Typical US household net worth by age band — both the median and the (much higher) average — from Federal Reserve data. ✓ Fed SCF
The average is far higher than the median because a few very wealthy households pull it up.
| Age | Median net worth | Average net worth |
|---|---|---|
| Under 35 | $39,000 | $184,000 |
| 35–44 | $136,000 | $550,000 |
| 45–54 | $247,000 | $976,000 |
| 55–64 | $365,000 | $1.57M |
| 65–74 | $410,000 | $1.79M |
| 75+ | $336,000 | $1.62M |
Net worth — everything you own minus everything you owe — builds over a lifetime, so it rises steadily with age. US median household net worth climbs from about $39,000 under 35 to roughly $247,000 at 45–54 and peaks around $410,000 for 65–74-year-olds, before easing in retirement. Beating the median for your age band puts you in the top half of households your age.
Notice how the average is two to four times the median at every age — that gap exists because a small number of very wealthy households drag the mean upward. The median is the better benchmark for a typical family. To see exactly where you rank, use our net worth percentile calculator, and total up your own figure with the net worth calculator.
These figures come from the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances and include home equity, retirement and investment accounts, cash and vehicles, minus all debts. They reflect US households; wealth levels and benchmarks differ in the UK, Canada, Australia and elsewhere.
Net worth is simply what you own minus what you owe — including home equity, retirement accounts and vehicles, less mortgage, student and card debt. The arithmetic is easy; reading the comparison honestly is the hard part.
Wealth distributions are extremely skewed, so the mean sits far above the median at every age. A handful of very large fortunes drag the average upward while leaving the midpoint untouched, which means the average describes almost no real household. The median — the point where half are above and half below — is the only figure worth comparing yourself against.
Age is doing much of the work in any such table, and not only through saving. Older cohorts have had longer for compounding to act and for mortgage balances to amortise, so home equity alone accounts for a large share of the climb. Comparing across age bands without holding that in mind produces a discouraging and largely meaningless result; comparing within your own band, against the median, is the version that carries information.