How Much Should You Have Saved by Age? 2026 Data

Age benchmarks can help you ask better questions, but they cannot tell you what your household should have. Income, housing, debt, pensions, Social Security, family size, health costs, retirement age and years in the workforce can put two people of the same age in very different positions. The Saving and Investing guide helps turn those household needs into a plan.

Use age benchmarks as a comparison point, not a pass-or-fail score. Check three numbers separately: cash you can access for near-term needs, retirement-account balances, and total net worth. Then measure whether your own saving rate and plan are moving in the right direction.

What do people actually have saved by age?

Vanguard’s How America Saves 2026 reports balances for participants in defined-contribution plans it administers. These are workplace-plan balances in that dataset, not recommended targets and not a picture of every American household.

Age	Average defined-contribution 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+	$330,186	$103,202

The large gap between average and median is useful. A smaller group with very large balances can pull an average upward. The median, where half the observed balances are above and half below, often gives a better sense of the middle participant in a dataset.

Do not compare unlike numbers. A workplace retirement balance is not the same as total retirement savings, household savings, cash savings or net worth. An IRA, pension, spouse’s account, home equity and taxable investments may sit outside a workplace-plan figure.

What does net worth add to the picture?

The Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances measures U.S. family finances, including assets and debts. The 2022 SCF is the most recent completed survey available from the Federal Reserve as of September 2026. Its overall median family net worth was $192,900 in 2022 dollars, while the mean was much higher. That difference is another reminder that averages can be heavily affected by households at the top of a distribution.

Net worth can be useful because it includes more than a retirement account, yet it still is not a retirement-readiness score. Home equity may be hard to spend without selling or borrowing. A pension can provide future income without appearing as a large account balance. Debt can reduce net worth while also reflecting an asset such as a home.

What should you check in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s?

20s: build the systemLearn the employer match, establish accessible cash, avoid high-cost debt when possible, and automate a repeatable retirement contribution. The amount can start small.

30s: increase capacityRevisit contributions after raises, new housing costs, childcare changes or debt payoffs. Check whether old workplace accounts and current beneficiaries still fit the plan.

40s: measure the gapEstimate retirement spending, expected income sources and current assets. If progress is behind your goal, the useful levers are contribution level, income, expenses, fees, retirement age and expected spending.

50s: use catch-up room carefullyWorkers age 50 and older may have additional retirement-plan contribution room. Higher limits create capacity, not an instruction to sacrifice current essentials or emergency cash.

60–63: know the special 401(k) ruleFor 2026, eligible workers ages 60 through 63 can have a higher catch-up limit in many workplace plans than the general age-50 catch-up limit. Check your plan’s rules.

60s and beyond: plan income and withdrawalsShift from a single balance target to a cash-flow plan that considers Social Security, pensions, taxes, required expenses, insurance, investment risk and withdrawal timing.

2026 retirement contribution limits

The IRS says the 2026 employee deferral limit for most 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457 plans and the federal Thrift Savings Plan is $24,500. The general catch-up limit for eligible participants age 50 and older is $8,000. For eligible workers ages 60 through 63, the higher 2026 catch-up limit is $11,250. The 2026 IRA contribution limit is $7,500, with a $1,100 catch-up for people age 50 and older. Eligibility and plan rules still matter.

A contribution limit is not a savings target. It is the legal ceiling for a type of account under stated rules. A sustainable contribution that protects housing, food, health, required payments and near-term needs is more useful than a number that forces new debt.

Build your own benchmark

List accessible cash. Separate checking and emergency savings from long-term accounts.
List retirement assets. Include current and old workplace plans, IRAs and other accounts you own.
List debts. Record balances, rates and required payments.
Estimate retirement income. Note expected Social Security, pension or other dependable income sources without treating estimates as guarantees.
Estimate retirement spending. Start with housing, food, health, transportation, taxes and insurance before discretionary costs.
Measure the gap. Compare your projected income and assets with your own expected spending and timeline.
Pick the next lever. Increase contributions, cut fees, improve income, reduce costly debt, adjust the timeline or revise spending assumptions when needed.

For a more detailed catch-up plan, use Starting Retirement Savings Late. For the broader retirement framework, use the Retirement Planning Guide.

Frequently asked questions

Should I have one year’s salary saved by age 30?

Salary-multiple rules are planning heuristics, not universal requirements. They can miss pensions, career breaks, debt, regional costs, household structure, late starts and different retirement ages. Use them only as a prompt to run your own retirement estimate.

Is the Vanguard median what I should have?

No. Vanguard’s figures describe participants in the plans it administers. They are observations from a dataset, not personal recommendations.

Should I count home equity as retirement savings?

Home equity is part of net worth, but it is not the same as liquid retirement savings. Whether it can support retirement depends on housing plans, costs, borrowing choices and whether you expect to sell or downsize.

What if I am far below an age benchmark?

Start with the next controllable step. Protect essential cash flow, capture an employer match when it fits the budget, raise contributions when income improves, reduce costly debt, check fees and build a realistic retirement-income estimate. A benchmark cannot recover lost time, but a better plan can change the path ahead.

Sources

Educational information only. Account limits, plan rules, taxes, investment results and retirement needs vary. Check current rules and use qualified financial or tax help when your circumstances require it.