Average retirement savings by age (2024)

FAQs

What is the average total retirement savings by age? ›

The average retirement savings by age is: Under 35: $30,170. 35-44: $131,950. 45-54: $254,720.

In fact, statistically, around 10% of retirees have $1 million or more in savings.

Retiring at 50 is an excellent opportunity to enjoy the years ahead without worrying about work and $4 million is a reasonable amount to make it possible. The initial nine and a half years may be difficult since federal penalties bar access to your retirement account.

Yes, for some people, $2 million should be more than enough to retire. For others, $2 million may not even scratch the surface. The answer depends on your personal situation and there are lot of challenges you'll face. As of 2023, it seems the number of obstacles to a successful retirement continues to grow.

In 2019, about 50% of households reported any savings in retirement accounts. Twenty-one percent had saved more than $100,000, and 7% had more than $500,000. These percentages were only somewhat higher for older people. Those ages 51 to 55 were the most likely to have a retirement account.

Yes, it is possible to retire on $100,000 a year. However, it depends on several factors, such as your retirement goals, current age, and expected retirement age. You must have a solid retirement plan to retire on $100,000 annually.

Somewhere around 4,473,836 households have $4 million or more in wealth, while around 3,592,054 have at least $5 million. Respectively, that is 3.48% and 2.79% of all households in America.

You might need $5 million to $10 million to qualify as having a very high net worth while it may take $30 million or more to be considered ultra-high net worth. That's how financial advisors typically view wealth.

Additionally, statistics show that the top 2% of the United States population has a net worth of about $2.4 million. On the other hand, the top 5% wealthiest Americans have a net worth of just over $1 million. Therefore, about 2% of the population possesses enough wealth to meet the current definition of being rich.

It probably is possible for most people to retire at age 55 if they have $2.5 million in savings. The ultimate answer, though, will depend on the interplay between various factors. These include your health, your anticipated retirement lifestyle and expenses, and how you invest your nest egg.

Can you live off the interest of 4 million dollars? ›

Sustainable Withdrawal Rate

So, if you have a $4 million portfolio withdrawing 4% per year would give you about $160,000 per year to live off of. Of course, this figure doesn't account for taxes or inflation rates.

Somewhere around 4,473,836 households have $4 million or more in wealth, while around 3,592,054 have at least $5 million. Respectively, that is 3.48% and 2.79% of all households in America.

At $200,000 per year in average returns, this is more than enough for all but the highest spenders to live comfortably. You can collect your returns, pay your capital gains taxes and have plenty left over for a comfortable lifestyle. The bad news about an index fund is the variability.

1,821,745 Households in the United States Have Investment Portfolios Worth $3,000,000 or More.

Can a couple retire with $2 million? It's certainly possible, though it really comes down to creating a retirement savings plan that's tailored to you and your partner.

14% of Americans Have $100,000 Saved for Retirement

Most Americans are not saving enough for retirement. According to the survey, only 14% of Americans have $100,000 or more saved in their retirement accounts. In fact, about 78% of Americans have $50,000 or less saved for retirement.

The national average for retirement savings varies depending on age, but according to the Economic Policy Institute, the median retirement savings for all working age households in the US is around $95,776. This figure includes both employer-sponsored retirement accounts and individual retirement accounts (IRAs).

The point is that if you earned $120,000 per year for the past 35 years, thanks to the annual maximum taxable wage limits, the maximum Social Security benefit you could get at full retirement age is $2,687.

If your highest 35 years of indexed earnings averaged out to $100,000, your AIME would be roughly $8,333. If you add all three of these numbers together, you would arrive at a PIA of $2,893.11, which equates to about $34,717.32 of Social Security benefits per year at full retirement age.

Does net worth include home? ›

However, one measure that many overlook is net worth. Your net worth represents how much wealth you have, measured by assets like a house, cars, 401(k), jewelry or cash in the bank, minus the debt obligations you have, or what you owe.

As of the end of 2020, there were nearly 22 million people in the US who had a net worth of $2 million or more.

It's called the 25 times rule, and it's very simple. You multiply your annual spending by 25, and that is the minimum amount of money you would need invested to fund your lifestyle without working.

Someone is considered a millionaire when their net worth, or their assets minus their liabilities, totals $1 million or more.

Many have graduate degrees with educational attainment serving as the main distinguishing feature of this class. Household incomes commonly exceed $100,000, with some smaller one-income earners household having incomes in the high 5-figure range.

Based on that figure, an annual income of $500,000 or more would make you rich. The Economic Policy Institute uses a different baseline to determine who constitutes the top 1% and the top 5%. For 2021, you're in the top 1% if you earn $819,324 or more each year. The top 5% of income earners make $335,891 per year.

The Modern Wealth Survey collected responses from 1,000 adults between the ages of 21 and 75. According to those surveyed, it would take an average net worth of approximately $2.2 million to be considered “wealthy” in 2022. In 2021, survey respondents indicated it would take a net worth of $1.9 million.

How old is the average millionaire? The average millionaire is 57 years old. This is because it takes smart financial decisions, hard work, and wise investments to become a millionaire, most of which don't fully pay off until around the age of 50 or 60.

Once you have $1 million in assets, you can look seriously at living entirely off the returns of a portfolio. After all, the S&P 500 alone averages 10% returns per year. Setting aside taxes and down-year investment portfolio management, a $1 million index fund could provide $100,000 annually.

Can my wife and I retire with $1 million dollars? ›

It's definitely possible, but there are several factors to consider—including cost of living, the taxes you'll owe on your withdrawals, and how you want to live in retirement—when thinking about how much money you'll need to retire in the future.

A $2 million retirement account invested entirely in an S&P 500 index fund would return an average of $200,000 per year. That's enough for most households to live on without even dipping into the principal, but in some years that account would take significant losses.

Medicare is another valuable benefit that isn't available for most 55-year-old retirees. Until you reach the usual qualification age of 65, your post-retirement budget will have to include paying premiums for private health insurance. You can probably retire at 55 if you have $4 million in savings.

This means that if you make $100,000 shortly before retirement, you can start to plan using the ballpark expectation that you'll need about $75,000 a year to live on in retirement. You'll likely need less income in retirement than during your working years because: Most people spend less in retirement.

Bank Savings Accounts

As noted above, the average rate on savings accounts as of February 3^rd 2021, is 0.05% APY. A million-dollar deposit with that APY would generate $500 of interest after one year ($1,000,000 X 0.0005 = $500). If left to compound monthly for 10 years, it would generate $5,011.27.

The United States has 325 million people—in 160 million households, as viewed by the Internal Revenue Service. That means 1.6 million households fall into the 1 percent category.

In 2020, a total of 110,850 individuals with net assets of at least 50 million U.S. dollars were residing in the United States. That is about 54 percent of the total number of ultra-high net worth individuals (UHNW) worldwide. Other aspects of the wealthy population are disproportionate as well.

A recent analysis determined that a $1 million retirement nest egg may only last about 20 years depending on what state you live in. Based on this, if you retire at age 65 and live until you turn 84, $1 million will probably be enough retirement savings for you.

However, there are some general guidelines you can follow. If you want a comfortable retirement, you should aim for a retirement nest egg of at least $500,000. This will give you a monthly income of $2500, enough to cover basic expenses and live a modest lifestyle. Of course, this is just a general guideline.

Why saving 10% won't get you through retirement? ›

Mathematically, 10% Just Isn't Enough

By saving 10%, your money would need to grow at a rate of 6.7% a year for you to retire 40 years from when you start. In order to retire early, after 30 years of contributing, you would need an unrealistically high rate of return of 10.3%.

You can probably retire in financial comfort at age 45 if you have $3 million in savings. Although it's much younger than most people retire, that much money can likely generate adequate income for as long as you live.

The top 1 percent of earners have a median balance of $1.13 million across various types of banking and retirement savings accounts. When you look at the average account balance, that number is even higher: $2.5 million.

In fact, statistically, around 10% of retirees have $1 million or more in savings. The majority of retirees, however, have far less saved.

With $5 million you can plan on retiring early almost anywhere. While you should be more careful with your money in extremely high-cost areas, this size nest egg can generate more than $100,000 per year of income. That should be more than enough to live comfortably on starting at age 55.

Based on the median costs of living in most parts of America, $5 million is more than enough for a very comfortable retirement. Based on average market returns, $5 million can support many households indefinitely.

But moving forward, you'd be able to take tax-free distributions from your Roth IRA. How much does the average 70-year-old have in savings? Just shy of $500,000, according to the Federal Reserve.

Retirement Savings When You're in Your 50s & Beyond

The median income for a 55-year-old is about $57,500, which means having $460,000 saved for retirement. The average savings for those 55-65 is $197,322.

How much does the average 65 year old have in retirement savings? ›

Your money earns a 5% annual rate of return while inflation stays at 2.9%. Based on those numbers, $600,000 would be enough to last you 30 years in retirement. In fact, by age 92 you'd still have over $116,000 in savings.

It also depends on when you are retiring. If you are retiring at 70 — when you get the most from Social Security — and have $500,000, you will be in a much better place than retiring at 60 with no Social Security or Medicare.” It's also possible to retire on $500,000 — or less — if you have access to a pension.

According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), the average monthly retirement benefit for Security Security recipients is $1,781.63 as of February. Several factors can drag that average up or down, but you have the most control over the biggest variable of all — the age that you decide to cash in.

You're approaching the finish line once you've reached age 60. At this point, your net worth should be equal to about six times your annual salary. Again, though, it's important to remember that general recommended targets may not be in line with what you need for the retirement you're envisioning.

Will $1 million still be enough to have a comfortable retirement then? It's definitely possible, but there are several factors to consider—including cost of living, the taxes you'll owe on your withdrawals, and how you want to live in retirement—when thinking about how much money you'll need to retire in the future.

In most cases, you will have to wait until age 66 and four months to collect enough Social Security for a stable retirement. If you want to retire early, you will have to find a way to replace your income during that six-year period. In most cases $300,000 is simply not enough money on which to retire early.

If you manage to stay healthy and never need long-term care then $600,000 could be enough to sustain you in retirement. On the other hand, if you need long-term care in a nursing facility that could take a large bite out of your savings. Medicare doesn't cover extended nursing home care.

What Is the Average Retirement Income? For adults 65 and older, the average income is $75,254, according to the most recent research published by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2022. The median income, on the other hand, is $47,620.

The Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) releases data every year. The 2022 CPS ASEC asked participants to report their household income for 2021. Based on that data, the average retirement income for U.S. adults aged 65 and older is $75,254.