How it works
Net worth = everything you own − everything you owe
Count what you could sell things for today, not what you paid. Include retirement accounts at their current balance. On the debt side, use the balance left to repay, not the original loan.
The comparison uses the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances, the most detailed study of U.S. household wealth. Its latest results are for 2022, in 2022 dollars.
Median net worth by age
| Age of head of family | Median net worth (2022) |
|---|---|
| Under 35 | about $39,000 |
| 35–44 | about $136,000 |
| 45–54 | about $247,000 |
| 55–64 | about $364,000 |
| 65–74 | about $410,000 |
| 75 and over | about $336,000 |
All families: about $193,000. The median is the middle family: half have more, half have less. Averages are far higher because a few very wealthy families pull them up.
Want to track it month by month? Download our free net worth tracker for Excel and Google Sheets, with a chart of your progress.
Worked example
The sample figures add up to $440,000 of assets, most of it a $350,000 home, and $314,500 of debts, most of it the mortgage.
Net worth: $440,000 − $314,500 = $125,500. That's below the 35–44 median, and typical for someone a few years into a mortgage.
Things to know
- Negative is common early on. Student loans and a new car often outweigh savings in your twenties. The direction matters more than the number.
- Track it once or twice a year, on the same date, with the same method. Short-term market swings are noise.
- Home equity isn't spending money. "Excluding your home" shows how much of your wealth you could actually reach.
Questions people ask
Should I include my car?
Yes, at what it would sell for today, and include the car loan on the debt side. Cars lose value every year, so expect this line to shrink.
What's a good net worth for my age?
There's no single answer, but the medians above show where the typical family stands. For retirement savings specifically, Fidelity's widely quoted guideline is about one year's salary saved by 30 and three times your salary by 40.
Sources
- Federal Reserve Bulletin: Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2019 to 2022 (Survey of Consumer Finances)
- Federal Reserve: Survey of Consumer Finances
Reviewed September 25, 2026 by The Dollars World team. How we build and check our calculators · Our data and formulas. This is general information, not financial advice.