The 401(k) Balance by Age data study ships with average, median, and a CSV download
Published our second data study: average and median 401(k) balances by age from Vanguard's year-end 2025 data, with a Fidelity comparison, SCF national context, engine-computed match and contribution-rate charts, and a CSV download.
FinExplained’s second original data study is live. It puts the average and median 401(k) balance side by side for every age band using Vanguard’s How America Saves 2026 data (year-end 2025), explains why the $167,970 average sits near the 75th percentile while the median is $44,115, and adds a Fidelity second-provider comparison plus Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances national context, every figure labeled by data year and source.
The contribution-rate and employer-match projections are computed by the same tested engine that runs the 401(k) calculator, and the 2026 limit figures reuse the exact constants the calculator clamps with. The main table is downloadable as CSV, and the page refreshes each June when Vanguard publishes and each November when the IRS sets new limits.
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