Overall, data shows that during the 1960s the average salary was $5,000. But I can just imagine people sitting around debating the merits of salary transparency in the 60’s. The employees would be freaking out with horror as they realized that their boss makes 140% more than them.
In the 1960s, there was no list of careers by average salary. You had to look up individual salaries for every profession, update different websites on an annual basis and then do a lot of calculations and sums. Thankfully, things have changed over time.
Today, average salaries have come quite a long way. They are based on actual salary data, including hourly, weekly, monthly, and annual figures. While the app is still new, it’s safe to say that you’ll find a number of US-based careers highly interesting. The standard cost of living has gone up considerably since the 1960s, which is why many of these may seem so low by today’s standards…but there are a number of factors to consider as well. Things like social security and healthcare costs play a role in keeping an individual’s income from feeling too small—and some jobs may also have higher expenses due to job risk factors like working at sea or as a pilot.
While the graphic is accurate, it is missing information that may be considered important to some our readers. In order to avoid misleading them and in order to present the full picture we would need to include a third column showing how these figures have changed since the 1960s (and if you’re feeling especially ambitious provide a column for the 1920s as well). This will not only provide some perspective, but it will also show how in the short period of time from 1960-2015, doctors and engineers salaries have grown at different rates with doctors rising faster than engineers.
I’ve given you this information for two reasons. First, if you are given an interview with an older, more experienced person, these rough figures can help you “frame” your own place in the world—that is, how much money you make and how many people report to you at work. Second and more importantly, I hope that this has helped you realize the value of a good business education. With it, you can command an average salary in your field of $100,000 a year or more. Without it, well, plug in your numbers and tell me what they add up to.
The typical American family made $6,014 in 1966 and spent about $4,917 of it. The average yearly inflation for this time period was slightly over 6.5%; meaning that by 2016 standards, the average household had a net worth of $80,431.
Average salary in the 1960s
This neat chart clearly illustrates the vast range of salaries for young college graduates in the 1960s. While a computer programmer could expect to earn $15,000 a year (about $116,000 today), that same salary would only be good enough for
To determine the average wage in 1960, you would need to consider the highest and lowest-paid jobs. The best way to find this information is probably through the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website. This is an official government-run website that provides information on employment, wages, worker productivity, etc. Click on the links below for the BLS site:
Teachers’ pay varied widely from one part of the country to another. In New York, elementary school teachers earned an average of $4,760 per year in 1967-68, while their colleagues in Florida averaged $1,110 a year. This difference is due in part to the cost of living. To see average salaries for various teachers, and how they were distributed across states and major cities across America, you can check out the information below:
These simple charts are excellent starting points for a thorough research on the subject. The information provided in these charts is comprehensive, accurate and nicely presented.
The average salary in the 1960s wasn’t too far off from what it is today. Yes, there have been some significant changes over the years—we’ve gone from a manufacturing economy to a service-based one, and from families making do on just one income to households where both partners work. But the trends are actually pretty similar. On average, incomes went up in the 1970s and 1980s—and then fell again in the 1990s before leveling out more recently.
The 1960s were the peak of the “organization man.” The economy was booming, and it seemed like our society was on the right track to success. As they say, things fell apart pretty quickly after that. Civil rights issues and protests, women’s liberation and the sexual revolution, Watergate and Nixon’s impeachmen. There was a lot going on. But overall, even if we weren’t happier with our disposable lifestyles, our average pay had gone up.
Although most 1960s ad designers are unknown, their influence on the field is evident in work today. From Bill Golden to Jerry Gentilozzi, we can continue to see the influence of this generation’s design mentality in our field today. When comparing the work of these men to what lies in our future, it is clear that there is a difference in how we approach design and its value to society. We have the freedom to be innovative and break rules while also carefully considering why we establish some of those rules in the first place. The foundations set by these great designers have provided us with a solid foundation from which we can expand and grow as a field.
