Net Worth by Age: See Where You Stand in 2026

Net worth benchmarks get thrown around constantly, but most of the numbers people quote are the average, not the median, and the two tell very different stories. The average net worth in your 50s is over $1.1 million; the median is $266,140. Neither number is wrong, they are just answering different questions. This guide breaks down real Federal Reserve data by age bracket, explains why the gap between average and median is so wide, and shows how to use the numbers without letting them become a source of anxiety.

What is the average net worth by age in the U.S.?

In 2026, the most current nationally representative figures still come from the Federal Reserve's 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances, released in October 2023 (Federal Reserve, Survey of Consumer Finances). The 2025 survey is underway, with results expected in late 2026. In the meantime, this remains the most reliable snapshot of household wealth across age groups, including home equity and retirement accounts.

What is the median net worth by age?

Median is the number where half of households sit above and half sit below, and it is the far more honest benchmark. As of the Fed's 2022 survey, median net worth climbs steadily from $10,222 at 18-24 to a peak of $438,700 at 70-74, then eases back through retirement. If your number looks nothing like the average table above, this is the one to compare against instead.

Both tables come from the same Federal Reserve 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances data as compiled by DQYDJ and include home equity, which is why net worth often rises sharply once a household finishes paying off a mortgage.

Why is the gap between average and median net worth so large?

Wealth is not distributed evenly, a relatively small share of very high-net-worth households pulls the average far above what a typical household holds. At 50-54, average net worth is $1,132,497 while the median is $266,140, a gap of more than $866,000. That gap widens through the 60s and 70s as concentrated wealth compounds faster than typical household savings.

This is the single most misused statistic in personal finance. Headlines love the average because the number is bigger and more clickable, but it tells almost no individual reader anything useful about their own situation. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau frames wealth-building around consistent saving habits, not a headline figure, and the median is the number that actually reflects those habits across real households.

How does real-time net worth data compare to the Fed's survey?

As of January 2026, Empower's dashboard data (published February 17, 2026) shows average net worth climbing from $139,243 in someone's 20s to a peak of $1,577,907 in their 60s, before declining in later decades (Empower, The Currency, 2026). Its median figures run lower than the Fed's, $23,093 in the 30s versus the Fed's $88,631-$138,588 range, because Empower's sample skews toward younger, already-engaged dashboard users rather than a nationally representative household mix.

Neither dataset is "more correct." The Fed's survey is nationally representative but updates only every three years; dashboard data updates constantly but reflects one platform's user base. Use the Fed table as the honest national baseline, and treat dashboard figures as a directional read on people already tracking their money closely.

What percentile is my net worth?

A single benchmark table only tells you where the midpoint sits, not exactly where your household ranks. Once you have a real number to work with, whether from portfolio tracking or a manual tally, the net worth calculator turns it into a single figure you can track over time, which matters more than any one-time comparison to a national table.

For a fuller picture of what should factor into that number, cash, debt, investments, property, and other assets, see our breakdown of what belongs in a net worth dashboard.

How can I grow my net worth faster than the average for my age?

Beating your bracket's benchmark comes down to a handful of habits repeated consistently, not a single big move.

• Track it, don't guess it. Pull accounts, investments, and debt into one net worth view so the number is real, not estimated once a year.
• Pay down high-interest debt first. Net worth is assets minus liabilities, credit card interest erodes the liabilities side faster than most investments grow the assets side.
• Automate contributions. Consistent, automatic investing beats occasional large deposits, especially in the 30s and 40s brackets where median net worth still lags average by a wide margin.
• Build home equity deliberately. Every dataset here includes home equity, extra principal payments compound into net worth just like invested dollars do.
• Recheck twice a year. Benchmarks move slowly; checking quarterly or annually against your own prior numbers beats chasing a table that updates every three years.

If debt is the bigger obstacle right now, our guide to snowball vs. avalanche payoff methods covers how to clear it without stalling everything else.

Common mistakes when comparing your net worth to benchmarks

• Using average instead of median. The average is skewed by a small number of very wealthy households and does not represent a typical household your age.
• Comparing gross income earners to net worth benchmarks. A high income does not equal a high net worth, see our piece on HENRY: High Earner, Not Rich Yet for why the two diverge.
• Treating a three-year-old survey as a live number. The Fed's data is authoritative but only refreshes every three years; your own number should be checked far more often.
• Panicking over a single bad year. Markets and home values move net worth up and down; the trend across several check-ins matters more than any one snapshot.

Where should your net worth be headed next?

Benchmarks are a starting point, not a verdict. What matters more is whether your own number is moving in the right direction, check to check, year to year. Nethaven pulls your accounts, investments, debt, and goals into one honest net worth figure so you can compare yourself to your own history first, and the national table second. See how it works, or run your own numbers with the net worth calculator.