Average Net Worth by Age plus Median, Top 1%, and All Percentiles (2024)

Below are estimated United States net worth brackets by age in 2023.It's the newest data until 2026.

You'll also find the average, median, and top 1% net worth for selected age groups.

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Net Worth Benchmarks by Age in 2023

Elsewhere, we looked at average household net worth.

While overall net worth is a useful benchmark, time in a career or job makes a huge difference to wealth. By adjusting net worth statistics for age groups – a decent proxy for experience and time in career – we can work around the effects of the United States's demographics.

Note: This data comes from the Federal Reserve's 2022 SCF. It is comprised of interviews mainly from 2022, with 25% conducted in 2023.

What was the median net worth by age?

In 2023, overall median household net worth was $192,084 (up from $121,411 in 2020).

AgeMedian Net Worth
18-24$10,222
25-29$31,470
30-34$88,631
35-39$138,588
40-44$134,382
45-49$213,586
50-54$266,140
55-59$321,074
60-64$392,860
65-69$393,480
70-74$438,700
75-79$338,180
80+$327,200

What was the average net worth by age?

The overall average household net worth in 2023 was $1,059,470, well up from 2020's $746,821.

AgeAverage Net Worth
18-24$112,104
25-29$120,183
30-34$258,075
35-39$501,295
40-44$590,710
45-49$781,936
50-54$1,132,497
55-59$1,441,987
60-64$1,675,294
65-69$1,836,884
70-74$1,714,085
75-79$1,629,275
80+$1,611,984

What is the top 1% household net worth by age?

Warning: please be skeptical; read this chart as "the top 1% is around this amount". A longer discussion is below.

To be top 1% in 2023, a household needed a net worth of $13,666,778. $11,099,166 was the 1% threshold in 2020.

AgeTop 1% Net Worth
18-24$653,224
25-29$2,121,910
30-34$2,636,882
35-39$4,741,320
40-44$7,835,420
45-49$8,701,500
50-54$13,231,940
55-59$15,371,684
60-64$17,869,960
65-69$22,102,660
70-74$18,761,580
75-79$19,868,894
80+$16,229,800

Household Net Worth Percentiles by Age for the United States in 2023

Below is every household net worth percentile in 2020 for selected percentiles and age groups. It's dense, I know – there is a more convenient presentation (with every percentile!) in the net worth by age calculator.

Net Worth By Age Brackets

Here are the net worth brackets by age in 2023 including the value of a primary residence.

AgeAverageMedian25%75%90%Top 1%
18-24$112,104$10,222$88$33,898$184,516$653,224
25-29$120,183$31,470$3,784$130,606$296,830$2,121,910
30-34$258,075$88,631$11,016$186,140$538,750$2,636,882
35-39$501,295$138,588$16,548$389,432$864,340$4,741,320
40-44$590,710$134,382$23,812$436,892$1,182,580$7,835,420
45-49$781,936$213,586$47,668$680,298$1,428,714$8,701,500
50-54$1,132,497$266,140$54,414$913,012$2,576,540$13,231,940
55-59$1,441,987$321,074$84,977$1,137,318$2,672,160$15,371,684
60-64$1,675,294$392,860$80,372$1,131,122$3,042,280$17,869,960
65-69$1,836,884$393,480$68,972$1,154,552$2,961,060$22,102,660
70-74$1,714,085$438,700$124,757$1,234,946$2,999,396$18,761,580
75-79$1,629,275$338,180$89,504$991,520$2,914,188$19,868,894
80+$1,611,984$327,200$95,230$944,334$2,540,500$16,229,800

Net Worth By Age Brackets (No House)

I know some people prefer this measure, so here are the net worth brackets by age in 2023 ignoring the value of a primary residence:

AgeAverageMedian25%75%90%Top 1%
18-24$83,365$9,774$74$22,616$74,184$553,224
25-29$84,699$19,270$1,218$71,680$191,604$1,877,120
30-34$182,198$36,178$2,530$100,248$291,262$2,403,902
35-39$380,972$43,416$8,070$208,930$645,320$4,556,660
40-44$436,408$57,668$8,699$245,586$818,830$6,702,740
45-49$575,097$92,370$15,144$408,002$1,000,826$7,661,420
50-54$861,235$94,923$13,406$531,484$1,971,490$11,897,166
55-59$1,148,392$131,460$15,108$709,824$2,013,360$14,054,100
60-64$1,364,736$143,640$12,202$751,586$2,489,008$15,620,874
65-69$1,512,595$132,290$11,780$784,100$2,302,160$18,992,040
70-74$1,380,172$237,692$28,440$770,944$2,456,520$16,459,620
75-79$1,308,408$112,106$12,818$527,860$2,384,808$17,971,150
80+$1,284,384$88,049$17,284$524,526$1,860,666$15,590,600

Note: you should include a house in your net worth – it has real value, and at minimum offsets rent you'd be paying.

Methodology on 2023 United States Household Income Brackets

Data is sourced from the Federal Reserve's 2022 SCF, released October 2023. Find the Federal Reserve's summary reports here, and the data descriptions here.

Is this household net worth data?

This is not technically household data but primary economic unit data.

They are very close, but:

..."the PEU consists of an economically dominant single individual or couple (married or living as partners) in a household and all other individuals in the household who are financially interdependent with that individual or couple. For example, in the case of a household composed of a married couple who own their home, a minor child, a dependent adult child, and a financially independent parent of one of the members of the couple, the PEU would be the couple and the two children. Summary information is collected at the end of the interview for all household members who are not included in the PEU. The only variables collected separately for the respondent and the spouse or partner of the respondent are those concerning employment, pension, and demographic characteristics. The great majority of the time, the PEU and the household are identical."

Federal Reserve SCF Data Codebook, 2022

How many PEU samples are in 2023 wealth data by age?

  • 2023: 4,602 surveys with 7 redactions. Estimated PEUs of 131,306,390
  • 2020: 5,783 surveys with 6 redactions. Estimated PEUs of 128,642,430.

Samples and Estimates by Age

Broken down by age, here are the number of data points in the set (and the number of households/PEUs they map onto):

AgeSamplesEstimated PEUs
18-241115,919,125
25-292117,983,895
30-3429112,401,730
35-3935210,625,525
40-4441111,656,460
45-493969,908,830
50-5442411,635,075
55-5949011,546,170
60-6453612,673,860
65-6949211,487,525
70-743749,684,020
75-792567,403,470
80+2518,380,695

To head off the inevitable questions about individual ages, they don't particularly make sense with this data set. There just aren't that many data points to go around – and net worth is not a normal distribution (or well-behaved at all, really).

There are only rules of thumb here: I'd prefer to use 3 samples per percentile.

For good survey design oversampling the poorly-behaved top (like in the SCF!), we can push it a bit – and I do in 18-24, 25-29, 75-79, 80+ age groups. But, please, you need to be skeptical. Particularly of the top 2-3%, in age groups like 18-24 and 25-29.

Does net worth include the capitalized value of defined benefit plans?

It's an important question – and no, it does not. For a longer discussion please see the average net worth article.

Basically, there is no secondary market for selling a defined benefit plan. I could build some sort of an overlay into the tools, but it's not a 'real' number (although recent scholarship is pretty good).

Are the younger age groups accurate?

Yes, with caveats – read this section to the end. Remember, per the net worth research, you're looking at Primary Economic Units not households.

The SCF isn't necessarily good at capturing the debt of adult children not dependent on a parent's assets in a PEU (see this paper for more, 4.2 Liabilities). For an obvious example, the SCF's sample doesn't include adults in institutional settings... or dormitories.

So: as you read, note that the younger households you see – especially in the 18-24 year old age group – are financially independent or emancipated households.

Average Net Worth by Age plus Median, Top 1%, and All Percentiles (2)

PK

PK started DQYDJ in 2009 to research and discuss finance and investing and help answer financial questions. He's expanded DQYDJ to build visualizations, calculators, and interactive tools.

PK lives in New Hampshire with his wife, kids, and dog.

Average Net Worth by Age plus Median, Top 1%, and All Percentiles (2024)

FAQs

What is the top 1% of net worth by age? ›

What is the top 1% household net worth by age?
AgeTop 1% Net Worth
25-29$2,121,910
30-34$2,636,882
35-39$4,741,320
40-44$7,835,420
9 more rows

What is the 1% net worth percentile? ›

In the U.S., it may take you $5.81 million to be in the top 1%, but it takes a minimum net worth of $30 million to be considered among the ultra-high net worth crowd. As of the end of 2023, this ultra-high net worth population is on the rise, reaching 626,000 globally, up from just over 600,000 a year earlier.

What is the average net worth of the 1%? ›

Louis Fed indicating there were 131.4 million American households as of 2023. As of the second quarter 2023, the average American household had wealth of $1.09 million. The average wealth of households in the top 1 percent was about $33.4 million.

How much money do you need to be in the top 1% of your age group? ›

How Does Income Change with Age?
Age RangeTop 10%Top 1%
20-24$64,855$129,709
25-29$142,680$303,736
30-34$188,079$468,035
35-39$230,234$1,048,484
8 more rows
Oct 20, 2023

What net worth puts you in the top 1 percent in us? ›

You need more money than ever to enter the ranks of the top 1% of the richest Americans. To join the club of the wealthiest citizens in the U.S., you'll need at least $5.8 million, up about 15% up from $5.1 million one year ago, according to global real estate company Knight Frank's 2024 Wealth Report.

What percentile is a $3 million net worth? ›

The 95th percentile, with a net worth of $3.2 million, is considered wealthy, facilitating estate planning and possibly owning multiple homes. The top 1%, or the 99th percentile, has a net worth of $16.7 million and represents the very wealthy, who enjoy considerable financial freedom and luxury​​.

What is the top 2% net worth? ›

Top 2% wealth: The top 2% of Americans have a net worth of about $2.472 million, aligning closely with the surveyed perception of wealth. Top 5% wealth: The next tier, the top 5%, has a net worth of around $1.03 million. Top 10% wealth: The top 10% of the population has a net worth of approximately $854,900.

What net worth is considered upper middle class? ›

Some sources define the upper middle class as anyone making a lot of money but haven't crossed the threshold to become truly wealthy. These individuals often have a net worth of at least $500,000 to $2 million.

How many people have $2000000 in savings? ›

Among the 47 million households headed by someone age 60 or older, 7% had household investable assets of at least $2 million, Drinkwater said. Only 6% of the 89 million households in the U.S. headed by someone 40 to 85 years old has that amount, Drinkwater said.

What is considered a rich net worth? ›

Someone who has $1 million in liquid assets, for instance, is usually considered to be a high net worth (HNW) individual. You might need $5 million to $10 million to qualify as having a very high net worth while it may take $30 million or more to be considered ultra-high net worth.

Does net worth include home? ›

Your net worth is what you own minus what you owe. It's the total value of all your assets—including your house, cars, investments and cash—minus your liabilities (things like credit card debt, student loans, and what you still owe on your mortgage).

What is considered high net worth? ›

A high-net-worth individual, or HNWI, might be defined differently among certain financial institutions. But in all cases, a high-net-worth individual is someone with a large amount of wealth. Typically, a high-net-worth individual has assets of between $1 million and $5 million.

What is considered wealthy in retirement? ›

$1 million, $5 million, $10 million

However, if you have $1m, are retired and are living an expensive lifestyle, you might go from wealthy to poor in a relatively short period of time. The Schwab survey found that overall, Americans say they need: $1.9 million to be wealthy in 2021 (down from $2.6 million in 2020)

What is the net worth of the top 1% in 2024? ›

To hold a top 1% net worth in America, according to Knight Frank, a person in 2024 must have a net worth of at least $5.8 million. This amount is at least $7.2 million lower than what the Federal Reserve believes is required to be in the top 1% net worth in America.

What yearly salary is considered middle class? ›

By the Census data, it means that if you earn between $50,000 and $150,000 a year, you are considered middle class. It's a pretty straightforward answer, but it isn't particularly helpful if you're trying to climb up out of a lower income bracket into the middle class.

What is the net worth of the top 1% in the world? ›

You now need a net worth of at least $5.8 million in order to be part of that small but elite group, according to the upcoming 2024 wealth report from Knight Frank. That is a notable 12% increase from the $5.1 million needed just one year ago.

At what age should your net worth be 1 million? ›

Average Net Worth by Age

From there, average net worth steadily rises within each age bracket. Between 35 to 44, the average net worth is $549,600, while between 45 and 54, that number increases to $975,800. Average net worth surges above the $1 million mark between 55 to 64, reaching $1,566,900.

What net worth is top 5 percent? ›

Top 2% wealth: The top 2% of Americans have a net worth of about $2.472 million, aligning closely with the surveyed perception of wealth. Top 5% wealth: The next tier, the top 5%, has a net worth of around $1.03 million. Top 10% wealth: The top 10% of the population has a net worth of approximately $854,900.

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