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The Basics

The typical American is a white woman who is 32.7 years old. In 1990, whites were 80.3% of the population; Blacks 12.1%; others were 7.7%. Hispanic people, who can be of various ethnic groups, were 9.0%. Females were 51.2%. The age figure cited here is the national median.

She is married and is a mother.
Calculating from Census Bureau data, the Statistical Abstract of the United States reports that in 1989, 62% of people 18 and older were married. In 1990, the average family size was 3.17 people.

She has some German blood.
More Americans reported German ancestry, 19.6%, than any other. Irish, at 13.1% and English, at 11%, were runners-up.

She graduated from High School.
75.2% were at least high school graduates; 20.3% had at least a bachelor’s degree.

Her family income was $35,225 in 1989.
This is the 1989 median family income figure. Per capita income was $14,420.

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Home

The typical American family owns a home.
1990, 58.6% of occupied year-round homes were owner-occupied.

It is in the suburbs.
43.9% of the population lived in the suburbs. 31.3% in central cities and 24.8% in rural areas.

The house is mortgaged.
The total monthly ownership cost is $737. 65.4% of people who owned their homes had a mortgage; with no mortgage the median monthly cost was $209.

The house has three bedrooms.
38.1% of all housing units had three bedrooms; 30.8% had two bedrooms, 13.8% had one bedroom; 12.3% had four bedrooms; 2.8% had no bedrooms.

The house is 11 to 20 years old.
21.8% of all housing units were built in the 1970’s; 20.7% were built in the 1980’s and the first three months of 1990; 18.4% were built before 1940; 16.1% were built in the 1960’s; 14.5% were built in the 1950’s; 8.5% were built in the 1940’s.

28.2% of people in 1990 had moved into their home between 1985 and 1988; 20.9% had moved in since 1989.

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Work

The typical American drives to work alone.
73.2% of workers 16 years and older drove to work alone; 13.4% drove in carpools. Only 5.3% used public transportation.

She works for a private company or corporation.
She is a clerical worker. The company is in manufacturing. 77.4% of workers were employed by a business; 15.2% worked for government; 7% worked for themselves. 16.3% of workers were in administrative support, which includes clerical workers. The runner-up was professional specialty workers (nurses, engineers, etc.), 14.1% Manufacturing fields employed 17.7% of workers; retail trade was the next most common employer, at 16.8%.

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Possessions

The house has two telephones. There is no answering machine.
The telephone carries 3,516 local and long distance calls in a year. The Electronic Industries Association reported that 93% of households had a telephone in January of 1992, and about 70% had two or more phones, 46% had an answering machine. A Commerce Department report in October 1991 tallied the number of calls.

The house has two or more television sets. There is a VCR.
Cable television is available. In January 1992, 98% of household had a television set (65% had two or more), 77% had a VCR and 61% received cable television service, according to the Electronic Industries Association.

The typical American does not own a gun.
In a Gallup Poll in May 1991, 53% of respondents said that they did not have a gun in the house.

She expected to spend about $375 on Christmas gifts in 1991.
A Conference Board survey conducted before Christmas 1991 asked people how much they expected to spend.

She owed $2,317 on her credit cards at the end of 1991.
Average debt per credit card holder, calculated by The Nilson Report, Santa Monica, CA. About 60% of adults have at least one credit card.

She does not have a will.
In a Gallup Poll in January 1991, 51% said they did not have a will.

She generates about 3 pounds of garbage every day.
Estimate is from the Garbage Project.

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Characteristics

The average American male is 5 feet 9.1 inches tall and weighs 172 pounds.
The average female is 5 feet 3.7 inches tall and weighs 144 pounds.
From results of adult physical exams reported to the National Center for Health Statistics from 1976 to 1980, the most recent figures available.

They think this current weight is just about right.
A Gallup Poll in November 1991 reported that 57% of respondents said their weight was about right, 35% said they were overweight, and 8% said they did not weigh enough.

The typical American is Protestant.
She belongs to a church, but did not attend services in the last week. In an Aril 1992 poll, Gallup found that 65% of respondents said they preferred a Protestant denomination. 71% of the respondents said they were members of a church or synagogue, but only 41% attended in the last week.

The typical American is a Democrat, and considers herself a moderate.
34% of respondents in a New York Times/CBS News Poll conducted in July 1992 identified themselves as Democratic, 29% as Republican and 32% as Independent. But younger people were more likely to identify themselves as Independent; in the 18 to 29 age group, Independents were the largest party identification with 34% and in the 30 to 44 age group, Independents were 33%.

She considers herself an environmentalist.
In April, 1991, Gall found that 78% of people polled called themselves environmentalists.

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Health

The typical American lost 5.1 days of work or school in the last year because of illness.
Data are from a 1990 survey by the National Center for Health Statistics.

She was in contact with a doctor 5.5 days in the last year.
From a 1990 survey by the National Center for Health Statistics. Contact could have been through an office, clinic or hospital visit, house call or by telephone.

Medical bills account for 14% of the average family’s spending.
Data are from the World Heath Organization Statistical Yearbook for 1992.

The average man has a life expectancy of 71.6 years; a woman has 78.6 years.
Data are from the World Health Organization Statistical Yearbook for 1992.

The typical American doesn’t smoke.
Only 28% of respondents in a December 1991 Gallup Poll said that they smoked. 47% said that they never smoked; 25% said that they kicked the habit.

She does not know anyone who has contracted AIDS.
Only 18% of respondents in an October 1991 Gallup Poll said that they knew someone who had contracted AIDS.

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Activities

The typical American spent one to two hours driving yesterday.
Of respondents to a May 1991 Gallup Poll, 25% spent 1 to 2 hours in their car on the previous day; 16% spent 2 to 3 hours and 13% spent one-half to 1 hour.

She read a newspaper today.
A Gallup Poll in February 1991 found that on any given day, 71% of Americans read a newspaper, 38% read a book for work or school, 36% read a magazine and 33% read a book for pleasure.

She watched 28 hours and 13 minutes of television last week, about one-quarter of her waking hours.
The average amount of television watched by Americans 2 years old and older in the Nielsen Media Services. The average young adult sleeps 7 to 8 hours a night, according to university studies.

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Beliefs

The typical American believes in the Devil, but does not believe in ghosts or witches.
In October 1991, Gallup found that 55% of people polled said they did not believe in ghosts and 71% did not believe in witches. 52% did believe in the devil.

She basically believes the Bible’s version of how humanity was created, rather than the evolutionary view.
In a November 1991 Gallup Poll, 47% of the respondents agreed that “God created man pretty much in the present format one time within the past 10,000 years.” 40% agreed that “man has developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process, including man’s creation.” 9% agreed that God had no part in it.

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Eating Habits

They typical American’s ideal meal consists of: Shrimp cocktail or other seafood appetizer; Green salad; Vegetable soup; Steak; Potatoes and broccoli; Bread; Cheesecake or ice cream; Tea, hot or iced.
Unless otherwise noted, all information in this section comes from a Gallup Poll taken in November 1991.

Her most frequent purchased fruit was bananas, and the vegetable was lettuce.
72% of respondents reported buying bananas in the last month; 63% said they bought lettuce.

She drinks regular soda, not diet, but drinks low-fat milk.
52% of respondents said they drank regular soda, 34% drank diet soda and 13% said they didn’t drink soda. Only 24% of respondents said they bought whole milk most often.

She drinks alcohol, usually beer.
In a February 1992 Gallup Poll, 64% of respondents said they drink alcohol. Beer was preferred by 47% of the total respondents, and by 71% of those under the age of 30.

She hates liver.
More respondents said that they hated liver (14%) than any other food. Tied for runner- up were spinach, fish and seafood, each with 6%. 5% of respondents agreed with President Bush -- they hated broccoli. But 10% said there wasn’t any food they hated.

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*Unless otherwise noted, the data cited here is taken from the 1990 census.
Anne Cronin, "This Is Your Life, Generally Speaking," New York Times, July 26, 1992.

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