Average Net Worth by Age (2026): 16 Federal Reserve Statistics

Net worth is everything a family owns minus everything it owes. It is the single best snapshot of financial progress, and it follows a predictable life-cycle pattern: low in your twenties, rising through your working years, peaking around retirement, then drawn down. The best source for net worth by age is the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF), a triennial survey of U.S. families. The 2022 survey is the most recent one the Fed lists as of October 5, 2026.

Because the SCF is only run every three years, we pair it with the Fed’s quarterly Distributional Financial Accounts (DFA), which estimate how total U.S. household wealth splits by age group. The latest DFA data cover Q2 2026. Here are 16 statistics, each with its source and date.

Key takeaways

• Median net worth by age (2022 dollars): $39,000 under 35, rising to a peak of $409,900 at 65 to 74.
• All families: median $192,900, mean $1,063,700 in 2022.
• Fastest growth was youngest: median net worth for families under 35 rose 143 percent from 2019 to 2022, after inflation.
• Total wealth is concentrated by age: households 55 and older held 74.6 percent of U.S. household net worth in Q2 2026; under-40 households held 6.5 percent.
• Homeownership is the big divider: median net worth was $396,200 for owners and $10,400 for renters.

How the Federal Reserve measures net worth

In the SCF, net worth is the difference between a family’s assets and its liabilities. Assets include financial holdings such as checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, stocks, bonds, mutual funds and retirement accounts, plus nonfinancial assets such as the primary residence, other real estate, vehicles and business equity. Liabilities include mortgages and home equity lines, other residential debt, installment loans such as auto and student loans, and credit card balances. The survey defines a “family” as the economically dominant person or couple in a household plus anyone financially interdependent with them, so the figures describe households of one as well as larger families.

Net worth by age: the Federal Reserve’s 2022 survey

The SCF groups families by the age of the “reference person,” usually the head of household. All dollar figures below are in 2022 dollars, as published by the Fed.

Source: Federal Reserve Board, Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2019 to 2022, Table 2 (October 2023).

Federal Reserve SCF, 2022

Median family net worth by age (thousands of 2022 dollars)

$39K

Under 35

$136K

35-44

$247K

45-54

$365K

55-64

$410K

65-74

$336K

75+

1. Median net worth under age 35 is $39,000

Families whose reference person was younger than 35 had a median net worth of $39,000 in 2022. That is the lowest of any age group, which is expected: younger families have had less time to save, often carry student or auto debt, and are less likely to own a home.

2. It more than doubled between 2019 and 2022

The under-35 median rose 143 percent from $16,100 in 2019 (in 2022 dollars), and the mean rose 107 percent. The Fed notes this was the largest growth of any age group, though younger families remained the least wealthy.

3. Median net worth at 35 to 44 is $135,600

For families aged 35 to 44, the median was $135,600 and the mean was $549,600. This is the decade when many families buy a first home and start building home equity alongside retirement accounts.

4. Median net worth at 45 to 54 is $247,200

The 45 to 54 group had a median of $247,200. Its mean of $975,800 grew only 1 percent from 2019, the smallest mean gain of any age group in the survey.

5. Median net worth at 55 to 64 is $364,500

Families nearing retirement, aged 55 to 64, had a median of $364,500, up 48 percent from 2019. Their mean net worth was $1,566,900.

6. Net worth peaks at 65 to 74, with a median of $409,900

The 65 to 74 group is the wealthiest at the median, at $409,900, and at the mean, at $1,794,600. The Fed describes this life-cycle pattern directly: people save through their working careers and then spend those savings in retirement.

7. Median net worth falls to $335,600 at 75 and older

For families 75 and older, the median was $335,600, up only 14 percent from 2019, while the mean rose 43 percent to $1,624,100. The Fed says that gap indicates wealth inequality among older families increased between surveys.

Median vs mean: why the averages look so high

Source: Federal Reserve SCF 2022, Table 2. Multiples calculated by Money 8020 from the Fed’s figures.

8. The mean is more than five times the median

Across all families, mean net worth of $1,063,700 was about 5.5 times the median of $192,900. The mean adds up every dollar and divides by the number of families, so the very wealthiest households pull it far above what a typical family holds. If you want to compare yourself with “average,” the median is the more useful benchmark.

Net worth percentiles: where do you rank?

9. The top 10 percent starts at $1,938,000

The Fed’s Table B.2 lists the cutoffs that divide families by net worth. In 2022, the 90th percentile was $1,938,000, up from $1,414,500 in 2019 (both in 2022 dollars).

Source: Federal Reserve SCF 2022 report, Appendix B, Table B.2.

10. A quarter of families have $27,100 or less

The 25th percentile of net worth was $27,100 in 2022. Among families in the bottom quartile, the Fed reports a median net worth of $3,500 and a mean of negative $5,300, meaning many owe more than they own.

What drives the gaps: homes, education and retirement accounts

11. Homeowners’ median net worth is about 38 times renters’

Homeowners had a median net worth of $396,200 in 2022, compared with $10,400 for renters and others, per Table 2. The Fed reports 66.1 percent of families owned their primary residence in 2022, up from 64.9 percent in 2019. Home equity is the largest asset for most middle-wealth families, which is a big reason net worth rises with age.

12. College graduates’ median is about 12 times that of families without a diploma

Families whose reference person had a college degree had a median net worth of $464,600, versus $38,100 for families without a high school diploma. The Fed notes college-degree families had about twice the median income of those with some college, but more than three times the median net worth.

13. Retirement savers aged 35 to 64 averaged $331,400

Among working-age families (reference person 35 to 64) that had an IRA or a defined contribution plan such as a 401(k), the mean combined balance was $331,400 in 2022, per Box 1 of the Fed report. For the bottom half of the income distribution, the mean was $54,700; for the top tenth it was $913,300.

Net worth relative to income by age

Comparing net worth with income is a quick way to see how much of a year’s pay each age group has built up. The Fed’s Table 1 reports median income by age; the ratio below is our calculation from the two Fed tables.

Source: Federal Reserve SCF 2022, Tables 1 and 2 (2022 dollars). Ratios of the two medians are illustrative; the median-income family and the median-wealth family are not necessarily the same family.

The newest data: household wealth by age in Q2 2026

The SCF measures typical families. The Fed’s Distributional Financial Accounts answer a different question: how is the nation’s total household wealth divided? They are updated quarterly and run through Q2 2026. The DFA uses four age groups that differ from the SCF’s.

Source: Federal Reserve, Distributional Financial Accounts, age-group levels and shares, data through Q2 2026, downloaded October 5, 2026. Totals and year-over-year changes calculated by Money 8020 from the Fed’s quarterly levels. Group totals also shift as people age from one bracket into the next.

Federal Reserve DFA, Q2 2026

Share of U.S. household net worth by age group

55 to 69

41.0%

70 and older

33.6%

40 to 54

19.0%

Under 40

6.5%

The DFA also shows how much faster the youngest group’s wealth has grown since just before the pandemic, though part of that reflects people aging into each bracket.

Source: Federal Reserve Distributional Financial Accounts, nominal dollars, downloaded October 5, 2026.

14. U.S. households held about $185.7 trillion in Q2 2026

Adding the DFA’s four age groups gives total household net worth of about $185.65 trillion in Q2 2026, up about 11.9 percent from $165.85 trillion a year earlier, by our calculation from the Fed’s quarterly levels.

15. Households 55 and older hold about three-quarters of the total

In Q2 2026, households aged 55 to 69 held 41.0 percent of U.S. household net worth and households 70 and older held 33.6 percent, a combined 74.6 percent. Under-40 households held 6.5 percent. By generation, the DFA attributes 52.5 percent to baby boomers, 25.7 percent to Generation X, 11.2 percent to millennials and 10.7 percent to the Silent Generation.

16. Debt weighs most on the youngest households

For under-40 households, DFA liabilities of $5.53 trillion were about 31 percent of their $17.58 trillion in assets in Q2 2026, including $3.62 trillion in home mortgages and $1.78 trillion in consumer credit such as credit card, auto and student loans. For households 70 and older, liabilities were about 3.5 percent of assets, by our calculation from the Fed’s data.

How to use these numbers

• Benchmark against the median, not the mean. The median is the typical family; the mean is skewed by the very wealthy.
• Compare within your age group. A $40,000 net worth is near the median under 35, but well below it at 55.
• Mind the dollar year. SCF figures are in 2022 dollars. Prices have risen since, so the same real wealth takes more dollars today.
• Focus on the controllable drivers. The Fed’s data point to home equity, retirement-account participation and avoiding high-interest debt as the biggest separators between groups.
• Make idle cash earn something. Cash is a small slice of most balance sheets, but an emergency fund in a high-yield savings account or CD earns far more than a typical checking account. See how APY works and how to choose a savings account.
• Invest consistently. For long-term growth, compare index funds vs robo-advisors or our best robo-advisors list.

Sources

• Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2019 to 2022: Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances, October 2023. Tables 1 and 2, Box 1, Appendix B Tables B.2 and B.5.
• Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Survey of Consumer Finances index page, checked October 5, 2026 (lists the 2022 survey as the most recent).
• Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Distributional Financial Accounts, age, generation and wealth-percentile data through Q2 2026, downloaded October 5, 2026.

Statistics describe U.S. families and households in aggregate and are not a target for any individual. Survey estimates have sampling error; see the Fed’s report for standard errors. This content is general information and is not financial advice. Money 8020 may earn a commission from some links on this site; see our disclosures.

For cash-only transaction accounts by age, see average savings by age.

For stock and retirement-account ownership from the same survey, see investing statistics for 2026.