America has become so complex that the average Joe is long gone, according to a demographic study from Ad Age.

Our society is so diversified now that there is no such thing as the American consumer, the study says. And companies that try to target their products to Americans will have to rethink their approach.

The traditional image of an American family -- a married couple with children -- actually represents only 22% of U.S. households, writes Peter Francese, a demographic trends analyst who wrote the study.

There are more households with married couples and no children, Francese projects. And single-person households aren't far behind.

The nation is extremely diverse from a race perspective as well. Racial minorities are becoming the new majority, Francese says.

It's already happening in states like California, Texas, New Mexico and Hawaii, where the population of white non-Hispanics is in the minority.

And, Francese adds, in the 10 largest cities in the country, there is no racial or ethnic category in the majority.

By 2015, he says, fewer than half of babies born in the U.S. will be white non-Hispanics.

It's fascinating to think of this from a marketing perspective. How do companies advertise in this kind of environment?