Net worth with and without home equity: comparing age-group medians
Published 13 August 2026 · Corrected 9 September 2026 · Data verified 1 October 2026
Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances 2022
Correction: the earlier headline described an average across age brackets as a national median. The page now distinguishes these statistics, identifies the secondary data source and removes claims that wealth excluding home equity is automatically spendable.
Home equity changes a net-worth comparison, but excluding it does not make a household poorer. It changes the definition being measured. These tables compare US household distributions using 2022 data, not individual wealth or a forecast of what anyone can afford today.
For ages 35–39, the median including home equity is $138,588 and the median excluding it is $43,416: a difference of $95,172, or about 69% of the first median. The household at the middle of one distribution need not be the household at the middle of the other. Subtracting the medians therefore does not identify the typical household’s home equity.
The age-group comparison
US households, by age of the reference person. Amounts are nominal 2022 US dollars. Excluding home equity means removing the primary residence’s value net of its secured debt; other property remains included.
| Age | Median net worth | Median excluding home equity | Difference between medians | Difference (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80+ | $327,200 | $88,049 | $239,151 | 73% |
| 18-24 | $10,222 | $9,774 | $448 | 4% |
| 25-29 | $31,470 | $19,270 | $12,200 | 39% |
| 30-34 | $88,631 | $36,178 | $52,453 | 59% |
| 35-39 | $138,588 | $43,416 | $95,172 | 69% |
| 40-44 | $134,382 | $57,668 | $76,714 | 57% |
| 45-49 | $213,586 | $92,370 | $121,216 | 57% |
| 50-54 | $266,140 | $94,923 | $171,217 | 64% |
| 55-59 | $321,074 | $131,460 | $189,614 | 59% |
| 60-64 | $392,860 | $143,640 | $249,220 | 63% |
| 65-69 | $393,480 | $132,290 | $261,190 | 66% |
| 70-74 | $438,700 | $237,692 | $201,008 | 46% |
| 75-79 | $338,180 | $112,106 | $226,074 | 67% |
Across the displayed brackets aged 25 and above, the unweighted mean of the percentage differences is approximately 60%. Each bracket receives equal weight. This is neither a population-weighted result nor a national median, and it does not establish what share of a typical household’s wealth is housing. The small difference in the youngest bracket is descriptive; it is not an experimental control or evidence that sampling uncertainty disappears.
What these figures can and cannot tell you
A renter can compare net worth under the same asset definition, but the column excluding home equity still combines owners and renters. It is not a renter-only benchmark. Being above or below it does not establish whether an individual’s financial plan is adequate.
Assets outside a primary residence can include retirement accounts, business interests and other property. They may be illiquid, taxable on withdrawal or subject to restrictions. Neither column measures the money available for bills, a job loss or retirement spending. Home equity can also be accessed in different ways, each with costs and constraints.
A hypothetical owner with $220,000 in home equity and $90,000 in other investments has $310,000 in net worth. A renter with $180,000 in investments and no other assets or debts has $180,000. Excluding the home reverses their order, but says nothing by itself about either household’s expenses, investment liquidity or ability to withstand a job loss.
Means and medians answer different questions
A mean averages wealth across households. A median marks the middle of a distribution. A high mean relative to the median is consistent with wealth concentrated toward the upper end; the ratio alone does not describe every household. The table below retains both measures rather than treating either as a personal target.
| Age | Mean net worth | Median net worth | Mean ÷ median | Median excluding home equity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80+ | $1,611,984 | $327,200 | 4.9× | $88,049 |
| 18-24 | $112,104 | $10,222 | 11.0× | $9,774 |
| 25-29 | $120,182 | $31,470 | 3.8× | $19,270 |
| 30-34 | $258,075 | $88,631 | 2.9× | $36,178 |
| 35-39 | $501,295 | $138,588 | 3.6× | $43,416 |
| 40-44 | $590,710 | $134,382 | 4.4× | $57,668 |
| 45-49 | $781,840 | $213,586 | 3.7× | $92,370 |
| 50-54 | $1,132,497 | $266,140 | 4.3× | $94,923 |
| 55-59 | $1,441,962 | $321,074 | 4.5× | $131,460 |
| 60-64 | $1,675,294 | $392,860 | 4.3× | $143,640 |
| 65-69 | $1,836,884 | $393,480 | 4.7× | $132,290 |
| 70-74 | $1,714,044 | $438,700 | 3.9× | $237,692 |
| 75-79 | $1,629,271 | $338,180 | 4.8× | $112,106 |
Use a benchmark alongside your own plan
Track total net worth, the assets available for your time horizon, debts, income and expected costs separately. A percentile is a comparison with survey households, not a recommendation or a safe-spending allowance. For a near-term budget, use your actual available balance and upcoming commitments.
Explore the net-worth calculator
Method and sources
Deco independently computed these estimates from the Federal Reserve’s public 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances summary extract. Weighted household medians are calculated separately in each of the five imputations and then averaged; the extract’s weights are already adjusted for the five repeated records. All displayed age-group medians reproduce the previously stored anchors. The age bands are Deco calculations, not tables published directly by the Fed. The reproducible builder also checks the pooled national median against the Fed’s public Table 4.
Federal Reserve — Survey of Consumer Finances
Federal Reserve — 2022 public summary extract (ZIP)
For each bracket, the median is the stored 50th-percentile anchor. Difference = median including home equity − median excluding home equity. Percentage difference = difference ÷ median including home equity. The summary average excludes ages 18–24 and gives every remaining displayed bracket equal weight. No inflation adjustment to 2026 is applied.
Sampling and estimation uncertainty can affect medians as well as extreme percentiles, especially in small age groups. These tables do not supply confidence intervals. Use the figures as approximate survey-based comparisons. The October 2026 refresh independently recomputes the estimates from the primary survey source; it does not remove this uncertainty.
Corrections and questions: usedecoapp@outlook.com