The Average American

[James Triano]

The Average American, or Average Joe (Josephine), is something we hear a lot about.  They have an average amount of credit card debt, an average amount of cars, and average amount of kids, etc.  This is all well and good, but averages are, just, well averages.  There are people above and people below (duh).  But I wanted to figure out how they stacked up to the Average BiggerPockets member.  Here are the stats:

Age - Male, 36 | Female, 39

Kids - 2.5 kids

Cars - 2.28 cars per household

Household Income - $53,657 (Male $53,684 | Female $36,151 with Married Couples Averaging $81,025)

Average Home Price - $188,900

Mortgage Debt - $110,000 per household

Retirement Account Balances - ~$63,000 in this age bracket

Vehicle Debt - $26,530

Student Debt - $30,100

Credit Card Debt - $5,747

Note: These figures (with the exception of credit card debt) are for individuals who HAVE these types of loans, it excludes people with no debt, however, I would assume that the Average American owes money on a car or student loans.  PM me if you're an auditor and want to verify my numbers. 

How do you stack up against the Average American?  If you WERE (or ARE) the Average American, what exactly would you do to get into a better financial position by the time this Average American turns 50?  How can real estate help Joe and Josephine get to above average?