are those with an average income of $78,442 per year. Approximately 50% of households in the United States fall within this category.

What salary is considered upper-class?
The average American considers a person with a salary of between $90,000 and $100,000 rich, according to a study conducted by YouGov.

What is the net worth of Americans?
The average net worth is $692,100, which is skewed by those with large amounts of wealth. A better measure of net worth is the median figure of $97,300.

What is the top 5% household income in the United States?
The top 5% household income in the United States is $236,360.40.

What is the income of the top 1%?
Annual household income of $434,454.80 or higher is classified as the top 1%.

How many people are in the top 1%?
Approximately 1,276,791 households are in the top 1% of household income.

How many millionaires are in the United States?
Today there are 10.23 million households with a net worth of between $1 million and $5 million.

Bottom Line

Average weekly salary tends to increase with age until approximately 45 years old, at which point it begins to taper off.

Males have higher weekly salaries than females on average. 50% of Americans fall into the middle-class category, and make an average annual salary of $78,442.