Average Retirement Savings by Age: 2026 Data

Vanguard participants age 35–44 had an average account balance of $120,742 and a median of $46,919 in 2025, according to its 2026 report. Across U.S. families holding retirement accounts, the Federal Reserve’s newly released 2025 survey found a $106,000 median. Use the age table below for workplace-plan comparisons and the Federal Reserve figures for family-level context.

A family with two workplace accounts and an IRA has a different comparison unit from one participant’s account at one employer. Each dataset below retains its measurement year and population. Sources were checked November 3, 2026.

The newest national family figures

The Federal Reserve released the 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances on October 9, 2026. Its summary report, Table 3, reports that 54.9% of families held retirement accounts in 2025. Among families holding those accounts, the median balance was $106,000 and the mean was $451,100, expressed in 2025 dollars.

These are conditional balances: families without retirement accounts are excluded from the balance calculation. The retirement-account category includes IRAs and certain employer-sponsored accounts. It does not turn future defined-benefit pension payments or Social Security into an account balance.

For a family comparison, total the retirement accounts owned by the household and use the account-holder figures. Record pensions, Social Security, and other resources separately in the retirement income plan. This keeps the account comparison consistent while preserving the household’s broader financial picture.

Savings by age in Vanguard employer plans

Vanguard’s 2026 report, Figure 53, provides the following 2025 participant account balances. The report concerns employer defined contribution plans recordkept by Vanguard, not all U.S. families or all of each participant’s savings.

Participant age	Average balance	Median balance
Under 25	$7,259	$2,234
25–34	$50,261	$18,732
35–44	$120,742	$46,919
45–54	$214,991	$78,730
55–64	$305,006	$107,269
65 and older	$330,186	$103,202

Across Vanguard’s reported participants, the average was $167,970 and the median $44,115. Other employer accounts and IRAs may sit outside the reported balance. Match your current workplace account to this population, then use a complete household inventory for retirement planning.

Why the average is much higher than the median

The mean adds balances and divides by the number of observations. The median identifies the middle of the distribution. A few very large balances can lift the mean substantially without increasing what the middle household owns.

To see how the statistics work, consider a hypothetical group of 10 households: 9 with $50,000 each and 1 with $5 million. The total is $5.45 million, the mean $545,000, and the median $50,000. The much larger account raises the mean while the middle balance remains unchanged.

Now imagine adding 10 households with zero balances to that same example. The mean across all 20 becomes $272,500. With the conventional middle-two calculation, the median becomes $25,000 because the tenth ordered observation is zero and the eleventh is $50,000. The median among account holders remains $50,000. This shows why an account-holder median cannot be converted into an all-household median by simply multiplying it by the participation rate.

The Federal Reserve uses survey weights to estimate the national population. When comparing published tables, retain their own participation and balance definitions, then check whether the measure covers all families or only account holders.

Keep the survey year, dollar year and release year separate

A report released in 2026 can describe balances measured in 2025. A historical table may also restate earlier balances in a later year’s purchasing power. Record all three labels before comparing a new figure with one copied from an older article.

The Federal Reserve chartbook documentation states that its dollar figures are in 2025 dollars and generally reports holdings conditional on having the item. It also identifies age groups using the reference person. Those definitions are part of the data, not optional footnotes.

For example, converting a $100,000 historical balance with a 1.10 inflation factor gives $110,000 in the newer dollar basis. The extra $10,000 reflects the price adjustment. Put both years on the same dollar basis before calculating a change in purchasing power.

For a newer observed balance, use a newer survey or recordkeeper report. Investment returns are only one influence on balances; contributions, withdrawals, transfers, and participation also change the totals.

Age groups are not a personal growth path

A cross-sectional table compares different age groups at one point in time. Use it to describe the participants in each band. To estimate your own balance ten years from now, start with today’s savings and model contributions, transfers, and investment returns.

Account transfers also complicate interpretation. Imagine a 66-year-old rolling $250,000 from a workplace plan into an IRA while leaving $50,000 in the plan. The workplace balance falls sharply even though the combined retirement accounts still total $300,000 before fees or market changes. Conversely, a rollover into a current plan can make its balance jump without representing new saving.

When an older group’s median is lower, report the observed difference and review the dataset’s transfer and participant definitions. To explain a cause, look for evidence tracking the same people or transactions over time.

Compare your finances using a consistent inventory

Make a household list of workplace accounts, IRAs and other assets genuinely reserved for retirement. Record ownership and tax treatment. Keep a separate column for pension and Social Security estimates instead of adding a lifetime income estimate to account balances without explaining the valuation.

For example, a hypothetical couple has $90,000 and $160,000 in workplace plans plus a $70,000 IRA. Their retirement-account total is $320,000. Comparing only the $90,000 account with a family statistic understates their account resources; comparing the $320,000 total with one workplace-plan participant statistic overstates the like-for-like comparison.

Avoid counting home equity as immediately spendable savings unless a plan explains how it will be accessed. Also keep children’s education savings and near-term cash needs separate if those dollars are already committed elsewhere. A balance used for two different goals cannot fully fund both.

Turn the comparison into a retirement income plan

For a household expecting $58,000 in annual spending and $34,000 in pension and Social Security income, investments need to supply $24,000. That gap is 4% of $600,000 or 3% of $800,000 in the first year. Test the resulting withdrawals over the intended retirement length, with taxes, inflation, and adverse market scenarios.

Taxes, healthcare, irregular expenses, lifespan and market sequence still affect the result. A household above its peers can face a shortfall if spending is high; one with a smaller account may have substantial pension support. The relevant question is which resources will pay which expenses and for how long.

The retirement savings benchmark guide connects age milestones with contribution scenarios. Use the statistics here to understand peers, then use the household spending gap to decide whether savings and contributions need to change.