The average 50-something American is now worth $1.5 million.
Older and more affluent Americans keep getting wealthier, according to new data from the federal Survey of Consumer Finances.
Average net worth hit $876,091 in 2025 for Americans ages 40 to 49, up from $742,568 in 2022. And that’s in “real” dollars, adjusted for inflation.
The average 60-something American is now worth an eye-popping $1.96 million. Seventy-somethings are worth $1.88 million.
“The underlying story here is that retirees are getting richer,” said Andrew Biggs, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
Overall average net worth, a household’s assets minus its liabilities, rose from $1.16 million in 2022 to $1.23 million in 2025.
Rising stock and home values fueled rising net worth
Rising stock and home values have
driven a sharp increase in the net worth of older and wealthier Americans since 2019, especially during the peak pandemic years.
Not a millionaire yet? Don’t despair. The numbers listed above are averages, and the super-rich drive them way up.
Median net worth – picture the middle number in a long list of numbers – rose as well, but to a much lower figure. The median American household had a net worth of $216,100 in 2025, up from $210,890 in 2022.
Household wealth grew at a record pace during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2019 and 2022, the median net worth of American households rose 37%, the largest jump ever recorded in the federal survey, which comes out every three years. Median net worth rose a more modest 2.5%, after inflation, between 2022 and 2025.
To illustrate how wealth accumulates over a lifetime, here’s a decade-by-decade breakdown of net worth in America.
20-somethings
- Average net worth in 2025: $81,638
- Median net worth in 2025: $21,310
Average net worth declined for this group (from $131,846 in 2022), after adjusting for inflation. Median net worth was flat.
(Monique Morrissey, a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, cautions that year-to-year changes for specific age groups may not be statistically significant, because of the survey's small sample size.)
Americans in their 20s are just starting out. They’re working their first jobs at relatively low pay and paying down student loans. Any dreams of buying a home will probably have to wait.
“These people are just beginning their careers,” said Elizabeth Renter, lead economist at Life360, the information technology company. “Many haven’t purchased a house yet, and their investment accounts are in the beginning stages.”
30-somethings
- Average net worth: $394,798
- Median net worth: $83,950
Net worth declined for 30-somethings, as well, from an average of $405,249 and a median of $109,525 in 2022.
By their 30s, many Americans are paying off their student debt and starting families. A home purchase may still sit out of reach: the median first-time home buyer was 40 in 2025, the highest age on record.
“Historically, this was the age when you’re starting a family, buying a house,” said Jonathan Swanburg, a certified financial planner in Houston. “And now, a lot of that is getting shifted later and later.”
Many 30-somethings begin to benefit from compounding, watching investments they made in their 20s rise in value, thanks to a surging stock market.
40-somethings
- Average net worth: $876,091
- Median net worth: $203,900
The wealthiest older Americans generally got wealthier in the last few years, starting with 40-somethings.
Mean and median net worth for this group rose between 2022 and 2025, from $742,568 and $195,894, respectively, after inflation.
Forty-somethings are entering their peak earning years. They’re also spending more.
“This is the age range where people generally start families and buy homes,” Renter said. “While they’re earning more than they have before, they also have higher expenses and more debt. This limits how high their net worth can go.”
50-somethings
- Average net worth: $1.55 million
- Median net worth: $271,200
Average net worth rose for 50-somethings (from $1.41 million in 2022), while median net worth declined (from $311,898).
Welcome to Millionaire’s Row. In their 50s, many wealthier Americans attain millionaire status, with combined household assets worth at least $1 million more than their liabilities.
In this age group, mean and median net worth sit more than $1 million apart. Extreme wealth skews those figures: Elon Musk is a 50-something.
Wealthier 50-somethings have stock portfolios worth seven figures, thanks to decades of growth, and homes with rising equity.
“The average is pulled up by folks who have been putting away money in a 401(k),” Swanburg said. “They’ve gotten the advantage of buying houses in their 20s, and they’ve quintupled in value.”
60-somethings
- Average net worth: $1.96 million
- Median net worth: $461,085
Sixty-somethings grew wealthier between 2022 and 2025. Average net worth rose from $1.92 million, and median net worth rose from $431,196, after inflation.
This is the decade when average net worth peaks, just shy of $2 million. Median net worth approaches $500,000.
This is also the age span when most Americans retire and begin drawing on all that accumulated wealth.
“People save over the course of their lives,” Biggs said. “Their savings tend to increase. And so, your net worth is going to be highest in retirement, when you’ve completed your saving.”
70-somethings
- Average net worth: $1.88 million
- Median net worth: $421,300
Average net worth rose for this group, from $1.84 million in 2022. Median net worth dipped from $443,716.
In their 70s, many Americans see their net worth finally decline.
“They’re starting to spend down,” Swanburg said.
Most 70-somethings are no longer working and are gradually depleting their retirement nest egg. Most expenses are shrinking, but others are rising, especially health care.
Wealthier families may still be earning more than they spend: A seven-figure retirement fund can yield a lot of income.
“They’re no longer making mortgage payments and instead sitting on a source of significant wealth,” Renter said. “The oldest Americans saw the biggest increase in assets and the biggest declines in debt during this survey period.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The average 50-something is now worth $1.5 million
