The average Income of Australian households can obviously vary between very high (Australian Bank CEO’s) and very low (Homeless people), however a few figures have been released for 2009-10 by the ABS.
Gross household income 2009-10
| Groups | Median | Mean |
| Lowest 20% | $852 | $1,026 |
| Next Lowest 20% | $1,215 | $1,462 |
| Middle 20% | $1,439 | $1,586 |
| Next Highest 20% | $1,493 | $1,699 |
| Highest 20% | $2,028 | $2,665 |
| Overall Median | $1,320 | $1,688 |
** These figures look suspect to me, and will be checked later, the overall median should be in the middle group.
It does appear that the middle 60% of household incomes are not that far apart, with  a median of between $1,215 and $1,493.
The lowest group are quoted as being families that exist on government benefits, are in government housing, or are single income households.
Source: ABS 6523.0 – Household Income and Income Distribution, Australia, 2009-10 (Weekly)
Median Average = All values divided by the number of Households.
Mean Average = The middle point value where 50% of the others are above that point, and 50% are below.
From the ABS Media Release:
In the 12 months to June 2010, Australian households spent an average of $1,236 each week on goods and services. This is an increase of 38% since the previous survey which was conducted in 2003-04.
Part of this increase can be attributed to inflation – over the five years since the previous survey, the price of goods and services, as measured by the consumer price index (CPI), rose by 19%.
Over the same period, the mean gross household income per week increased by 50% and the average household size increased from 2.53 to 2.57 people.
These figures are weekly income? Or fortnightly? What is the median household or family income in Australia?
I have updated the post to confirm it was weekly.
The Overall Household Median income according to the ABS figures appears to be $1,320 per week.