How much American households have in retirement accounts (IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s and similar plans) by age, from the Federal Reserve’s 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, released on October 9, 2026, alongside the savings targets two of the largest plan providers publish.
Retirement savings by age
| Age | Have an account | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 35 | 49% | $5,400 | $21,000 | $55,000 | $147,000 | $48,400 |
| 35 to 44 | 60% | $17,000 | $61,000 | $219,000 | $484,000 | $182,400 |
| 45 to 54 | 63% | $47,600 | $133,000 | $414,000 | $1,054,000 | $415,800 |
| 55 to 64 | 63% | $60,000 | $239,000 | $709,000 | $1,850,000 | $670,200 |
| 65 to 74 | 49% | $94,600 | $257,000 | $837,000 | $1,950,000 | $767,500 |
| 75 and over | 45% | $68,000 | $257,000 | $978,000 | $2,200,000 | $798,700 |
| All households | 55% | $27,000 | $106,000 | $413,000 | $1,240,000 | $451,100 |
Among households with a retirement account, the median balance is $106,000 and the average $451,100. Balances are for the whole household: every IRA and every employer plan of both spouses, including old employers’ plans.
By five-year age band
| Age | Have an account | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 to 24* | 32% | $6,200 | $10,500 | $17,000 |
| 25 to 29* | 54% | $21,000 | $55,000 | $127,000 |
| 30 to 34* | 53% | $31,500 | $78,000 | $169,000 |
| 35 to 39 | 55% | $73,000 | $225,000 | $463,000 |
| 40 to 44 | 65% | $55,700 | $200,000 | $540,000 |
| 45 to 49 | 61% | $145,000 | $382,000 | $865,000 |
| 50 to 54 | 65% | $119,200 | $500,000 | $1,412,000 |
| 55 to 59 | 61% | $200,000 | $657,000 | $1,530,000 |
| 60 to 64 | 65% | $252,000 | $729,000 | $1,963,000 |
| 65 to 69 | 51% | $233,000 | $735,000 | $1,794,000 |
| 70 to 74 | 47% | $320,000 | $1,192,000 | $2,150,000 |
| 75 to 79* | 48% | $200,000 | $975,000 | $2,008,300 |
| 80 to 84* | 39% | $457,000 | $1,200,000 | $2,200,000 |
| 85 and over* | 42% | $236,000 | $723,000 | $1,500,000 |
Retirement savings milestones: how much to save by age
How much to save for retirement: Fidelity’s guideline, as a multiple of your salary, assumes you save 15% a year from 25 and retire at 67:
- By 30: 1× your salary
- By 40: 3× your salary
- By 50: 6× your salary
- By 60: 8× your salary
- By 67: 10× your salary
T. Rowe Price publishes ranges of household income, assuming retirement at 65:
| Age | Savings benchmark |
|---|---|
| 30 | 0.5× |
| 35 | 1× to 1.5× |
| 40 | 1.5× to 2.5× |
| 45 | 2.5× to 4× |
| 50 | 3.5× to 5.5× |
| 55 | 4.5× to 8× |
| 60 | 6× to 11× |
| 65 | 7.5× to 13.5× |
Rules of thumb ignore what you will actually spend, your Social Security and when you want to stop working. The retirement number calculator works from your spending, and the FIRE calculator shows how a higher savings rate shortens the wait. The Coast FIRE calculator shows whether what you have could grow into your number without more saving. How many households already have enough to stop saving is in how many Americans have reached Coast FIRE.
Why so many households have no retirement account
Only 55% of households have an IRA or a 401(k)-type account. Many of the rest work for employers without a plan, have pensions instead, or have already spent their accounts. The share falls after 65 partly because accounts get drawn down or moved. These figures leave out traditional pensions and Social Security, so they understate what older households have to retire on.
About the data
Computed from the Fed’s public 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances data with the survey weights; the shares, medians and averages match the Fed’s own public-data tables. Age is the age of the household’s reference person. Values are in 2025 dollars. For balances in a single employer plan by age, see average 401(k) balance by age.
Figures checked on against Federal Reserve, Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2022 to 2025 (October 2026) (PDF), Federal Reserve, 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, public data, Fidelity, How much do I need to retire? (September 25, 2026) and T. Rowe Price, retirement savings benchmarks by age (April 2026).