Ahead of Us Research · Net worth by age
There is no single schedule for building a life. But the national data can still show us the landscape—if we let it add context without turning it into a deadline.
Looking for the age-group comparison? Jump to the 2022 median and mean table, then come back for the story behind the gap.
Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances · 1989–2022 · values in 2022 dollars
The landscape
Every line is a different survey year. The broad arc is familiar; the height and shape keep moving. A benchmark is a place to begin a question, not a date your household missed.
Finding 1
In every 2022 age group, the mean was roughly four to five times the median. A relatively small number of very wealthy families pull the arithmetic average far upward.
If “average” makes an ordinary household feel impossibly far behind, the word may be doing more work than the data deserves.
Finding 2
The same age band can look materially different from one survey to the next. The chart shows what each survey found, with amounts adjusted for inflation. It cannot predict what comes next or tell us why the numbers changed.
Choose an age group to make the lines easier to read. Keep the others nearby as context.
Finding 3
A home, retirement account, business, mortgage, education loan, and card balance do not appear with the same frequency at every age.
The percentage tells us how many families hold an item. The dollar figure is the median only among families who hold it. Those amounts do not add up to total net worth.
Some component estimates may rest on very small survey cells. Read them as broad patterns, not precise targets.
Finding 4
It cannot see when you began earning, who you care for, where you live, the support you had, the debt you inherited, the barriers you met, or the joyful thing you deliberately chose to fund.
So use the data to understand the landscape—not to grade the household standing inside it. For your own planning, start with what you have, what you owe, and what you want to work toward.
Project your household’s path →The numbers behind the story
The Survey of Consumer Finances uses the age of a family’s reference person to create six broad groups. Net worth is included assets minus included liabilities. Median is the middle family; mean is the arithmetic average.
| Age | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| Under 35 | $39,000 | $183,400 |
| 35–44 | $135,300 | $548,100 |
| 45–54 | $246,700 | $971,300 |
| 55–64 | $364,300 | $1,564,100 |
| 65–74 | $410,000 | $1,780,700 |
| 75+ | $334,700 | $1,620,100 |
These are repeated cross-sections of U.S. families. They do not track the same families over time.
| Year | Age | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Under 35 | $18,700 | $114,900 |
| 1989 | 35–44 | $130,400 | $342,500 |
| 1989 | 45–54 | $226,200 | $650,200 |
| 1989 | 55–64 | $226,300 | $710,500 |
| 1989 | 65–74 | $178,900 | $673,600 |
| 1989 | 75+ | $167,300 | $556,800 |
| 1992 | Under 35 | $19,200 | $94,100 |
| 1992 | 35–44 | $92,600 | $276,200 |
| 1992 | 45–54 | $162,200 | $557,300 |
| 1992 | 55–64 | $235,800 | $703,200 |
| 1992 | 65–74 | $204,500 | $597,000 |
| 1992 | 75+ | $180,100 | $443,900 |
| 1995 | Under 35 | $23,200 | $83,800 |
| 1995 | 35–44 | $100,800 | $278,800 |
| 1995 | 45–54 | $179,400 | $582,000 |
| 1995 | 55–64 | $223,600 | $740,700 |
| 1995 | 65–74 | $214,800 | $677,700 |
| 1995 | 75+ | $180,000 | $503,300 |
| 1998 | Under 35 | $16,600 | $122,300 |
| 1998 | 35–44 | $115,800 | $358,000 |
| 1998 | 45–54 | $192,600 | $662,800 |
| 1998 | 55–64 | $233,200 | $972,800 |
| 1998 | 65–74 | $267,100 | $851,100 |
| 1998 | 75+ | $229,400 | $565,900 |
| 2001 | Under 35 | $19,600 | $142,500 |
| 2001 | 35–44 | $131,400 | $435,300 |
| 2001 | 45–54 | $224,900 | $823,700 |
| 2001 | 55–64 | $310,200 | $1,233,600 |
| 2001 | 65–74 | $298,000 | $1,132,700 |
| 2001 | 75+ | $261,700 | $783,800 |
| 2004 | Under 35 | $22,300 | $115,700 |
| 2004 | 35–44 | $109,100 | $470,900 |
| 2004 | 45–54 | $228,000 | $855,200 |
| 2004 | 55–64 | $396,000 | $1,331,300 |
| 2004 | 65–74 | $298,900 | $1,087,300 |
| 2004 | 75+ | $256,300 | $826,900 |
| 2007 | Under 35 | $16,800 | $151,700 |
| 2007 | 35–44 | $126,900 | $467,300 |
| 2007 | 45–54 | $264,700 | $948,000 |
| 2007 | 55–64 | $363,000 | $1,339,800 |
| 2007 | 65–74 | $342,600 | $1,450,200 |
| 2007 | 75+ | $305,100 | $914,700 |
| 2010 | Under 35 | $12,700 | $89,000 |
| 2010 | 35–44 | $57,900 | $295,800 |
| 2010 | 45–54 | $160,000 | $778,700 |
| 2010 | 55–64 | $244,100 | $1,200,300 |
| 2010 | 65–74 | $282,300 | $1,150,700 |
| 2010 | 75+ | $296,200 | $899,000 |
| 2013 | Under 35 | $13,300 | $96,000 |
| 2013 | 35–44 | $59,900 | $442,300 |
| 2013 | 45–54 | $134,100 | $669,600 |
| 2013 | 55–64 | $210,900 | $1,012,400 |
| 2013 | 65–74 | $295,400 | $1,333,100 |
| 2013 | 75+ | $248,200 | $778,200 |
| 2016 | Under 35 | $13,600 | $94,000 |
| 2016 | 35–44 | $73,600 | $355,500 |
| 2016 | 45–54 | $153,000 | $893,100 |
| 2016 | 55–64 | $231,000 | $1,436,100 |
| 2016 | 65–74 | $276,300 | $1,306,000 |
| 2016 | 75+ | $326,500 | $1,313,200 |
| 2019 | Under 35 | $16,200 | $88,500 |
| 2019 | 35–44 | $105,600 | $507,500 |
| 2019 | 45–54 | $195,700 | $966,500 |
| 2019 | 55–64 | $247,100 | $1,363,800 |
| 2019 | 65–74 | $308,400 | $1,409,500 |
| 2019 | 75+ | $295,500 | $1,111,000 |
| 2022 | Under 35 | $39,000 | $183,400 |
| 2022 | 35–44 | $135,300 | $548,100 |
| 2022 | 45–54 | $246,700 | $971,300 |
| 2022 | 55–64 | $364,300 | $1,564,100 |
| 2022 | 65–74 | $410,000 | $1,780,700 |
| 2022 | 75+ | $334,700 | $1,620,100 |
Percent holding includes every family in the age group. Median held includes only families who report holding that item. The Federal Reserve notes that its interactive export includes some estimates based on fewer than 11 observations; it does not identify those cells in the export, so these values are broad context rather than precise targets.
| Item | Type | Age | Families holding | Median held |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary residence | Asset | Under 35 | 38.5% | $250,000 |
| Primary residence | Asset | 35–44 | 61.1% | $350,000 |
| Primary residence | Asset | 45–54 | 70.7% | $380,000 |
| Primary residence | Asset | 55–64 | 77.8% | $350,000 |
| Primary residence | Asset | 65–74 | 76.1% | $320,000 |
| Primary residence | Asset | 75+ | 81.0% | $286,000 |
| Retirement accounts | Asset | Under 35 | 49.6% | $18,900 |
| Retirement accounts | Asset | 35–44 | 61.5% | $45,000 |
| Retirement accounts | Asset | 45–54 | 62.2% | $115,000 |
| Retirement accounts | Asset | 55–64 | 57.0% | $185,000 |
| Retirement accounts | Asset | 65–74 | 51.0% | $200,000 |
| Retirement accounts | Asset | 75+ | 42.0% | $130,000 |
| Stock holdings | Asset | Under 35 | 54.4% | $12,000 |
| Stock holdings | Asset | 35–44 | 63.6% | $30,000 |
| Stock holdings | Asset | 45–54 | 63.4% | $68,700 |
| Stock holdings | Asset | 55–64 | 59.4% | $111,000 |
| Stock holdings | Asset | 65–74 | 55.8% | $160,000 |
| Stock holdings | Asset | 75+ | 49.4% | $119,500 |
| Business equity | Asset | Under 35 | 11.3% | $10,000 |
| Business equity | Asset | 35–44 | 15.7% | $50,000 |
| Business equity | Asset | 45–54 | 17.8% | $83,000 |
| Business equity | Asset | 55–64 | 18.7% | $153,000 |
| Business equity | Asset | 65–74 | 14.1% | $200,000 |
| Business equity | Asset | 75+ | 8.6% | $250,000 |
| Home-secured debt | Debt | Under 35 | 33.1% | $177,000 |
| Home-secured debt | Debt | 35–44 | 53.0% | $190,000 |
| Home-secured debt | Debt | 45–54 | 55.7% | $190,000 |
| Home-secured debt | Debt | 55–64 | 48.4% | $125,000 |
| Home-secured debt | Debt | 65–74 | 32.2% | $110,000 |
| Home-secured debt | Debt | 75+ | 27.6% | $90,000 |
| Education loans | Debt | Under 35 | 40.1% | $18,000 |
| Education loans | Debt | 35–44 | 34.1% | $25,000 |
| Education loans | Debt | 45–54 | 26.4% | $30,000 |
| Education loans | Debt | 55–64 | 12.9% | $41,000 |
| Education loans | Debt | 65–74 | 5.2% | $39,000 |
| Education loans | Debt | 75+ | 2.7% | $25,000 |
| Credit-card balances | Debt | Under 35 | 48.5% | $1,700 |
| Credit-card balances | Debt | 35–44 | 52.6% | $2,900 |
| Credit-card balances | Debt | 45–54 | 57.0% | $3,000 |
| Credit-card balances | Debt | 55–64 | 44.3% | $3,500 |
| Credit-card balances | Debt | 65–74 | 33.9% | $3,500 |
| Credit-card balances | Debt | 75+ | 29.8% | $1,700 |
All chart values come from the Federal Reserve’s official Survey of Consumer Finances interactive-chart export. Dollar estimates are inflation-adjusted to 2022 dollars. Values shown on the page are rounded for reading; calculations retain the published precision.
Written by Ahead of Us. Last reviewed October 5, 2026. Educational context—not financial or investment advice.
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