Net Worth by Age: What the 2022 Benchmarks Tell You

For a household under 35, median net worth was $39,000 in the Federal Reserve's 2022 survey. For ages 35 to 44, it was $135,600. Those historical benchmarks tell you where the middle was, in 2022 dollars. They cannot tell you whether your savings support the life you want.

“Am I behind for my age?” has two answers. Compared with other households, you can find a useful benchmark below. Compared with your own plans, you need to know what you've invested, how much you save and what your life costs.

Start with the median. A small number of very wealthy households pull the average upward. Chasing that average can make substantial progress feel like failure. Use the tables and calculator below as historical context, then separate the wealth you own from the investments you could live on.

Historical median and average net worth by age

The Federal Reserve released its newer 2025 survey on October 9, 2026. This page's tables and calculator retain the 2022 survey, in 2022 dollars, with no inflation or market adjustment. They do not estimate your current rank. Comparing today's balance with these thresholds gives only rough historical context.

Age band	Median net worth	Average net worth
Under 35	$39,000	$183,500
35–44	$135,600	$549,600
45–54	$247,200	$975,800
55–64	$364,500	$1,566,900
65–74	$409,900	$1,794,600
75+	$335,600	$1,624,100

Source: Fed report, Table 2. The median is the middle: half the families have less, half have more. The average adds everyone's wealth and divides by the number of families.

These are family figures, not individual balances. The age is the survey's reference person's age. Comparing your personal account balance with a couple's combined finances mixes two different units.

What does the top 25% or top 10% look like?

The median marks the top-half threshold. The 75th percentile marks the top quarter, and the 90th percentile marks the top tenth within each age band.

Age band	Top 25% starts around	Top 10% starts around
Under 35	$153,000	$366,000
35–44	$417,000	$1,055,000
45–54	$786,000	$1,971,000
55–64	$1,129,000	$2,946,000
65–74	$1,173,000	$3,005,000
75+	$977,000	$2,709,000

These are Stoke estimates from the Fed's 2022 public survey data, expressed in 2022 dollars and rounded to $1,000. The refreshed extract uses 2025 dollars; we convert it back using the Fed's inflation factors. We calculate weighted percentiles separately for each of the five versions of the survey's imputed data, then average them. Public-data estimates can differ from published internal-data figures. They are approximate historical thresholds, not official single-age rankings.

Compare your household

Starts with an illustrative example. Replace the numbers with yours.

Reference person's age

Single: your age. Couple: the man's age for mixed-sex couples, the older partner's for same-sex couples, following the Fed definition.

Household net worth

$

Assets minus debts, in whole dollars. Include shared finances. Negative balances count.

Historical 2022 benchmarks, in 2022 dollars. A balance in today's dollars gives only a rough comparison, not your current rank.

Around the 75th–90th percentile

For the Under 35 family age band in the 2022 survey.

Top 50% (median)

$39,000

Top 25% (estimate)

$153,000

Top 10% (estimate)

$366,000

Bars show dollar thresholds on the same scale. Ranking does not establish whether your retirement plan is on track.

Why comparisons vary so much

Net worth records what you own and owe, without explaining how you got there. Home equity can raise it even while a mortgage strains your cash flow. Student debt can lower it early in a career. An inheritance can raise it without changing your saving habits.

Income changes how much you can save. Geography changes housing costs and property values. Marriage or shared finances changes whose assets and debts you count. Age changes how long you've had to accumulate them.

The under-35 band puts someone starting work at 22 beside someone with a decade of earnings. Turning 35 moves you into another comparison group overnight. Your finances haven't suddenly fallen behind.

What counts as net worth?

Net worth = assets − liabilities. Include cash, investments, retirement accounts, property, vehicles and business equity at reasonable current values. Subtract mortgages, student loans, card balances and other debts. The Fed report's definitions explain the survey's scope.

Consider one illustrative household at 32, with only these assets and debts:

• Investments: $100,000.
• Home value: $450,000.
• Mortgage balance: $300,000.

Its net worth is $100,000 + $450,000 − $300,000 = $250,000. Count the mortgage once. Starting with home equity and subtracting the mortgage again would understate wealth.

Only $100,000 is invested. The rest is equity in the home they live in. That equity supports their housing, but it doesn't pay the grocery bill unless they sell, borrow against it or otherwise release it. How home equity fits into a retirement plan deserves a separate calculation.

Net worth at 30, 35 and 40

Net worth at 30

A lower balance after education or a late career start can coexist with a strong saving habit. Check whether debt is falling and investments are rising before treating an age comparison as a verdict.

Net worth at 35

An above-median balance concentrated in a home can leave little invested to support time away from work. Separate those amounts before deciding how much freedom the headline balance buys.

Net worth at 40

You're still in the 35–44 comparison band. If you want work to become optional at 50, your plan has ten years to close the gap. If your goal is 65, it has twenty-five. The same ranking serves very different timelines.

Is your trajectory supporting the life you want?

For the illustrative household, put both its balances and spending in today's dollars. Suppose investments must cover $60,000 a year, including taxes and housing costs, with no pension or other income. Using an initial yearly withdrawal of 4%, followed by inflation-adjusted dollar withdrawals, the starting target is $60,000 ÷ 0.04 = $1.5 million. Their $100,000 invested covers about 6.7% of that target. The $250,000 headline balance includes a home they still need to live in.

The withdrawal assumption comes from historical US stock-and-bond retirement research, whose four-percent conclusion used a minimum 30-year planning period. It does not guarantee future results or establish that a longer retirement is funded. The example assumes the spending lasts; a payment ending soon needs a separate timeline.

Stoke's concern is whether you're on track. Four questions make that answer more useful:

• How much is invested? Separate money that can fund spending from the home you intend to keep.
• What is your savings rate? Divide yearly savings by yearly take-home income. Keep that definition consistent over time.
• How fast is net worth growing? Compare the same assets and debts across dates. Adding an account to your tracker isn't new wealth.
• Are you getting closer to financial independence? Compare your estimated date with when you want work to become optional.

Comparison tells you where you stand relative to others. Your trajectory tells you whether you're getting where you want to go. Estimate when your investments could cover your spending using your age, invested balance, yearly spending and contributions. Add your desired age to give “on track” an actual destination.

General information, not individualized financial, tax or investment advice. The household is illustrative.