Net worth by age: median, average and top 10%
Median and average net worth by age
| Age of family head | Median | Average (mean) | Top 10% starts at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 35 | $42,700 | $200,700 | $407,300 |
| 35–44 | $148,000 | $599,800 | $1.14 million |
| 45–54 | $270,000 | $1.06 million | $2.16 million |
| 55–64 | $398,600 | $1.71 million | $3.24 million |
| 65–74 | $448,700 | $1.95 million | $3.28 million |
| 75 and older | $365,500 | $1.77 million | $2.95 million |
What net worth puts you in the top 25%, 10%, 5% and 1% by age
| Age | Top 25% | Top 10% | Top 5% | Top 1% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 35 | $167,000 | $407,300 | $683,100 | $2.60 million |
| 35–44 | $454,100 | $1.14 million | $1.92 million | $7.66 million |
| 45–54 | $875,500 | $2.16 million | $3.64 million | $13.71 million |
| 55–64 | $1.23 million | $3.24 million | $6.82 million | $19.29 million |
| 65–74 | $1.29 million | $3.28 million | $7.25 million | $21.79 million |
| 75 and older | $1.07 million | $2.95 million | $6.38 million | $19.40 million |
Median vs average: which should you compare against?
The median is the family exactly in the middle — half have more, half have less. The average adds everyone up and divides, so a small number of very wealthy families pull it far above what is typical. If you want to know how you compare with most people your age, use the median and the percentile thresholds, not the average.
Common questions
What is the median net worth of an American family?
$210,900, and the average is $1.16 million (Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances (2022), 2025 dollars).
At what age is net worth highest?
Median net worth peaks for families ages 65–74, at $448,700, then declines as retirees spend down savings.
What net worth is top 10% in the US?
About $2.12 million across all ages; the top 1% starts around $14.90 million. Thresholds by age are in the table on this page.
Why are the averages so much higher than the medians?
Wealth is highly concentrated. A small share of very wealthy families lifts the average (mean), so the median — the family in the middle — is the better picture of what is typical.
Know your own number
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Track your net worth free →Source: Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances (2022). Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances (2022), the most recent survey. Figures are in 2025 dollars — the Fed's own inflation adjustment of its public data — so they run about 9% above the 2022-dollar numbers in the Fed's 2023 Bulletin (e.g. a $39,040 under-35 median there). Percentiles are weighted across all families in each age group, by the age of the family's head.