Average and Median 401(k) Balance by Age: How Do You Compare? (2026 Data)

The average 401(k) balance was $167,970 at the end of 2025, but the median was just $44,115. Both figures describe participants in Vanguard-administered plans, and the distance between them is the most important thing on this page: the average is a number most people are below.

If your balance looks small next to a headline average, that says more about how averages work than about you. Vanguard’s own analysis places the $167,970 average near the 75th percentile, which means roughly three out of four participants hold less. This study puts the average and the median side by side for every age band, explains why they disagree, and shows what to do with the comparison. Every figure is labeled by data year, and the main table comes from Vanguard’s How America Saves 2026, published June 2026 with data through December 31, 2025.

Jump to your decade: your 20s, your 30s, your 40s, your 50s, or your 60s.

Key findings

These are benchmarks, not verdicts. Where you stand against your own retirement depends on your income, spending, and timeline, and the retirement on-track calculator measures that directly.

Findings you can copy

Quote these as written, with attribution to FinExplained and a link to this page (the table is downloadable as CSV).

The average 401(k) balance at year-end 2025 was $167,970 among participants in Vanguard-administered plans, but the median was just $44,115, according to a FinExplained analysis of Vanguard’s How America Saves 2026 data.

Vanguard’s average 401(k) balance sits near the 75th percentile of participants, so roughly three out of four savers hold less than the average.

The median 401(k) balance peaks at $107,269 for ages 55 to 64 in Vanguard’s year-end 2025 data, a figure that would produce roughly $4,300 a year at a 4 percent withdrawal rate.

Skipping a common 50 percent employer match up to 6 percent of pay forfeits about $278,443 over 30 years for a 6 percent saver earning $80,000, per FinExplained’s calculator engine.

Average and median 401(k) balance by age

As of year-end 2025, Vanguard reports average 401(k) balances of $7,259 under age 25, $50,261 for 25 to 34, $120,742 for 35 to 44, $214,991 for 45 to 54, $305,006 for 55 to 64, and $330,186 for 65 and older. The all-participant average is $167,970, but the median is much lower at $44,115. The table below shows both, plus the gap between them.

Source: Vanguard, How America Saves 2026 (year-end 2025 data), roughly 4.6 million participant accounts. Provider data, not nationally representative: it covers people who have a 401(k) at one recordkeeper and excludes IRAs, pensions, and Social Security. Download this table as CSV (CC BY 4.0 compilation, figures attributed to Vanguard).

Read the median column first. The median is the midpoint, so half of savers in each band hold more and half hold less, which makes it the honest “typical saver” line. Vanguard’s year-end 2025 medians are $2,234 under 25, $18,732 for 25 to 34, $46,919 for 35 to 44, $78,730 for 45 to 54, $107,269 for 55 to 64, and $103,202 for 65 and older.

What this means: at every age, the average bar towers over the median bar, and the gap grows from $5,025 in the youngest band to nearly $227,000 at 65 and older. If you compare yourself to the average, you are comparing yourself to a figure lifted by the largest accounts, not to a typical peer.

One more calibration before you read anything into your own number: the provider matters. The comparison below is two recordkeepers reporting the same statistic on different participant populations, in the same data year. Do not average them; the difference is the lesson.

Why is the average so much higher than the median?

The average is higher because 401(k) balances are right-skewed: a small group of high-income, long-tenured savers with very large accounts pulls the mean up. Vanguard’s 2025 average of $167,970 sits near the 75th percentile, while the median of $44,115 marks the true midpoint. The average answers “how much money is in the system per person”; the median answers “what does a typical account look like.”

The distribution numbers make the skew concrete. At year-end 2025, about 1 in 4 Vanguard participants held less than $10,000. At the other end, 18% held $250,000 or more, and that minority carries enough dollars to lift the mean far above the middle. Income is the strongest single predictor: in Vanguard’s data, participants earning $150,000 or more held a median of $230,536, more than five times the all-participant median.

Neither statistic is wrong. The average matters for what consistent, high saving can build, and it is the number most headlines quote, so it is worth knowing. But for the question you actually came here with, “how do I compare,” use the median for your age band. Half of savers are below it, so sitting under the average puts you in very large company.

What the numbers mean at every age

The bands below are Vanguard’s native groupings, so the averages and medians stay from one consistent source. Single ages map into bands: a 32-year-old reads the 25 to 34 row, a 48-year-old the 45 to 54 row. No source publishes reliable single-year balances, so neither do we.

In your 20s

The under-25 band shows a median of $2,234 and the 25 to 34 band a median of $18,732 (Vanguard, year-end 2025). Small numbers, and completely normal: most people in this band have had a plan for only a few years, and early-career salaries keep contributions modest. Fidelity’s by-decade view says the same thing, with an average of $21,200 for savers in their 20s at year-end 2025.

Your balance is close to meaningless at this age. Your contribution rate is everything, because every dollar you put in at 25 has 40 years to compound while a dollar at 55 has ten. Getting the full employer match and automating a small annual increase beats any amount of balance anxiety, and if retiring early is even a maybe, our Coast FIRE playbook shows why the first $50,000 matters so much. See what starting early does in the compound interest calculator.

In your 30s

The 25 to 34 band ($18,732 median) and the 35 to 44 band ($46,919 median) bracket this decade. The averages are two to three times higher, $50,261 and $120,742, because the earliest starters and highest earners are already pulling away. Fidelity’s 30s average of $69,000 lands between the two Vanguard bands, a useful cross-check from a second provider.

This is the decade when the salary-multiple goalposts start whispering that you should have one times your salary saved by 30 and two times by 35. Treat those as direction, not judgment: they assume a 15% savings rate that began at 25, which is not most people’s story. What compounds from here is the habit, not the starting balance. Project your savings to any age with the retirement calculator.

In your 40s

The 35 to 44 band shows a $46,919 median and the 45 to 54 band a $78,730 median (Vanguard, year-end 2025), against averages of $120,742 and $214,991. This is where the average-median gap gets dramatic: in the 45 to 54 band the average runs $136,261 above the median, the clearest sign yet that a minority of large accounts dominates the mean.

Your 40s are also where the comparison question sharpens into a planning question, because retirement is close enough to model but far enough to fix. Peak earning years are ahead, and a one or two point rate increase still has 20 years to compound. If “am I behind” is the question on your mind, stop benchmarking against other people and check the number that matters: see if you’re on track.

In your 50s

The 45 to 54 band ($78,730 median) and the 55 to 64 band ($107,269 median) cover this decade, with averages of $214,991 and $305,006 (Vanguard, year-end 2025). Fidelity’s 50s average is $246,700. Balances jump here, and so do contributions: this is the decade when catch-up eligibility begins and mortgages and tuition start rolling off.

The 50s are the catch-up decade in both senses. From age 50 the IRS lets you contribute an extra $8,000 a year on top of the $24,500 limit (2026 figures), and consistent savers show what sustained contributions build: Fidelity’s 15-year continuous savers averaged $617,600 at year-end 2025, nearly four times its all-participant average. Project your own 401(k) balance with your actual match and rate to see what your final decade of full-time work can add.

In your 60s

The 55 to 64 band peaks at a $107,269 median, and the 65-and-older band slips to $103,202 as withdrawals begin, while its average keeps rising to $330,186 (Vanguard, year-end 2025). The divergence is the skew story one last time: typical savers start drawing down, while large accounts keep compounding.

A useful reality check: a $107,269 balance produces roughly $4,300 a year at a 4 percent withdrawal rate. For a typical saver the 401(k) is a supplement to Social Security, not a replacement for it, and the claiming-age decision often moves more retirement income than any final-years contribution. Estimate your Social Security alongside your balance before you set a retirement date.

How much should you have in your 401(k) by age?

A common Fidelity rule of thumb is about 1x your salary by 30, 3x by 40, 6x by 50, 8x by 60, and 10x by 67, counting all retirement accounts. These are goalposts, not requirements; your target depends on income, spending, retirement age, and other savings. Observed balances sit far below these lines at every age, which tells you the goalposts are ambitious, not that most people have failed.

Four framings, clearly separated from the observed data above:

1. What savers actually hold: the Vanguard medians in the main table. This is reality among participants in one large dataset.
2. Salary multiples (Fidelity’s guideline): 1x by 30 through 10x by 67, which assumes retiring at 67, saving 15% of income from age 25, replacing about 45% of income from savings, planning to age 93, and counting all retirement accounts, not only the 401(k).
3. A savings-rate target: 12 to 15% of pay including the match, the range both Vanguard and Fidelity point to. Rates are easier to act on than balances.
4. A spending-based target: roughly 25 times annual spending at a 4 percent withdrawal rate, the framing our FIRE number playbook covers in depth, including the live debate over whether 4 percent is still the right default.

What this means: the gap between the goalpost and the typical balance is real and it widens with age, but a goalpost with a 15%-from-age-25 assumption baked in was never a pass-fail test. A benchmark is a starting point, not a verdict. Replace the rule of thumb with your own number: see if you’re on track.

401(k) balances by generation

Fidelity’s year-end 2025 generational averages: Gen Z $17,900, millennials $83,700, Gen X $222,100, and baby boomers $270,800. These are averages from one provider’s 24.8 million participants, so the same 75th-percentile caution applies, and Fidelity publishes no generational medians.

What this means: each generation’s average roughly triples the one below it, which is mostly time in the market doing its work. The more interesting Fidelity figure is behavioral: savers who stayed in a plan 15 years straight averaged $617,600 regardless of generation, and Gen X 15-year continuous savers approached $700,000. Consistency, not timing, is the pattern behind every large balance in this data.

What if your 401(k) balance is below the median?

If your balance is below the median for your age, you are not alone; at least half of savers are in the same position, and a quarter of all participants hold under $10,000. Nothing about a benchmark table changes your options, and the options are good: the match, the rate, and time are all still available to you.

Three catch-up paths, using the levers in order:

• Behind at 35: capture the full match first, then automate a 1 percent rate increase each year. You would be joining a crowd: 45% of Vanguard participants raised their savings rate in 2025, much of it automatically.
• Behind at 45: going from a 6% to a 10% contribution rate on an $80,000 salary adds about $371,257 over a 30-year run at a 7% return in our engine’s projection. Even with fewer years left, the rate is the strongest lever you have.
• Behind at 55: the catch-up limit adds $8,000 a year from age 50 (2026 figure), and our 2026 contribution limits playbook computes that the catch-up alone, invested from 50 to 65 at 7%, builds about $201,032.

Shame is not a strategy, and neither is comparing yourself to an average that three quarters of savers sit below. Our retirement on-track playbook walks the full catch-up framework, and the retirement on-track calculator shows your gap in dollars per month, which is the number you can actually act on.

How your contribution rate changes the picture

At a minimum, contribute enough to get your full employer match, which is guaranteed return. Vanguard and Fidelity both suggest a total savings rate of 12 to 15 percent of pay including the match. In 2026 you can contribute up to $24,500 of your own money. For anyone under about 45, the rate predicts the retirement outcome far better than today’s balance does.

The participant data shows where rates actually sit: Vanguard’s average employee deferral was 7.6% in 2025 (median 6.6%), and adding employer money brought the average total to a record 12.1%. Fidelity’s combined figure was 14.2%. Plan design is quietly doing a lot of this work, since 61% of Vanguard plans now auto-enroll and 71% include automatic rate escalation.

What this means: the same saver ends 30 years with about $556,886 at a 6% rate, $928,143 at 10%, and $1,392,214 at 15%, under the stated assumptions. The lines never cross and the spread only widens, which is why a rate increase today quietly outworks almost any later heroics. Project your own 401(k) balance with your real salary, match, and rate.

The employer match: the easiest money to miss

Yes, you should almost always contribute enough to get the full match. An employer match is part of your compensation and an immediate return, often 50 to 100 percent on the matched portion. The most common formula is 50 percent of contributions up to 6 percent of pay. Not capturing it leaves guaranteed money unclaimed.

The match is also getting better: Vanguard reports the average employer match reached a record 4.7% of pay in 2025, and 88.1% of Fidelity participants received a company match as of Q4 2025. Here is what that free money compounds into for one saver.

What this means: over 30 years the match scenario ends at $835,329 versus $556,886 without it. The forfeited $278,443 comes from about $97,363 of employer deposits plus $181,080 of growth on them. Missing the match does not feel like a loss in any single paycheck, which is exactly why it costs so much across a career. Run your own formula through the 401(k) match calculator, which isolates exactly this comparison, or read our match explainer for the formulas and the vesting fine print.

Catch-up contributions after 50 (2026 rules)

In 2026, workers 50 and older can contribute an extra $8,000 beyond the $24,500 limit. Under SECURE 2.0, those ages 60 to 63 get a larger $11,250 super catch-up, for up to $35,750 of their own money. High earners face a new rule: if your prior-year wages from your employer topped $150,000, catch-up contributions must be Roth.

401(k) contribution limits, tax year 2026

Employee deferral limit

$24,500

your own contributions, traditional and Roth combined

Catch-up at 50 and older

+$8,000

up to $32,500 of your own money

Super catch-up, ages 60 to 63

+$11,250

replaces the $8,000 catch-up; reverts at 64

Combined employee plus employer limit

$72,000

match and profit sharing count here, not against your deferral

Source: IRS Notice 2025-67. If your prior-year wages from your employer topped $150,000, catch-up contributions must be Roth. IRA limit: $7,500, plus a $1,100 catch-up at 50.

Two fine-print points worth knowing. First, the super catch-up applies only in the years you are 60, 61, 62, or 63; at 64 the limit reverts to the standard $8,000 catch-up, per IRS Notice 2025-67. Second, the Roth requirement for high earners means a plan with no Roth option effectively blocks their catch-ups until it adds one, so it is worth checking your plan now rather than in December. Whether Roth or traditional dollars serve you better is its own decision, covered in our Roth vs traditional playbook, and every 2026 figure lives in the contribution limits playbook.

Your 401(k) is one piece of retirement readiness

Usually a 401(k) is not enough by itself. It is a core piece, but full readiness also depends on Social Security, IRAs, pensions, home equity, healthcare costs, and your withdrawal rate. The median 55 to 64 balance of about $107,000 would produce only around $4,300 a year at a 4 percent withdrawal rate.

The national picture makes the same point from the other direction. The Federal Reserve’s 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances, which covers all US households and all retirement account types, shows much higher totals than any 401(k)-only view, because households hold IRAs and old employer plans too.

What this means: counting every account type, the 55 to 64 household average of $537,560 runs nearly double Vanguard’s $305,006 401(k)-only average for the same ages, and even so, only 54.3% of households hold any retirement account at all. Our retirement savings by age study reads this household view in full, median and average for every age band and the honest all-households version beside it; provider data like this page’s counts accounts, while the Fed counts households. Your full position is your net worth, not one account: our net worth guide shows how to total it, our retirement income playbook translates a balance into sustainable income, and our net worth by age study benchmarks the whole balance sheet the same way this page benchmarks the 401(k), average against median, from the same SCF data.

How to calculate your own retirement number

Benchmarks locate you in a crowd; a plan needs your numbers. Four steps get you from this page’s tables to a target you can defend:

How to calculate your own retirement number

1. Estimate the yearly income your savings must provide.Start from what you spend now, subtract what Social Security might cover, and the remainder is what your savings must produce each year. One common planning anchor assumes savings replace about 45 percent of pre-retirement income, with Social Security covering much of the rest.
2. Project your balance to retirement.Take your current balance, contribution rate, employer match, and years left, and project the balance forward at a return you can defend. The 401(k) calculator runs this projection and shows how much of the ending balance comes from the match alone.
3. Compare the projection with your target.A shortfall is information, not a verdict. The retirement on-track calculator compares your trajectory with your goal and shows the gap in dollars per month, which turns an intimidating total into a number you can act on.
4. Close the gap with the levers you control.Capture the full match first, then raise your contribution rate one percent at a time, then use catch-up contributions once you turn 50. Small rate changes compound: over decades, one or two percent of pay is often the difference between behind and on track.

The tools for each step, in order: the 401(k) calculator projects your balance with your match and rate, the retirement on-track calculator turns the projection into a monthly-dollars gap, the Roth vs traditional calculator settles which dollars to contribute, and if early retirement is the goal, the FIRE calculator finds your FIRE number from your spending. Benchmarks are useful, but your retirement number is personal.

Methodology

Main table. Vanguard, How America Saves 2026 (25th edition, published June 2026), data as of December 31, 2025, covering about 4.6 million participant accounts across 1,300+ Vanguard-administered defined contribution plans. We use Vanguard because it is the only large public source reporting both average and median balances by age, annually. The gap column (average minus median) is derived by FinExplained.

Second provider. Fidelity’s Q4 2025 Retirement Analysis (data as of December 31, 2025; 26,200 corporate plans, 24.8 million participants) supplies the comparison, by-decade, and generational figures. Fidelity publishes a median only overall, never by age or generation, so no median-by-age figure on this page is attributed to Fidelity. Fidelity also reports quarterly, so its figures move with markets; everything quoted here is the year-end 2025 (Q4 2025) set, not the Q1 2026 set that circulates under 2025 headlines.

National context. The Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances, 2022 wave (published October 2023), is household-level, nationally representative, and covers all retirement account types, which is why its figures run higher than any provider’s 401(k)-only view. The 2025 wave is expected in late 2026.

Age bands. We use Vanguard’s native bands so average and median stay from one internally consistent source, and we map single ages into bands rather than inventing single-year precision no source publishes.

Projections. The contribution-rate and match charts are computed by the same tested, decimal-precise engine behind the site’s 401(k) calculator, under stated assumptions ($80,000 salary growing 2% a year, 7% constant annual return, 30 years, end-of-year contributions, 2026 IRS limits applied). They are illustrations of mechanics, not predictions.

Limitations. Provider data covers only people who have a plan at that recordkeeper and skews toward larger employers and higher earners; it is not nationally representative. Balances are point-in-time snapshots that move with markets: 2025’s records reflect a strong market year, and provider figures moved lower in early 2026. 401(k)-only figures exclude IRAs, pensions, taxable savings, and Social Security, so they understate total retirement resources. A single person’s accounts at multiple recordkeepers are not consolidated. Salary-multiple benchmarks are model outputs with stated assumptions, not guarantees. This page is educational, not financial advice.

Refresh cadence. Vanguard publishes each June and the IRS sets limits each November; this page refreshes on both cycles, with changes recorded in the site changelog. The main table is downloadable as CSV.

Data sources

• Vanguard, How America Saves 2026, 25th edition, year-end 2025 participant data.
• Fidelity, Q4 2025 Retirement Analysis, year-end 2025 participant data.
• Fidelity, How much do I need to retire?, the salary-multiple guideline and its assumptions.
• Federal Reserve, Survey of Consumer Finances, 2022 wave, household retirement savings.
• IRS Notice 2025-67, 2026 contribution and catch-up limits.
• The main table is downloadable as CSV under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to FinExplained; the underlying balance figures belong to Vanguard’s published research.

The comparison is the starting point, not the plan

The median for your age tells you where you stand in a crowd of savers; it cannot tell you whether you are on track for the retirement you actually want. Pick the one lever you can move this month, the match, the rate, or a catch-up, and then replace every benchmark on this page with your own number: see if you’re on track.