Retirement savings for people aged 42–45 in the U.S.
Balances across 401(k), 403(b), IRA and other retirement accounts.
Half of people aged 42–45 in the U.S. have a retirement savings above $22,000. Reaching the upper quarter takes about $154,000, and the top 10% starts at $485,000 — roughly 22.0× the median. The lower quarter sits below $0, and the bottom 10% is under $0.
The full distribution
| Percentile | Retirement savings | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom 10% | $0 | 9 in 10 are above this |
| Lower quarter | $0 | 25th percentile |
| Median | $22,000 | half above, half below |
| Upper quarter | $154,000 | 75th percentile |
| Top 10% | $485,000 | only 1 in 10 is above this |
| Average (mean) | $27,500 | pulled up by the top end — the median is the better "typical" |
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Retirement savings by age
| Age | Lower quarter | Median retirement savings | Upper quarter | Top 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22–25 → | $0 | $0 | $4,000 | $19K |
| 26–29 → | $0 | $1,000 | $21K | $60K |
| 30–33 → | $0 | $3,100 | $39K | $128K |
| 34–37 → | $0 | $2,400 | $65K | $225K |
| 38–41 → | $0 | $9,200 | $100K | $340K |
| 42–45 | $0 | $22K | $154K | $485K |
| 46–50 → | $0 | $32K | $200K | $680K |
| 50–54 → | $0 | $31K | $220K | $930K |
| 55–59 → | $0 | $34K | $300K | $1.0M |
| 60–64 → | $0 | $38K | $340K | $1.2M |
| 65 and over → | $0 | $0 | $255K | $1.2M |
Retirement savings at 42–45 by city
| Metro | Lower quarter | Median retirement savings | Upper quarter | Top 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City → | $0 | $29K | $205K | $674K |
| San Francisco → | $0 | $32K | $230K | $769K |
| Los Angeles → | $0 | $26K | $188K | $611K |
| Chicago → | $0 | $24K | $171K | $548K |
| Boston → | $0 | $26K | $184K | $598K |
| Washington, DC → | $0 | $26K | $188K | $611K |
| Seattle → | $0 | $27K | $191K | $624K |
| Austin → | $0 | $25K | $174K | $561K |
National figures above; metro pages adjust for local incomes and housing costs.
More for people aged 42–45 in the U.S.
Common questions
How this is built. Percentiles are modeled for this cohort from federal survey microdata — the Federal Reserve's 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances (released October 2026), the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey (2024), the Census American Community Survey and BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (May 2025) — with metro cost-of-living and wage adjustments. As Keeping Up members in this cohort grow, the band blends toward anonymized, aggregated live data (minimum cohort sizes apply; no individual is ever identifiable). Seeded figures are household-level, as in the SCF; live cohorts are individual-level. Amounts are in current dollars. Read the full methodology.
Last updated October 2026. Cohort: people aged 42–45 in the U.S.. Model sample basis: 500.