How to use the net worth by age calculator
- Enter the age of the family’s reference person. For a single person, that is you. For couples, see the survey’s rule below.
- Enter family net worth in U.S. dollars. Add everything the family owns and subtract everything it owes. The net worth calculator does this for you.
- Read the comparison. You will see the median and mean for your age group and the gap between your figure and the median.
- Check the full table. Every age group is listed below the result, with your group highlighted.
The benchmark figures are fixed U.S. data. If you switch the display currency away from USD, the calculator still shows the U.S. table but stops comparing, because an amount in rupees, euros or pounds cannot be compared with dollars without an exchange rate, and this site does not convert currencies.
2025 U.S. family net worth by age
These are the figures the calculator uses, copied from the Federal Reserve’s report and checked number by number against it on 31 October 2026.
| Age of reference person | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| Under 35 | $33,000 | $135,400 |
| 35–44 | $155,600 | $681,900 |
| 45–54 | $253,700 | $1,244,500 |
| 55–64 | $411,900 | $1,878,000 |
| 65–74 | $431,300 | $1,897,600 |
| 75 or older | $504,900 | $1,962,200 |
For all U.S. families together, the 2025 median was $215,900 and the mean $1,241,500.
Inputs explained
- Age of family reference person
- The survey groups each family by one person’s age, not by every member’s age. The calculator accepts whole years from 18 to 120 and finds the matching group.
- Family net worth (2025 USD)
- Total family assets minus total family debts, in U.S. dollars. The survey’s figures are in 2025 dollars, so a current figure is the closest like-for-like comparison. Zero and negative amounts are valid.
Who is the reference person?
The Federal Reserve organises the data around a “reference person” in each family’s main economic unit. Its report explains that if a couple is economically dominant, the reference person is the male in a mixed-sex couple or the older person in a same-sex couple; otherwise it is the single economically dominant person. The term replaced “household head” in 2019 and is not a judgment about how a family is run. It does mean the age you enter should follow the same rule if you want a like-for-like comparison.
How the comparison works
Difference = your family net worth − median net worth for your age group
The calculator finds your age group (for example 35–44), shows the published median and mean for that group, and subtracts the median from your figure. A positive difference means your entry is above the group median; a negative one means it is below. It does not estimate a percentile: the survey data on this page cannot tell you how many families are above or below an exact amount.
Worked examples
Age 35 with $125,000
Age 35 falls in the 35–44 group, where the median is $155,600. Difference = 125,000 − 155,600 = −$30,600. This family is below the middle of its group, which is unremarkable at the start of the band: the group spans ten years of saving.
Age 62 with $600,000
The 55–64 median is $411,900, so the difference is 600,000 − 411,900 = +$188,100. Yet the mean for the same group is $1,878,000. Both statements are true at once: this family is above the typical family and below the average, because the average is pulled up by a few very large fortunes.
Age 27 with −$15,000
The under-35 median is $33,000. Difference = −15,000 − 33,000 = −$48,000. Student loans often push young families below zero before savings catch up; the comparison shows distance from the middle, not a ranking.
Median, mean and what the result can tell you
The median is the middle family: half of families in the group have more, half have less. The mean is the total wealth of the group divided by the number of families. Wealth is very unevenly spread, so the mean lands far above what most families hold. If you want to know what is typical, use the median.
- The result is context for one point in time, not a target. Families differ in income, location, household size, inheritance and health.
- Home equity is a large share of wealth for many older families. If you rent, a lower figure can reflect a different housing path rather than lower saving.
- Survey medians carry sampling error. Small gaps, a few thousand dollars either way, are not meaningful.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Comparing an individual with a family figure. The data are per family. A married couple should compare their combined net worth.
- Comparing with the mean. The mean is not the “normal” amount. Most families in every age group hold less than the mean.
- Using another currency. These are U.S. dollar figures for U.S. families. They are not global benchmarks, and the calculator does not convert other currencies.
- Treating the gap as a score. Being below the median is not failure and being above it is not a guarantee of security.
Assumptions and limitations
- Data cover U.S. families only and come from the 2025 survey, published in October 2026. Values are in 2025 dollars and are not adjusted for later inflation.
- Age groups are broad. Someone aged 35 and someone aged 44 share the same benchmark.
- The calculator compares with the median only. It does not compute percentiles, rankings or country comparisons.
- This is educational context, not financial advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median net worth by age in the U.S.?
In the 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, the median ranged from $33,000 for families with a reference person under 35 to $504,900 for those aged 75 or older. The full table is above.
Why is the average so much higher than the median?
A small number of families hold very large fortunes. Adding them raises the average a lot but barely moves the middle family, so in 2025 the mean ended up roughly four to five times the median in each age group.
Can I use this outside the United States?
You can read the U.S. figures, but they are not a benchmark for other countries. Living costs, home ownership and pension systems differ widely, and no conversion is applied.
Does this tell me my percentile?
No. It shows the group median and mean and your distance from the median. Percentile estimates need data this calculator does not use.
Should I include my home and retirement accounts?
Yes. The survey’s net worth includes all family assets, including homes and retirement accounts, minus all debts.
Is my data saved?
No. The comparison runs in your browser and nothing you type is sent to NetWorthXI’s server.
Sources and method
- Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2022 to 2025: Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances, October 2026, Table 2 (“Family median and mean net worth, by selected characteristics of families”), PDF page 18. Figures in thousands of 2025 dollars.
- Federal Reserve Board, Survey of Consumer Finances interactive tables, 1989–2025.
- Federal Reserve Board, Survey of Consumer Finances overview.
All twelve median and mean figures were checked against the published table on 31 October 2026. See our methodology.