 This means that the average Joe earns roughly $32,000 a year, lives in a household with an income of $46,000 with $24,000 of gross annual income per member.Personal income changes considerably over the life-time of the average American, from $28,000 at age 25 to about $42,000 at the age of 65.Yet, very young and old persons would commonly not be considered to be average Americans.