Set your assumptions
Change a value to explore a scenario.
Percentile is computed across all U.S. households. The age group adds a median benchmark for context.
Your scenario
Read the result alongside the assumptions.
Net worth percentile
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Share at or above
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of U.S. households
Group median
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Share of households with at least $X
Retirement savings percentile and net worth percentile measure different things
This calculator estimates your position in the overall U.S. net worth distribution. It does not rank your 401(k) balance, and selecting an age group does not recalculate an age-specific percentile. The age selector changes the median comparison only.
| Measure | What to count | Question it helps answer |
|---|---|---|
| Total net worth | Assets minus debts, including home equity and retirement accounts | How large is the family balance sheet? |
| Retirement account balance | Balances in retirement accounts such as IRAs and 401(k)s | How much is held in those accounts? |
| Portfolio available for retirement | Assets you plan to use for withdrawals; consider access and taxes | What can fund retirement spending? |
Keep the population and the wealth measure consistent when comparing figures.
The same net worth can fund different retirement incomes
Family A has $600,000 of home equity and $400,000 in investments. Family B has $200,000 of home equity and $800,000 in investments. Ignoring other assets and debts, both have $1 million of net worth and receive the same overall percentile estimate here. At a hypothetical 4% starting draw, their investment portfolios provide $16,000 and $32,000 a year respectively, before tax.
Housing costs may differ too. Use the ranking for context, then enter the actual withdrawal portfolio in the retirement income calculator. Do not apply a portfolio withdrawal rate to home equity unless you separately model how it becomes available.
How to use the age benchmark without overreading the percentile
- Enter a consistent family total. Add assets and subtract outstanding debts. Avoid subtracting the mortgage again if you already entered home equity net of that mortgage.
- Select an age group for context. The reference group in the SCF is based on the age of the family’s reference person. Being over 65 does not itself mean every family member is retired.
- Read the percentile as an approximation. This tool interpolates between a small set of 2022-based wealth anchors; it does not rerun the weighted survey microdata for your inputs.
- Keep the survey year visible. Values are in 2022 dollars. The tool does not update wealth distributions for later inflation, house prices, or market returns.
The Federal Reserve’s published 2022 summary reports median family net worth of $192,900. The calculator retains a nearby $192,084 overall anchor and rounded age benchmarks from its existing approximation. These should not be read as exact, current-dollar official cutoffs.
At or below zero, the existing curve does not distinguish different negative balances. At and above its highest anchor, about $13.7 million, it holds the share at or above the entered amount at 1%. It cannot distinguish the top 0.1% from the top 1%, and the displayed whole-number percentile hides additional rounding.
For retirement readiness, move from comparison to a budget: estimate spending, subtract reliable income, and test the remaining gap with the monthly income tool. A high percentile alone does not tell you when to retire.
Sources: Federal Reserve: 2022 family finances, Table 2 · SCF data and documentation. Examples are illustrative calculations, not survey findings.
Net Worth Percentile — Financial Depth
financialdepth.com/retirement-savings-percentile
The short answer
The calculator’s 2022-based curve puts roughly 18% of U.S. families at $1 million or above. This is total net worth, including home equity, rather than retirement savings alone.
What share of Americans have $1M, $2M, or more?
These are approximate outputs from this page’s 2022-based wealth curve. Intermediate values are interpolated between the calculator’s anchor points. They are not official age-specific retirement-savings cutoffs.
| Net worth at least | Share of U.S. households | Roughly the top… |
|---|---|---|
| $500,000 | ~29% | top 29% |
| $1,000,000 | 18.0% | top 18% |
| $2,000,000 | ~10% | top 10% |
| $3,000,000 | ~6% | top 6% |
| $4,000,000 | ~5% | top 5% |
| $5,000,000 | ~3.5% | top ~4% |
Source: Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances (2022), nominal 2022 dollars. Figures between published percentiles are estimates; the extreme upper tail has known sampling limits.
Net worth by age: median family benchmarks
The published 2022 SCF medians are highest in the 65–74 age bracket. These are family net worth benchmarks, grouped by the reference person’s age; the group is not limited to people who have stopped working.
| Age group | Median net worth |
|---|---|
| Under 35 | $39,000 |
| 35–44 | $135,000 |
| 45–54 | $247,000 |
| 55–64 | $364,000 |
| 65–74 | $410,000 |
| 75 and over | $335,000 |
Source: Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances (2022). Medians rounded.
How to read a net worth percentile
The U.S. mean net worth (~$1.06M) is far above the median (~$192K) because a small number of very wealthy households pull it up. For "how do I compare", use the median.
Home equity is included in total net worth. It can improve your balance sheet without producing cash for day-to-day retirement spending; model any plan to sell, downsize, or borrow against it separately.
This calculator uses the 2022 SCF as its data vintage. It does not inflate its thresholds to today’s dollars or automatically incorporate a later survey. Check the linked Federal Reserve data page before treating any benchmark as current.
Percentile compares you to peers; it doesn't tell you whether you can retire. For that, convert assets into income with the tools below.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of Americans have a $1 million net worth?
The curve used here estimates about 18% of U.S. families at $1 million or more in total net worth using 2022-based anchors. It does not measure the share of individual Americans, retirees only, or people with $1 million in retirement accounts.
What percentage of retirees have $2 million or $3 million?
This calculator does not estimate those percentages specifically for retirees. Its overall U.S. curve gives approximately 10% at $2 million and 6% at $3 million. An age-group median is not enough to derive the share above either threshold within that age group.
What is a good net worth for my age?
There is no single target, but the Federal Reserve's 2022 median net worth by age is a useful benchmark: about $39,000 under 35, $135,000 at 35–44, $247,000 at 45–54, $364,000 at 55–64, $410,000 at 65–74, and $335,000 at 75+. Half of households in each group have more, half less. The median is more representative than the average, which a small number of very wealthy households pulls far higher.
Does net worth include home equity and retirement accounts?
Yes. Add assets, including the home, cash, investments, retirement accounts, vehicles and business interests, then subtract debts. If you enter home equity rather than the full home value, do not subtract the mortgage a second time. This total differs from the investable portfolio available to fund retirement.
Why does my percentile stay the same when I change my age?
The ranking uses the all-family curve. Age changes only the median benchmark and the above-or-below-median comparison. The calculator does not contain a separate percentile curve for each age group.
Should I enter just my 401(k) or my total net worth?
Enter total net worth for this comparison. Entering only a 401(k) balance compares one account with a broader measure that includes other assets and debts, so it does not give a retirement-account percentile.
Turn net worth into a retirement plan
Income and longevity from $300K to $5M.
Retire on $X/month →The nest egg a target monthly income needs.
4% rule calculator →Translate a portfolio into annual income.
How long will it last? →Test depletion under spending and returns.