The 1960s was a turbulent decade in the United States.
There were many different changing attitudes about society and culture.
How did the average American live in the 1960s?
In many ways, life in 1960s America was very similar to the preceding decade, especially
in the early 1960s.
The family unit was still very important, with the average American getting married
and having children in his or her early twenties.
For most women, raising families took precedence over going to college or starting a career.
The average home included a father who worked, a mother who stayed at home, and several children.
Divorce rates were low at the beginning of the decade, with about 23% of marriages ending
in divorce.
By the end of the decade, this number had risen to about 35%.
However, as the decade progressed, more and more young women began to defy the traditional
role of the stay-at-home mother.
In the latter half of the 1960s, more women were attending college and more women were
joining the workforce.
Sometimes, this was out of necessity as families needed additional income to make ends meet
as the price of everyday items continued to rise.
In 1960 the average income per year was $5,315 and by 1969 was $8,540.
However, the salary someone made would have depended on what type of position they held.
Gender might have also played a role in someone’s salary.
At the time, men were frequently paid more than women for performing the same job.
Minimum wage jobs paid about $1 an hour in 1960, by 1969, this had risen to $1.60.
A new home in 1960 cost approximately $12,700, but by 1969 the price was $15,500.
Of course, the actual cost of a home would have largely been determined by how nice the
home was, as well as what community and state it was in.
A new car could be purchased in 1960 for about $2,600 while the price in 1969 was $3,270.
Again, this would have varied greatly depending on the make and model of car being purchased.
A gallon of gas for this vehicle would have cost about 25 cents in 1960, while in 1969,
would have been closer to 35 cents.
A loaf of bread in the 1960s might cost about 20 cents, while a dozen eggs could be purchased
for about 50 cents and an oven-ready turkey might cost 39 cents a pound.
A gallon of milk in 1960 would have cost about 95 cents, by 1969 this price had risen to
$1.10.
A pair of men’s shoes could be purchased for about $13 while a suit might have cost
about $30.
A woman’s dress might have ranged anywhere from $7 to $30.
A new table and chairs would have cost about $160, while a recliner might have cost about
$100.
In the 1960s, the American family continued to devote more time to leisure activities.
Television continued to develop its dominance as the number one activity to consume most
of that leisure time.
Watching television was still largely a family activity, but television programming became
more diverse to meet the interests of everyone in the family.
Westerns still dominated much of the television landscape.
Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Rawhide, and Wagon Train were all extremely popular shows during the
decade.
In fact, in terms of number of viewers, Gunsmoke and Bonanza both finished in the top ten nearly
every year of the decade.
The Andy Griffith Show, My Three Sons, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and The Beverly Hillbillies
were all family-oriented situation comedies which were very popular in the 1960s.
Meanwhile, shows such as Star Trek, Batman, Mission: Impossible, and Lost in Space attempted
to attract younger viewers.
Many of these programs have had a lasting cultural impact which is still felt today.
Americans have always enjoyed going to the movies, and the 1960s was no exception.
The most successful film of the decade was The Sound of Music starring Julie Andrews.
Andrews also impressed audiences in her starring role in Mary Poppins.
Audrey Hepburn was also very popular with roles in My Fair Lady and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
John Wayne remained popular as well, with starring roles in films like The Longest Day,
The Sons of Katie Elder, El Dorado, and True Grit.
Meanwhile, Clint Eastwood became a leading man in westerns like A Fistful of Dollars
and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.
Sean Connery introduced the world to James Bond, starring in Dr. No, Goldfinger, Thunderball
and many more.
Psycho, The Birds, Dr. Strangelove, The Graduate, Lawrence of Arabia, and Dr. Zhivago were other
highly acclaimed films of decade.
101 Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, and The Jungle Book were the most popular animated
films of the 1960s.
Baseball has always been regarded as America’s “national pastime,” and the sport was wildly
popular in the 1960s.
In 1961, Americans were enthralled by Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris’ efforts to break
Babe Ruth’s single season record of 60 homeruns.
Maris accomplished the feat, slugging 61 homeruns.
Other players that dominated the decade included Carl Yastrzemski, Frank Robinson, Willie Mays,
Hank Aaron, Bob Gibson, and Juan Marichal.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) produced several legends throughout the 1960s.
Coach Red Auerbach led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA championships during the decade.
The Celtics were led on the court by Bill Russell who won the Most Valuable Player (MVP)
award four times.
The most dominant player of the decade was Wilt Chamberlain, who also won four MVP awards,
led the league in shooting percentage seven times, and led the league in rebounds eight
times.
In college basketball, the UCLA Bruins were the talk of the country.
The Bruins, and Coach John Wooden, won five NCAA championships in the 1960s
Muhammad Ali was the dominant boxer of the decade.
Ali became the heavyweight champion in 1964 after defeating Sonny Liston.
He would go on to become one of the most iconic figures of the decade, both for his abilities
as a boxer and for his political and social activism.
The world of 1960s popular music was incredibly diverse.
The “British Invasion” brought groups like The Beatles and the Rolling Stones to
American audiences.
The Beatles would debut in 1963 and go on to be the biggest musical sensations of the
decade.
Before the end of the 1960s, they would produce a staggering nineteen #1 songs.
A wide variety of other music was available though.
Bob Dylan, Janice Joplin, The Beach Boys, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, and The Who all offered
vastly different styles of music for many different tastes.
Motown also provided its own unique sound with performers like The Supremes, The Temptations,
and Marvin Gaye.
However, the biggest musical event of the decade happened in 1969.
The music festival known as Woodstock occurred from August 15-18 1969.
This music festival brought more than 400,000 people together near White Lake, New York,
with 32 different performances over the course of the three day event.
In clothing and fashion, many things began to change.
In the past, children and teenagers had always dressed in a similar fashion to their parents.
However, in the 1960s, teens began to develop their own fashion trends completely independent
of the adult world.
More women began to wear pants as opposed to dresses and skirts.
The hemline of skirts continued to get shorter with the introduction of the miniskirt in
1964.
In the latter half of the decade, bell-bottom jeans, tie-dye shirts, and paisley prints
became more prominent.
Young men started wearing their hair much longer than in the past, while many women
opted for shorter hairstyles.
It should be noted that not every family experienced the 1960s in the same way.
These were just a few of the broad trends that were predominant throughout the decade.
Each family and each individual had a unique situation, with their own stories, tastes,
and preferences.