In 1996-97 the average weekly income was $481 for couples and $242 for single persons in this age group.
Income survey
In 1995-96 the average weekly income received by couple families was $868, by one-parent families $433 and by single persons $370, according to results from the latest household survey of income released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
In 1999-2000 there were approximately nine million income units living in private dwellings in Australia. While their mean gross weekly cash income was $726, the median (i.e. the midpoint when all units are ranked in ascending order of income) was considerably lower at $535 (table 1).
In 1995-96 the average wage and salary income for employees in metropolitan Australia was $29,500 compared with an average of $25,565 for those in non-metropolitan areas, a difference of $3,935 or 15.4%.
It's important to keep things in perspective, though. The average wage in the mid 1970s was around $6,000, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, so the median Sydney house price was almost six times' the value of the average annual income.
In 1997-98 the average weekly income was $460 for couples and $248 for single persons in this age group.
Australians are also earning a lot more now than we were back then; the average full time earnings in 1975 was $7,600 per year, today the annual average earnings exceed $72,000 per annum.
In 1981, average weekly earnings for a man working full-time was $311 (the equivalent of $1,238 today) compared to $241 ($959 today) for a woman who worked full-time. This equates to a gender pay gap of 23%.
6302.0 - Average Weekly Earnings, Australia, Sep 1980.
1985 – $167.50 per week.
So if you're on $100k or more, congratulations, you're in the top 20% of Aussie income earners. If not, don't worry, you're in the good company of 80% of Aussies.
The average Australian is someone in their mid-thirties, who has a weekly individual income of $300 - $399 and a weekly family income of $800 - $999, according to selected averages from the 2001 Census released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
In the 1960s, along with the Beatles and the Stones, there came inflation and wage growth. Average incomes increased from $12,400 in 1966, and to $36,890 in 1978.
6302.0 - Average Weekly Earnings, Australia, Aug 2006. Full-time adult ordinary time earnings rose by 3.4% for males and 2.4% for females in the twelve months to August 2006. In the twelve months to August 2006, full-time adult total earnings rose by 2.7% for males and 2.5% for females.
The 4.0 percent increase from 1995 to 1996 was the largest over-the-year gain since 1992. Average annual pay was $30,250 in 1996, up from $29,099 in 1995.
The median salary in Australia in 2023 is 6,650 AUD (USD 4,420) per month. The median salary refers to the middle value of all the salaries considered. In other words, around half of the population in Australia earns less than 6,650 AUD per month, while the other half earns more.
The median money income of households in the United States rose to $11,800 in 1975, an increase of about 5 percent over the revised 1974 median of $11,200. However, this increase was eroded by rising prices which resulted in a net loss in real purchasing power.
6302.0 - Average Weekly Earnings, Australia, May 2007.
Minimum and Average Wages 1990 and 2021.
Average Full Time Wage: 1990: $566.60 per week, Male 38 hrs. 2021: $1,541 per week, Male 38 hrs. August 2021, median weekly earnings.
6302.0 - Average Weekly Earnings, Jun 1971.
6302.0 - Average Weekly Earnings, Dec 1974.
The average full time salary in Australia is $70,388 per year or $36.10 per hour. Entry-level positions start at $57,966 per year, while most experienced workers make up to $109,288 per year.
The average earnings for a week's work in 1965-66 was $57 (around $740 in today's dollars), and minimum wages for women were set around 30 per cent lower than for men. We measure average wages slightly differently now, but the newest data on average weekly earnings for Australia is $1160 per week.