Net Worth Percentile at 25 to 29
Median
$31,470
Half of 25 to 29 year olds have less than this
Average
$120,183
3.8x the median. This is the number most articles quote.
The median net worth for 25 to 29 year olds is $31,470. Half of this age group has less than that, which is worth sitting with for a second, because the average quoted in most articles is $120,183.
That gap of nearly four times is not a rounding error. It is what happens when you average a group that contains both people with student debt and people who already have two million dollars.
The full spread at 25 to 29
| Percentile | Net worth | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 25th | $3,784 | Bottom 25 percent are below |
| 50th | $31,470 | Median, half are below |
| 75th | $130,606 | Top 25 percent start here |
| 90th | $296,830 | Top 10 percent start here |
| 95th | $410,060 | Top 5 percent start here |
| 99th | $2,121,910 | Top 1 percent start here |
Excluding home equity, the median for 25 to 29 drops to $19,270. That is the number to compare against if you rent, since the headline figures count equity you cannot spend without moving.
The spread is already enormous at 25
The top one percent of this age group holds $2,121,910. The bottom quarter holds $3,784 or less. That is a range of roughly five hundred to one inside a five year age band, and it is wider than most people assume for a group this young.
Practically, it means comparing yourself to the average at this age tells you almost nothing. The average sits somewhere around the 75th percentile of the actual distribution, so a person of entirely typical finances reads it and concludes they are far behind. They are not. They are at the median, which is exactly where half of everyone is.
Find your own number
A percentile is only useful once you know where you actually stand, and the trend matters far more than the snapshot.
Open the net worth calculatorCommon questions
Does student debt count?
Yes, and it is a large part of why the lower percentiles are so low. Net worth is everything owned minus everything owed, so a graduate with $40,000 of loans and $5,000 saved has a net worth of minus $35,000. A meaningful share of this age group is negative, which the percentile figures reflect.
Is it bad to have a negative net worth at 27?
It is common, and on its own it says little. What matters far more at this age is the direction and the rate. Someone at minus $20,000 who is clearing $1,500 a month of debt is in a stronger position than someone at plus $10,000 who is static.
Other age brackets
- 30 to 34 · $88,631
- 35 to 39 · $138,588
- 40 to 44 · $134,382
- 45 to 49 · $213,586
- 50 to 54 · $266,140
- 55 to 59 · $321,074
- 60 to 64 · $392,860
Source: Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances 2022. Values in nominal 2022 US dollars. Net worth means everything owned minus everything owed, including home equity. General information, not financial advice.