Average Retirement Savings by Age (2026 Data)

People under 35 have $49,130 saved for retirement on average, and that’s about where most rundowns of average retirement savings by age stop the conversation. By 65-74, the numbers climbed to $609,230. Those are the Fed’s headline figures, the ones that get quoted everywhere. Problem is, they’re kind of a lie by omission. The median for those same groups is $18,880 and $200,000. Much rougher picture.

Why the gap? A relatively small group of wealthy households own most of the retirement wealth in this country, and that skews the average hard. Most people, the ones without a few million tucked away somewhere, land a lot closer to the median.

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Key takeaways

• Average retirement savings by age climbs from $49,130 under 35 to $609,230 at 65-74. Fed data, 2022 survey, still the most current available.
• Medians are much lower than averages at every single age bracket. $18,880 to $200,000, roughly, not $49,000 to $609,000.
• 46% of U.S. households have exactly $0 saved for retirement. About 5% have crossed $1 million.
• Married couples tend to have 30-50% more saved than single filers by the same age, mostly just because there are two paychecks and two 401(k)s involved.
• Fidelity’s rough guideline: 1x salary by 30, 3x by 40, 6x by 50, 8x by 60, 10x by 67.

Average Retirement Savings by Age (At a Glance)

The table below comes from the Fed’s Survey of Consumer Finances, which tracks every retirement account a household holds, not just whatever’s sitting in one employer’s 401(k).

Average retirement savings by age 65 land right at the top of that table, then start sliding in the 75+ row. That’s not people running out of savings from mismanagement. It’s retirees actually spending the money, which was always the point of saving it.

Retirement Savings by Age Breakdown

Retirement savings in your 20s

Half of people under 35 don’t have anything saved yet. The other half have a median of $18,880. Neither number should feel like a verdict on how your 20s are going. What matters more at this age is the habit, not the total, since a small amount contributed consistently from 25 has decades to compound. Setting a savings goal early gives that habit something to aim at instead of vague good intentions.

Retirement savings in your 30s

Average jumps to $141,520 by 35-44, though the median is a much plainer $45,000. This is usually the decade a mortgage shows up, maybe kids, maybe both, and retirement contributions start competing with things that feel far more urgent at the moment. The 50/30/20 rule is a decent starting framework here, not because it’s magic, but because it forces a number onto savings instead of leaving it as whatever’s left over.

Retirement savings in your 40s

$313,220 average, $115,000 median for 45-54. This is peak earning years for most people, and also the last stretch where steady contributions alone, without needing the market to cooperate, can actually close a real gap. Worth checking how much of your paycheck to save if the answer to that question has never really been decided.

Retirement savings in your 50s

This is when catch-up contributions become an option, and it shows up in the numbers. People 55-64 have $537,560 saved on average, though the median is a lot more grounded at $185,000. The catch-up itself is worth knowing about: anyone 50 or older can add an extra $8,000 on top of the regular $24,500 401(k) limit in 2026, bringing the total up to $32,500. Hardly anyone actually maxes that out. Doesn’t mean it’s not worth using. Getting even partway there still beats leaving the option sitting on the table.

Retirement savings in your 60s

By 65-74, average savings hit their high point around $609,230, with a median closer to $200,000. Social Security kicks in here too, running about $1,975 a month per person in 2026 on average, though for most households that’s help, not a full paycheck replacement. The savings decline after this bracket isn’t really a bad sign either. People start spending what they spent decades putting away, which was always the plan.

How Much Should You Have Saved by Age?

Fidelity’s salary-multiple guideline gives a different lens than raw dollar figures, since it scales to income rather than assuming everyone earns the same amount.

Take someone making $70,000 at 40. On track by that guideline means roughly $210,000 saved. The actual median at that age is $45,000. That’s not a small miss, and it’s the reality for most households, not just the ones who feel behind.

Average retirement savings for married couples by age tend to beat these single-filer numbers, mostly because two incomes mean two 401(k)s and two IRAs worth of room. A couple where both spouses work and are over 50 can shelter up to $83,200 combined in 2026. That’s a real head start most solo savers don’t have access to.

How to Catch Up If You’re Behind

Behind the median isn’t rare. It’s closer to normal. The first useful step usually isn’t opening a new retirement account, it’s figuring out where money is actually going each month. Anyone who feels like their paycheck vanishes before the month ends should probably start with how to stop living paycheck to paycheck before worrying about retirement contributions specifically.

An emergency fund matters here too, mostly because without one, retirement savings become the emergency fund the moment something breaks. After that’s in place, bumping 401(k) contributions by even 1-2% a year, especially right after a raise, adds up faster than it seems like it should. Watching your net worth move over time also helps more than people expect. There’s something about seeing the number actually grow that keeps the habit going longer than staring at a single balance ever does.

Final Thoughts

None of this is a scoreboard. Most people are behind the median for their age at some point, usually more than once, and that’s kind of the norm rather than the exception. Average and median split apart so dramatically because a relatively small number of very wealthy households pull the average way up, not because everyone else is doing something wrong. The number that actually matters is whether your own savings are moving in the right direction, whether you’re using catch-up contributions once they’re on the table, and whether you’re checking in on progress instead of just hoping it’s fine.

FAQ

So what’s the actual average retirement savings by age?

Roughly $49,000 under 35, working up to $609,000 by 65-74. That’s the Fed’s number. But averages lie a little here, honestly. The median under 35 is $18,880, not $49,000. Big difference, and the median is closer to what most people are actually sitting on.

How much should I have saved by 40?

Fidelity’s answer is three times your salary. The real median for that age group is $45,000. For most people that’s nowhere near three times anything, which is probably why 40 feels like the decade everyone starts panicking a little.

Can you actually retire on $1 million?

Depends where you live, honestly, and how much you spend once you get there. Someone in rural Ohio and someone in San Francisco need very different amounts. What’s worth knowing is only about 5% of households ever get to $1 million, so it’s not exactly a low bar to clear.

What’s a decent monthly income once you’re retired?

No single number works for everyone. A common rule of thumb is 70-80% of whatever you were making before retiring. Social Security covers a piece of that, call it $1,975 a month on average right now, and savings pick up whatever’s left.

What’s the quickest way to catch up if I’m behind?

Start with the budget, not the retirement account. Know where the money’s going first. Build a small emergency fund so a car repair doesn’t wipe out three months of contributions. Then bump up what goes into retirement, a percent or two at a time, and use the 50-plus catch-up limits the second you qualify. It’s boring advice. It also works better than almost anything flashier.