Statistics · 2026 · Stocks
Retirement Savings Statistics (2026)
54.9% of U.S. families had a retirement account in 2025, and the median balance among them was $106,000, according to the Federal Reserve’s 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances. That median rose 11% from 2022 after inflation. The average balance was $451,100, and balances peak at $257,000 for families headed by someone 65 or older, while 45.1% of families have no retirement account at all.
Key takeaways
- 54.9% of families held a 401(k)-type plan, IRA or similar retirement account in 2025, up from 54.3% in 2022.
- The median balance among those families was $106,000 and the mean was $451,100, both in 2025 dollars.
- Families headed by someone under 35 had a median of $21,000; at 55 to 64 it was $239,000.
- 36.9% of families aged 55 to 64, the group closest to retirement, had no retirement account.
- By WealthyBud’s calculation from the Fed’s public data, about 13% of account holders had $1 million or more.
- Retirement accounts made up 39.3% of all family financial assets, the highest share since the modern survey began in 1989.
What share of Americans have retirement savings?
About 54.9% of American families had a retirement account in 2025, the Federal Reserve reports, up 0.6 percentage point from 2022. The count covers IRAs and account-type employer plans such as 401(k)s and 403(b)s. Traditional pensions are measured separately, and 45.1% of families had no retirement account.
1. 54.9% of families hold a retirement account
Retirement accounts are the second most commonly held financial asset after checking and savings accounts, the Fed’s Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2022 to 2025 report says. The share was 54.3% in 2022.
2. 45.1% of families have no retirement account
More than half of families under 35 (51.2%) and 75 or older (55.4%) have none, as do 86.5% of the lowest-income fifth (Table 6). The survey counts pensions and Social Security separately.
3. 65.1% of working-age families participate in a retirement plan
Counting IRAs, 401(k)-type plans and traditional pensions, 65.1% of families headed by someone 64 or younger took part in some plan in 2025, up from 64.4% in 2022 (Box 2 of the Fed report).
The Survey of Consumer Finances is the Fed’s main source on family balance sheets. It runs every three years and oversamples wealthy households so the top of the distribution is measured well. All dollar figures on this page are in 2025 dollars unless noted, and balances are counted per family, not per person.
How much does the typical family have saved for retirement?
Among families with a retirement account, the median balance was $106,000 in 2025 and the mean was $451,100, the Fed reports. The median rose 11% and the mean 23% from 2022 after inflation. The mean is about 4.3 times the median because a few large accounts pull it up.
4. Median retirement balance: $106,000
Half of families with an account had more than $106,000 and half had less. In 2022 the median was $95,200 in 2025 dollars, so the typical saver gained about $10,800 after inflation.
5. Average retirement balance: $451,100
The conditional mean rose from $365,700 in 2022. Averages are the figure most often quoted in headlines, but they describe very few real families.
6. Middle half of savers: $27,000 to $413,000
By WealthyBud’s weighted calculation on the Fed’s public summary dataset, the 25th percentile balance among holders was $27,000 and the 75th was $413,000. The 90th percentile was $1.24 million.
7. About 13% of savers have $1 million or more
The share of account holders at seven figures rises with age, to about 23% at 65 to 74 and 25% at 75 and older (WealthyBud calculation on the public data).
How much retirement savings do people have by age?
Retirement balances climb with age. Among account holders in 2025, the median was $21,000 for families headed by someone under 35, $61,200 at 35 to 44 and $133,000 at 45 to 54. It reached $239,000 at 55 to 64 and $257,000 at 65 and older.
8. Under 35: median $21,000
48.8% of the youngest families had an account. Their mean balance was $48,400, and their median was up 3% from 2022.
9. Ages 55 to 64: median $239,000
Families nearest retirement held a median of $239,000, up 18% from 2022. The Fed’s Box 2 puts the mean combined IRA and 401(k)-type balance for this group at $670,200.
10. 75 and older: median up 79% since 2022
The oldest families’ median rose to $257,000 from $143,400, the largest gain of any age group. Only 44.6% of them still held an account.
| Age | Share with an account (2025) | Median 2022 | Median 2025 | Change | Mean 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 35 | 48.8% | $20,400 | $21,000 | +3% | $48,400 |
| 35 to 44 | 59.6% | $49,200 | $61,200 | +24% | $182,400 |
| 45 to 54 | 63.0% | $125,900 | $133,000 | +6% | $415,800 |
| 55 to 64 | 63.1% | $202,500 | $239,000 | +18% | $670,200 |
| 65 to 74 | 49.0% | $218,500 | $257,000 | +18% | $767,600 |
| 75 and older | 44.6% | $143,400 | $257,000 | +79% | $798,700 |
| All families | 54.9% | $95,200 | $106,000 | +11% | $451,100 |
The median compares savers with savers. Because nearly half of families have no account, a balance of $239,000 at 55 to 64 puts a family well ahead of most of its age group, not in the middle of it. The percentile table shows how wide each age band is.
| Age | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 35 | $5,400 | $21,000 | $55,000 | $147,000 |
| 35 to 44 | $17,000 | $61,000 | $219,000 | $484,000 |
| 45 to 54 | $47,600 | $133,000 | $414,000 | $1.05 million |
| 55 to 64 | $60,000 | $239,000 | $709,000 | $1.85 million |
| 65 to 74 | $94,600 | $257,000 | $837,000 | $1.95 million |
| 75 and older | $68,000 | $257,000 | $978,000 | $2.20 million |
How do retirement savings vary by income and education?
Both ownership and balances climb with income. 92.9% of families in the top 10% by income had a retirement account in 2025, with a median of $893,800. Only 13.5% of the bottom 20% did, with a median of $17,000. Education shows a similar, smaller gap.
11. Top 10% of earners: median $893,800
That is about 18 times the $50,000 median of middle-income savers (the 40th to 60th income percentiles), 56.5% of whom had an account.
12. Bottom 20% of earners: 13.5% have an account
Those who do have an account hold a median of $17,000. In the next income group, the 20th to 40th percentiles, 36.3% have an account, with a median of $25,000 (Table 6).
13. College graduates: 75.3% have an account, median $187,000
For families headed by someone with a high school diploma, 36.4% had an account and the median was $53,100. Without a diploma the share fell to 15.8%.
| Income group | Share with an account | Median (holders) | Mean (holders) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottom 20% | 13.5% | $17,000 | $86,200 |
| 20th–40th | 36.3% | $25,000 | $88,500 |
| 40th–60th | 56.5% | $50,000 | $153,200 |
| 60th–80th | 78.2% | $100,000 | $270,500 |
| 80th–90th | 86.5% | $239,000 | $472,900 |
| Top 10% | 92.9% | $893,800 | $1.49 million |
Do homeowners have more retirement savings than renters?
Yes, by a wide margin. 64.7% of homeowner families had a retirement account in 2025, with a median of $160,000. Among renters, 36.1% had one, with a median of $30,000. Table 6 does not adjust for age or income, so the gap mixes both.
14. Homeowners: median $160,000; renters: $30,000
The owner median is about 5 times the renter median. Mean balances were $547,600 and $121,600 (Table 6).
15. Self-employed: 46.7% have an account, median $200,000
Families headed by an employee were more likely to have an account, 64.6%, but held a lower median of $74,000. Couples without children had a median of $172,900 (Table 6).
Retirement accounts are only part of the picture: home equity, businesses and taxable accounts sit outside them. See net worth statistics for total family wealth and homeownership statistics for Census ownership rates.
How have retirement savings changed since 1989?
Retirement accounts have spread and grown. The share of families with one rose from 37.1% in 1989 to 54.9% in 2025. After inflation, the median balance among holders climbed from $27,800 to $106,000, about 3.8 times higher. The share of family financial assets held in these accounts nearly doubled.
16. Record median: $106,000 in 2025
The 2025 median is the highest in the modern survey. It was $82,500 in 2019 and $70,500 in 2007, so the median is up 28% since 2019 after inflation.
17. 39.3% of family financial assets sit in retirement accounts
Retirement accounts held 21.5% of all financial assets in 1989 and 35.9% in 2022 (Table 5). The 2025 share is the highest in any survey since 1989.
18. Ages 35 to 44: mean IRA and 401(k) balance up to $182,400
The Fed’s Box 2 shows mean combined balances rising for every age group under 65 from 2022 to 2025 except the youngest, where the mean slipped to $48,400 from $53,800.
| Survey year | Share with an account | Median (holders) | Mean (holders) | Share of financial assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 37.1% | $27,800 | $94,600 | 21.5% |
| 1992 | 40.1% | $31,700 | $100,800 | 25.8% |
| 1995 | 45.3% | $36,000 | $120,700 | 28.3% |
| 1998 | 48.9% | $47,900 | $152,200 | 27.8% |
| 2001 | 52.8% | $54,000 | $191,900 | 29.0% |
| 2004 | 49.9% | $60,800 | $211,600 | 32.4% |
| 2007 | 53.0% | $70,500 | $230,800 | 35.0% |
| 2010 | 50.4% | $65,800 | $255,800 | 38.2% |
| 2013 | 49.2% | $82,200 | $280,400 | 38.8% |
| 2016 | 52.1% | $81,000 | $309,000 | 35.6% |
| 2019 | 50.5% | $82,500 | $324,200 | 35.9% |
| 2022 | 54.3% | $95,200 | $365,700 | 35.9% |
| 2025 | 54.9% | $106,000 | $451,100 | 39.3% |
What this means for savers and investors
- Benchmark against the median for your age, not the average. The mean is 2.3 to 3.1 times the median across age groups, so it overstates what a typical saver holds.
- Start early, even with small amounts. Families under 35 hold a median of $21,000; the median is about 6 times higher at 45 to 54. See stock market return statistics for long-run return history.
- Fees compound too. A fund’s expense ratio comes out of returns every year inside a 401(k) or IRA; compare low-cost core funds on VOO vs VTI and VTI vs VTSAX.
- Weigh real estate alongside your 401(k). Homeowners in the survey held about 5 times the median retirement balance of renters. Screen markets on the best places to invest in real estate list and check the cost of living by metro before you move or buy.
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