Compare the amount you have saved or plan to have saved for retirement compared to others from the 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances. The retirement savings include IRAs, 401ks, Thrift Savings Accounts, and pensions. Because there are differences with pre-tax and post-tax valuations of retirement accounts and calculating the net present value of a pension or annuity, just use your best guess for how much you would need to save to replace that income.
Retirement Savings Summary Statistics
Household Ranking:
Median Retirement Savings : $24,000
Mean Retirement Savings : $272,841
Retirement Savings 25th - 75th Percentile Ranges : $0 to $233,000
Re-calculate percentile for a different Age / Retirement Savings combination.
Continue scrolling to see distribution graphs and additional statistics.
Retirement Savings Percentiles
75th Percentile: $233,000
95th Percentile: $1,530,000
99th Percentile: $3,088,010
One thing to note is that most people do not appear to start saving until later in their careers, so there is a large percentage of people who have $0 saved for retirement. If you save anything for retirement in a tax-advantaged account, your household is automatically above the median.
Retirement Savings Percentile Stats
- To be in the top 1% for this age range, your household would need a retirement savings of $3,088,010. This would include 401ks, IRAs, and the current value of your pensions.
- To be in the top 5% for this age range, your household would need an retirement savings of $1,530,000.
- Your retirement savings of $0 for ages 50 to 60 ranks at the 39.42th percentile. Re-enter a different retirement savings to find the percentile for that age / retirement savings combination.
Retirement Savings Composition of Households like you
Comparisons of Net Worth, Assets, and Debt components of similar households versus median households.
- Households like you ( weighted using 34.4th to 44.4th percentiles)
- Versus Households at the Median (weighted using 45th to 55th percentiles)
| Asset Category | Similar Households | Median Households |
|---|---|---|
| Net Worth: | $17,452 | $503,843 |
| Total Assets: | $22,742 | $679,681 |
| Retirement Savings: | $72 | $24,000 |
| IRAs: | $23 | $4,043 |
| 401k, 403B, Thrift: | $46 | $18,227 |
| Future Pensions: | $4 | $1,731 |
| Current Pensions: | $0 | $0 |
| Other Financial Assets: | $3,487 | $98,643 |
| Main House: | $10,212 | $310,929 |
| Other Assets: | $8,971 | $246,109 |
| Total Debts: | $5,289 | $175,838 |
| Main Mortgage: | $3,488 | $137,349 |
| Other Debts: | $1,802 | $38,489 |
Comparisons of Income components of similar households versus median households.
| Income Category | Similar Households | Median Households |
|---|---|---|
| Total Income: | $4,094 | $108,984 |
| Wage & Salary Income: | $2,494 | $90,728 |
| Other Income: | $1,601 | $18,257 |
Demographics of Comparable Head of Households
Highest Education Level
Race
Labor Force Status
Marriage Status
Retirement Savings Percentiles For Ages 50 to 60
| Percentile | Retirement Savings (in Dollars) |
|---|---|
| 90% | $800,000 |
| 80% | $375,000 |
| 70% | $170,000 |
| 60% | $64,000 |
| 50% | $24,000 |
| 40% | $350 |
| 30% | $0 |
| 20% | $0 |
| 10% | $0 |
Share These Results :
These results are based off of 5020 individual samples where the head of household was age 50 to 60 and are weighted to represent 25018604 American households.The numbers are based off of the retirement results of the 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances by the Federal Reserve. The number of samples per age vary quite a bit, so you might get unusual results for certain ages.
In addition, it appears that the SCF calculated the value of defined benefit pensions as a present value number. There are many other calculators out there that you can use to calculate this number, but if you need a ballpark number just use the 4% Trinity Rate. Imagine that if you were to replace your pension's annual payment, you would need to save a large amount of money to be able to withdraw 4% every year. So basically, take your annual pension benefit and divide it by 4%. For example, if your annual pension benefit is $20,000, calculate 20000/0.04 to get $500,000 as the value of the pension if you were to have to replace it yourself.
19 thoughts on “Retirement Savings Percentile Comparison Calculator by Age”
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also, are the retirement percentage distributions ranked according to networth percent or retirement account percent (these could be different as someone within the 90th percentile of net worth could have a lower retirement account value than someone at the 90th percentile according to retirement account value)
They’re ranked only using retirement account values. So the rest of the household’s financials don’t impact the rankings.
Can you confirm that you are measuring in terms of households for the financial well being calculator (in addition to retirement and net worth calcs). I am not sure what a consumer unit is that you refer to in the financial well being calculator so checking if we are measuring on a personal or household basis. thanks much
Yeah so this is the definition of a consumer unit:
On net worth I’m only at 91%, but 98% for retirement savings. Now, I understand why – I have a smaller home and not much savings outside of 401k, but, seems to me, that for the age group I’m testing (57 to 58), that pretty much all the savings you have are retirement savings, other than maybe your home equity.
How should pension be added in when pension is typically a fixed monthly benefit?
You can include a pension into the mix by calculating the net present value of the pension. Google ‘pension net present value’ and there are simple guides on how to do this accurately.
Does the SCF include pensions in their net worth/financial asset calculation? I know they include 401ks, and defined contribution plans, but do they include DB plans/pensions? I ask because above you say to calculate value of pensions. Unless they are include only if part of a lump sum rollover/payment? Thanks
Short answer: yes.
Long answer: yes you are supposed to, but most people in the survey likely don’t include the net present value of their pension. The reasons they may not include this info is:
1) they don’t realize they have a pension (oh, you’d be surprised);
2) they don’t realize the pension has a current value (not as surprising);
3) they know the pension has a value, but do not understand what it is (most people).
I have a few companies and I am working on a few nobel prizes. If you know of any other ceos working on their own terms start ups ip inside beltway 8 houston please contact me. I have not had a boss since 1998. What is my retirement savings percentile for houston age 47 500,000
Doesn’t that depend on how much longer you plan to work and how much you plan to save? Where and how are your investment mix? It’s been my personal experience that putting aside 15 to 20% of your income into your retirement saving is a good plan. Also, don’t follow the general pundits recommendation to increase your investments into bonds as you grow older. Keep track of the financial news on how our economy is doing and don’t worry about the daily fluctuations of the stock market. Our economy has been growing at about 2% per year. That’s healthy by any standard.
Is this calculator for household savings or individual savings?
Household savings
Does this include real estate investments as a retirement savings? I prefer to put most of my retirement savings in real estate.
The first several years at the company I worked for we got some profit sharing. It diminished over the years to zero. I wasn’t expecting it so I just put it in my 401k. A rare small bonus, into my 401k. One year we got 75 dollars for Christmas. 2/3s into 401k. Worked there long enough to get 4 then 5 weeks vacation. Didn’t use it all. Into my 401k. Work 30 plus Saturdays a year. Only 5 hours. Home by noon. I can do that. I was only putting 7% in with a 3% company match, the first 17 years. Increased that to 10% plus match the last 17. Retired at 62. I worked 34 years there. 401k was 16 times my final wage the last year I worked. We have been living off of Social security and some of my wife 401k. Haven’t touched my 401k. At age 66 its north of 1 million.
Should a best guess of the present value of social security be included, as would a pension, into the retirement savings account value?
What are the categories of “Other financial assets”? And other assets. Seems many have way more other financial assets than retirement. And more other assets than their home or retirement. Seems high
Would be great if this calculator could accept State as a parameter. Big difference between Alabama and Massachusetts. I’d love to know how I compare with people from Massachusetts.
Can you please add individual percentiles for Net Worth and Retirement??