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Average and median net worth at 56

Among households headed by someone aged 54 to 58, the median net worth is $253,000 and the average $1,630,900. Below: every point in the line, where common amounts rank at 56, and how the figures change from one age to the next.

Short answer: Among households headed by someone aged 54 to 58, the median net worth is $253,000 and the average is $1,630,900 (Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances, 2025). The middle half holds between $43,200 and $1,248,000, and the top 10% starts at $3,255,300.

Net worth at 56, from the bottom to the top 1%

Half of households headed by someone aged 54 to 58 hold less than $253,000. The middle half holds between $43,200 and $1,248,000; the top 10% starts at $3,255,300.

Net worth, households headed by someone aged 54 to 58 (406 surveyed households)
Point in the lineNet worth
10th percentile$600
25th percentile$43,200
Median$253,000
75th percentile$1,248,000
90th percentile (top 10%)$3,255,300
95th percentile (top 5%)$6,477,000
99th percentile (top 1%)$19,672,900
Average$1,630,900

Where common amounts rank at 56

Net worth amounts against households headed by someone aged 54 to 58
Net worthRank at 56
$50,00026th percentile
$100,00033rd percentile
$250,00049th percentile
$500,00059th percentile
$1,000,00071st percentile
$2,000,00083rd percentile
$5,000,00092nd percentile

Pages for amounts at 56: $2 million.

Net worth at nearby ages

Median, average and top 10% by age
AgeMedianAverageTop 10% starts
51$261,300$1,383,500$2,931,000
52$290,000$1,499,700$3,349,400
53$271,200$1,506,200$3,542,000
54$256,600$1,499,800$3,023,800
55$253,300$1,450,000$3,002,000
56$253,000$1,630,900$3,255,300
57$252,000$1,608,700$3,255,300
58$318,400$1,759,900$3,255,300
59$318,500$1,770,900$3,088,300
60$368,000$2,138,400$3,842,200

Why the average is so much higher than the median

The average at 56, $1,630,900, is 6.4 times the median. A small number of very wealthy households pull it up, so it sits around the 80th percentile: most households at 56 hold less than the average. The median is the better guide to a typical household.

Figures are from the Federal Reserve’s 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, released October 2026, in 2025 dollars. Each age uses households whose head is within about two years of it, so the line moves smoothly from one age to the next. Net worth is everything owned, including home equity and retirement accounts, minus everything owed. Future Social Security and pension payments are not counted.

See net worth by age for every age group, or work out your own net worth.

Figures checked on against Federal Reserve, Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2022 to 2025 (October 2026) (PDF) and Federal Reserve, 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, public data.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average net worth at 56?
$1,630,900 among households headed by someone aged 54 to 58, in the Federal Reserve’s 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances. The median, the household in the middle, is $253,000: a few very wealthy households pull the average up.
What net worth is top 10% at 56?
About $3,255,300. The top 25% starts at $1,248,000, the top 5% at $6,477,000 and the top 1% at $19,672,900.
What counts in net worth?
Everything owned minus everything owed: the home, retirement accounts, investments, cash, vehicles and businesses, less the mortgage, loans and card balances. It leaves out future Social Security and pension payments.