Research

Public data, recomputed, with the arithmetic shown. Everything here comes from a named government source and every figure can be checked against it. Use any of it, with or without credit.

Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances 2022

Take the house out and the median American is 60 percent poorer

Every net worth benchmark you have compared yourself to counts home equity. The Federal Reserve publishes the version that does not, and at 35 to 39 the median falls from $138,588 to $43,416.

August 13, 2026 · 9 minute read