The Federal Reserve’s 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, released in October 2026, is the most authoritative source of U.S. household wealth data available. Boldin’s analysis of the survey’s public microdata shows that the top 10% of households headed by someone 60 or older have about $3.9 million in net worth. In that data, the threshold doesn’t fall in later retirement. It’s highest for households 75 and older.
How Much Net Worth Do You Need to Be in the Top 10% of Retirees?
You need about $3.9 million in net worth to be in the top 10% of retirees 60 and older. By age band, the threshold ranges from about $3.46M at ages 65–69 to $4.19M at 80 and older. The top 5% threshold is about $7.3 million, and the top 1% runs from about $19.0M to $22.3M. These figures come from Boldin’s analysis of public microdata from the Fed’s 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF), covering households headed by someone 60 or older.
Overall net worth thresholds for retirees 60+
| Percentile | Net Worth Threshold |
|---|---|
| Top 1% | $19.0M – $22.3M |
| Top 5% | $6.6M – $8.9M |
| Top 10% | $3.5M – $4.2M |
| Median (50th%) | $415,000 – $567,000 |
| 25th Percentile | $107,000 – $198,000 |
Source: Boldin analysis of Federal Reserve 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) public microdata. Figures reflect households with head of household aged 60+, in 2025 dollars.
Net worth thresholds by retirement age band
| Age Band | Median (50th%) | 75th Percentile | Top 10% (90th%) | Top 5% (95th%) | Top 1% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60–64 | $529,000 | $1,488,000 | $3,802,000 | $8,863,000 | $22,142,000 |
| 65–69 | $436,000 | $1,303,000 | $3,458,000 | $6,637,000 | $22,311,000 |
| 70–74 | $424,000 | $1,320,000 | $3,798,000 | $8,639,000 | $20,117,000 |
| 75–79 | $415,000 | $1,345,000 | $4,137,000 | $6,869,000 | $22,055,000 |
| 80+ | $567,000 | $1,522,000 | $4,188,000 | $6,795,000 | $19,011,000 |
Source: Boldin analysis of Federal Reserve 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) public microdata for age 60+ households. Weighted percentiles in 2025 dollars, rounded to the nearest $1,000.
From ages 60 through 74, households in the 90th percentile hold about $3.5 million to $3.8 million in net worth. After 75, the threshold rises to about $4.1 million to $4.2 million. The Fed’s published report points the same way. In its tables, median net worth for families headed by someone 75 or older rose about 37% after inflation from 2022 to 2025, to $504,900. Two cautions apply. Fewer households are surveyed at older ages, so those bands are less precise. And wealthier people tend to live longer, which lifts the numbers for the oldest groups.
Baby boomers, born 1946 to 1964, fill most of these age bands. They’re the wealthiest generation in U.S. history at the same life stage.
What Counts as Net Worth in Retirement?
Retirement net worth is total assets minus total liabilities for your household, not each individual. Throughout this article, “retirement net worth” refers to the net worth of households headed by someone 60 or older, whether or not they’re still working.
Assets include home equity, retirement accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs, taxable investment accounts, cash savings, and other property. Liabilities include mortgage balances, car loans, credit card debt, and any other outstanding obligations. Social Security and pension income streams aren’t counted as assets in net worth calculations, though they affect retirement security in important ways.
There are different measures of wealth, the most popular being income, household savings, and net worth. Of those three, net worth is the most comprehensive, because it captures both what you own and what you owe. For more on how wealth gets defined, see how to define wealth.
How to Calculate Your Own Net Worth
You can calculate your retirement net worth in a few steps, using the same approach the Federal Reserve’s SCF follows.
- List your assets: home value minus expected selling costs, retirement accounts (401(k), IRA, 403(b)), taxable investment accounts, bank accounts, and other property or businesses.
- List your liabilities: mortgage balances, home equity loans, car loans, credit card balances, personal loans, and other debts.
- Subtract total liabilities from total assets to get your household net worth.
- Keep in mind that Social Security and pension income aren’t counted as assets in net worth, even though they may cover a large share of your spending in retirement.
You can track this over time and model future changes using the Boldin Planner, which incorporates net worth into your overall retirement projections.
Most Wealthy Retirees Built Their Money on Ordinary Incomes
You might imagine the wealthiest retirees are mostly trust fund heirs or senior executives. Research suggests something very different. The Ramsey Solutions 2019 National Study of Millionaires found that most U.S. millionaires built wealth on ordinary incomes and in mainstream professions, not in C-suite roles.
According to that study, the top five professions for millionaires are engineers, accountants, teachers, managers, and attorneys. Most are college educated, but the majority graduated from public universities and state schools rather than elite private institutions. About 21% received any inheritance. Just 15% held senior leadership roles while working. Only 31% averaged $100,000 a year over their careers, and a third never earned six figures in any single year. The survey was fielded in 2017 and 2018. It still shows how often long-term saving, more than high pay, builds wealth.
What Income Level Typically Produces Top 10% Wealth?
The Ramsey study found that just 31% of millionaires averaged $100,000 a year over their careers, and few held high-paying executive roles. Reaching top 10% net worth in retirement has more to do with a high, consistent savings rate than with crossing a specific salary threshold.
Households that save consistently, invest broadly, and avoid lifestyle inflation can reach seven-figure net worth even on moderate earnings. High-income households that save little often arrive at retirement with far less than their paychecks would imply. To see how savings rates compare across age groups, see average retirement savings by age.
Five Habits That Separated Wealthy Retirees From the Rest
High net worth in retirement tracks a small, repeatable set of behaviors. The Ramsey Solutions 2019 study and similar research point to a handful of habits that appear again and again among millionaires.
- They used their company retirement plan (401(k) or similar) and contributed as much as they could.
- They also saved and invested outside of their employer plans, in taxable accounts or other vehicles.
- They invested broadly and avoided concentrating their money in a few individual stocks, preferring diversified portfolios.
- They started saving and investing early in their careers, though it’s never too late to improve your trajectory.
- They saved and invested consistently and stayed invested through market downturns instead of trying to time the market.
The sequence of these choices matters less than their consistency over decades, which is what shows up in retirement net worth percentiles.
Boldin Users Average $3M in Net Worth: What That Means for Retirement Planning
The average net worth of a Boldin subscriber is just over $3 million, based on Boldin user data as of 2026. That puts the typical Boldin user well inside the top 25% of retirees. It’s also within reach of the top 10% threshold, which starts around $3.5 million.
At that wealth level, decisions like when to do Roth conversions, how to sequence withdrawals across taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free accounts, and when to claim Social Security can shift a retirement outcome by six figures or more. The Boldin Planner lets you model those scenarios side by side and see the impact before you commit.
Can You Retire Comfortably Without Being in the Top 10%?
You don’t need to be a millionaire, or anywhere close to one, to have a secure retirement. Retirement security depends more on your spending needs, income sources, and the quality of your plan than on your net worth percentile.
A household with $500,000 in net worth, a reliable pension, and modest fixed expenses may be more financially secure than one with $2 million in assets and high ongoing costs. The wealth thresholds in these tables show where you stand relative to other households, not whether your specific retirement is viable. A detailed plan built around your own numbers is what determines whether you can sustain your lifestyle.
You can use the Boldin Planner to create or update your plan for the secure future you want, whether that means living on Social Security, working past 65, or retiring in your 40s.
FAQs About Retirement Wealth Benchmarks
What net worth do you need to be in the top 10% of retirees?
You need about $3.9 million in net worth to be in the top 10% of retirees 60 and older. The exact threshold varies by age band, from about $3.46M at ages 65–69 to $4.19M at 80 and older. The top 1% threshold ranges from about $19.0M to $22.3M. These figures come from Boldin’s analysis of public microdata from the Fed’s 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, covering households headed by someone 60 or older.
What net worth puts you in the top 5% of retirees?
You need about $7.3 million in net worth to be in the top 5% of retirees 60 and older, based on Boldin’s analysis of public microdata from the Fed’s 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances. By age band, the threshold runs from about $6.6 million at ages 65–69 to about $8.9 million at ages 60–64. Fewer households sit at the top of the distribution, so these figures move more from survey to survey than the median does.
How does net worth differ from retirement savings?
Retirement savings refers to balances in dedicated retirement accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs. Net worth is broader: it adds home equity, taxable investment accounts, bank balances, and other assets, then subtracts all liabilities. A retiree with $600,000 in a 401(k) and $400,000 in home equity has $1 million in net worth even if their reported “savings” figure looks smaller. National benchmarks use net worth rather than account balances, so the distinction matters when assessing where you stand.
What net worth puts you in the top 25% of retirees?
The 75th percentile (top 25%) of retirees ranges from about $1.30 million at ages 65–69 to about $1.52 million at 80 and older. That’s based on Boldin’s analysis of public microdata from the Federal Reserve’s 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances. A net worth of about $1.3 million or more puts you in the top quarter of retiree households at any age from 60 on.
How much did top 10% retirees save each year to get there?
There’s no single dollar amount that defines how much top 10% retirees saved annually, because incomes and careers vary widely. The millionaire research shows that most built wealth on ordinary incomes under $100,000 a year. The key factor was a high, consistent savings rate, often 15–20% or more of income over many years, rather than any specific annual contribution target.
Does home equity count toward retirement wealth percentiles?
Yes, home equity is one of the largest components of household net worth in the SCF and is included in the percentiles used for retirement wealth benchmarks. A retiree with a paid-off home carries higher net worth than a similar household with the same savings but a large remaining mortgage.
What counts toward net worth in retirement?
Retirement net worth is calculated as total assets minus total liabilities. Assets include home equity, retirement accounts (401(k), IRA), taxable investment accounts, cash savings, and other property. Liabilities include mortgage balances, car loans, credit card debt, and other obligations. Social Security and pension income streams aren’t counted as assets in net worth calculations, though they affect retirement security in important ways.
How does retirement net worth change with age?
In Boldin’s analysis of public microdata from the Fed’s 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, retiree net worth doesn’t move in one direction with age. Median net worth runs from about $529,000 at ages 60–64 to about $415,000 at 75–79, then rises to about $567,000 at 80 and older. The top 10% threshold climbs after 75, to about $4.1 million to $4.2 million. Smaller samples at older ages can explain part of that pattern. Wealthier people also tend to live longer, which lifts the figures for the oldest households.
Can you retire comfortably without being in the top 10%?
Many retirees with mid-range net worths retire well if they have manageable expenses, stable income sources, and a solid plan. A household with $500,000 in net worth, modest spending, and dependable income may be more financially secure than a higher-net-worth household with large fixed costs and no strategy.
