Build wealth. Think long. Raise capable humans.
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Data Source: Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) 2022
last updated March 2026 with latest Federal Reserve and Census data.
My first real paycheck was $60,000. It was more money than my parents had ever earned in a year. I thought I was rich.
Then someone told me the median household income in New York City was over $200,000, and I thought that was the most money in the world. When I first played with a net worth percentile calculator and learned that $10 million was roughly the top 1%, I told my then-boyfriend (now husband) like it was a joke. We both laughed. We saved half our income anyway, but neither of us actually believed we’d get there.
That was about ten years ago. We’re on track to hit it now. And I still catch myself asking “is this enough?” Which is, honestly, an insane question.
Here’s what I’ve learned: people assume the 1% are happier than the 10%, like net worth is a dial you turn up. It’s not. Your number only means something relative to where you came from, who you’re around, and what stage of life you’re in. The most content people I know aren’t the richest. They’re the most intentional.
I built this calculator because I’ve been obsessed with this question for years — where do I actually stand? I wanted to filter by age, education, race, marital status. I wanted to know that I’m enough. That I’m okay. If I’m being honest, there’s something a little obsessive about me needing to check — again, and again — that I’m safe. I know that about myself.
What building this thing eventually taught me is that safety doesn’t come from knowing your exact percentile. It comes from acceptance. But I still check. So I built this for people like me.
Enter your net worth below to see where you stand.
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Net worth varies dramatically by age as people accumulate wealth over their careers. Here are the benchmarks:
| Age Group | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Top 1% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 25 | $10,800 | $28,000 | $55,000 | $350,000 |
| 25-34 | $39,000 | $120,000 | $280,000 | $1.8M |
| 35-44 | $135,600 | $350,000 | $800,000 | $5M |
| 45-54 | $247,200 | $600,000 | $1.4M | $8M |
| 55-64 | $364,500 | $950,000 | $2.2M | $12M |
| 65-74 | $409,900 | $1,050,000 | $2.4M | $14M |
| 75+ | $335,600 | $850,000 | $2M | $11M |
All figures from the Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) 2022, the most comprehensive wealth survey in the United States.
The mean net worth ($1.06M) is over 5x higher than the median ($192,084) because wealth is extremely concentrated at the top. The median is a better measure of “typical” American wealth.
Net worth = Total Assets – Total Liabilities. This includes:
Your wealth provides significant optionality. Focus on tax optimization, estate planning, and protecting wealth from inflation. You can also reduce what you owe on investment gains through strategic harvesting.
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Enter your age and total net worth in the fields above, then click Calculate. The tool instantly shows your percentile ranking among Americans in your age group, based on data from the Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) 2022.
Your percentile tells you what percentage of households you have more wealth than. If you land at the 80th percentile, it means you have a higher net worth than 80% of people your age. The 50th percentile is the median, the exact middle.
You can also filter by education, race, marital status, and family structure for a more precise comparison. The demographic filters matter more than most people realize. A 35-year-old with a graduate degree has a very different wealth distribution than a 35-year-old without one. Use the filters that reflect your actual situation. Context changes the number.
The Federal Reserve conducts the Survey of Consumer Finances every three years. The 2022 survey is the most recent, covering over 4,600 households. Here is what the median net worth looks like across age brackets:
Here is the number that should stop you in your tracks: the average (mean) net worth across all ages is $1.06 million. The median is $192,084. That is a 5.5x gap.
Why? Because wealth is extraordinarily concentrated at the top. The wealthiest 1% of households hold roughly 30% of all wealth in the United States. When you hear “the average American is a millionaire,” you are hearing the statistical shadow of billionaires pulling the number up. The median is the number that actually describes the typical household. If you are comparing yourself to the average, you are comparing yourself to Jeff Bezos and Warren Buffett blended into the mix.
“Good” depends entirely on what you are optimizing for. But here is how I think about it, and how the data breaks down.
The median net worth for Americans under 35 is roughly $39,000. But if you are reading this site, you are probably not median. You are likely saving aggressively, investing early, and thinking about financial independence. A reasonable target for the top 20% at age 30 is $150,000 or more. That includes retirement accounts, taxable investments, and any home equity minus debt.
The median for 35-44 is $135,600. The top 20% starts around $500,000. If you are on a FIRE path, many people in this bracket are targeting $500K-$1M. The key at 40 is that compounding is starting to do the heavy lifting. Your investment returns may be contributing more than your annual savings. That is the inflection point.
Median for 45-54 is $247,200. Top 20% starts at roughly $1 million. If you have been consistently saving 20-30% of your income and investing in index funds since your early 30s, $1M+ by 50 is very achievable. Many people at this stage are thinking about when they can actually retire.
The “right” number depends on your goals. Traditional retirement at 65? The median might be fine. FIRE or “enough”? You need multiples of the median. The calculator above will tell you exactly where you stand relative to your peers. What you do with that information is the more interesting question.
Income is what you earn. Net worth is what you keep. They are fundamentally different, and confusing them is one of the most expensive mistakes in personal finance.
High income paired with high spending produces a net worth of approximately zero. This is the “high income, low net worth” trap that catches a surprising number of six-figure earners. A surgeon earning $400,000 a year with $350,000 in student debt, a $1.2 million mortgage, and leased cars may have a lower net worth than a teacher who has been quietly maxing out her 403(b) for 20 years.
The reason net worth matters more: it compounds. Income does not, unless you invest it. Every dollar you save and invest today generates returns that generate their own returns. Income is linear. Net worth, properly managed, is exponential. That is the entire engine of wealth building.
Curious where your income ranks? Use the income percentile calculator. Then check your savings rate to see how much of that income is actually converting to wealth.
There are exactly three levers: earn more, spend less, invest the difference. Everyone knows this. What most people get wrong is the order.
Cutting expenses has a ceiling. You can only reduce your grocery bill so far. You can only cancel so many subscriptions. Frugality is necessary but finite. Earning more has no ceiling. A side income stream, a career pivot, a negotiated raise, equity compensation — these can add tens or hundreds of thousands to your trajectory.
But the real engine is the third lever: investing the difference. Compounding is not intuitive. A 25-year-old who invests $500 a month at a 7% real return will have over $1.2 million by 60 without increasing contributions. Start at 35, and the same $500 a month gets you roughly $567,000. Ten years of delay costs you more than half. That is not a rounding error. That is the difference between financial independence and working until 67.
Here is what I would actually do, in order: (1) Eliminate high-interest debt above 6-7%. (2) Max out tax-advantaged accounts (401k, IRA, HSA). (3) Invest in low-cost index funds in a taxable brokerage. (4) Increase your income and invest 100% of every raise. Do not inflate your lifestyle in lockstep with your earnings.
Use the compound interest calculator to see what your current savings rate produces over 10, 20, 30 years. Then check the investment fee calculator to make sure you are not leaking returns to fund managers.
Add up all your assets (home value, retirement accounts, savings, investments, vehicles) and subtract all your debts (mortgage, student loans, car loans, credit cards). Include spouse/partner for household net worth.
Yes. Include your home’s current market value as an asset and your mortgage balance as a liability. The difference (home equity) contributes to your net worth.
Wealth varies significantly by education, race, marital status, and family structure. The filters help you compare to people in similar situations rather than the general population.
For Americans under 35, the median net worth is approximately $39,000, while the average (mean) is around $183,000. The enormous gap between median and average reflects wealth inequality within the generation. A small number of millennials with tech equity, inheritances, or early real estate purchases pull the average far above what the typical millennial actually has.
The racial wealth gap in the United States is stark and well-documented. According to the 2022 SCF: White households have a median net worth of $285,000, Black households $44,900, and Hispanic households $61,600. These gaps reflect generations of systemic differences in homeownership access, inheritance, income, and investment opportunity. The data does not sugarcoat this and neither should we.
Yes, your home is an asset and your mortgage is a liability. The difference (your home equity) is part of your net worth. However, many people in the FIRE community also track “liquid net worth,” which excludes home equity. Liquid net worth is useful for retirement planning because you cannot easily spend your house. Both numbers matter: total net worth for your overall financial picture, liquid net worth for how much you can actually deploy.
By the numbers: the top 10% of American households starts at roughly $1.9 million in net worth, and the top 1% starts at approximately $13.7 million. But “wealthy” is relative to your cost of living. $2 million in rural Tennessee provides a very different lifestyle than $2 million in Manhattan. A more useful framing: you are wealthy when your investments generate enough income to cover your living expenses without working. That number is different for everyone.
Quarterly is enough for most people. Monthly if you are actively paying down debt or in a high-savings phase and want to see momentum. Daily is anxiety, not strategy. The market moves every day and your net worth will fluctuate with it. Checking too often leads to emotional decisions. Set a calendar reminder for the first of every quarter. Update a simple spreadsheet. Track the trend, not the noise.
Every Tuesday: one deep post with real portfolio data, tax strategies, and spending breakdowns from a family managing $8M+. Every Friday: one sharp signal in under 2 minutes. The first email shows you exactly what I own.