US Data · Fed SCF 2025
Average Savings by Age in the US — and the Median, Which Matters More
How much American families keep in checking, savings and money market accounts at every age, from the Federal Reserve's newest Survey of Consumer Finances.
Published 2026-10-23 · Updated 2026-10-23 · Reading time ~5 min
Average savings by age (Federal Reserve, SCF 2025): the median family balance in checking, savings and money market accounts is $5,000 under 35, $6,600 at 35–44, $10,000 at 55–64 and $14,000 at 75 and over. Across all ages the median is $8,200 while the average is $62,800, 7.7 times higher, so compare yourself with the median. Figures in 2025 dollars.
Short answer
Median savings rise with age, from $5,000 for families under 35 to $14,000 at 75+. At least 98.1% of families in every age band have an account, so nearly everyone is in these numbers. The averages are far higher because a minority hold six-figure cash balances. Savings are one line of a balance sheet; for the whole picture see net worth by age.
How do your savings compare?
Pick your age and type what you hold in checking, savings and money market accounts.
Example figures. Change them to yours.
Median
$5,000
$1,000 above
75th pct
$16,200
$10,200 below
Median (families holding an account) and the 75th and 90th percentiles (all families) are the figures in the table on this page: Federal Reserve SCF 2025, 2025 dollars. Checking, savings and money market accounts; CDs, retirement accounts and investments excluded.
Savings by age: median, average and percentiles
Checking, savings and money market balances by age of the family head, 2025 dollars. Median and average are for families that hold an account; the percentiles cover every family in the band.
| Age | Median | Average | 25th pct | 75th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 35 | $5,000 | $20,520 | $800 | $16,200 | $45,200 |
| 35–44 | $6,600 | $40,780 | $1,100 | $23,000 | $77,000 |
| 45–54 | $9,400 | $62,710 | $1,800 | $40,700 | $134,100 |
| 55–64 | $10,000 | $90,660 | $1,400 | $51,300 | $151,300 |
| 65–74 | $10,000 | $78,830 | $2,300 | $47,000 | $150,000 |
| 75+ | $14,000 | $97,140 | $2,400 | $61,000 | $186,200 |
| All ages | $8,200 | $62,800 | $1,500 | $34,800 | $119,200 |
Source: Federal Reserve Board, Survey of Consumer Finances 1989–2025 table (transaction accounts by age, read 2026-10-23); percentiles and the all-ages row computed from the public SCF 2025 data file.
Savings by age: 2022 vs 2025
Both surveys in 2025 dollars, so the change is real purchasing power. The median rose for 55–64 and 75+ and fell for Under 35, 35–44, 45–54 and 65–74. Cash balances swing with interest rates and spending, so read a single survey as a snapshot rather than a trend.
| Age | Median 2022 | Median 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Under 35 | $5,910 | $5,000 |
| 35–44 | $8,210 | $6,600 |
| 45–54 | $9,520 | $9,400 |
| 55–64 | $8,760 | $10,000 |
| 65–74 | $14,660 | $10,000 |
| 75+ | $10,940 | $14,000 |
Certificates of deposit by age
CDs are counted separately from the accounts above. Few young families hold one (4.3% under 35), while 19% of families 75 and over do, with a median of $50,000 among those who hold one.
| Age | Families with a CD | Median CD balance |
|---|---|---|
| Under 35 | 4.3% | $6,600 |
| 35–44 | 5.3% | $20,000 |
| 45–54 | 8.2% | $25,000 |
| 55–64 | 12.2% | $35,000 |
| 65–74 | 18% | $45,000 |
| 75+ | 19% | $50,000 |
Computed from the public SCF 2025 data file; median among families holding a CD.
How much savings should you have at your age?
The survey tells you what families hold, not what they should. A common rule of thumb is three to six months of essential spending in an emergency fund before investing for longer goals; if your spending is $3,000 a month, that is $9,000 to $18,000. Even the low end of that range is above the median in 2 of the 6 age bands. Work out your own number with the emergency fund calculator, then see how fast a monthly deposit gets you there with the savings calculator.
See where you actually stand
Cash is one account. Net worth is the whole ledger. Free tools, no signup.
- Average net worth by age — the Fed's SCF 2025 median and mean net worth for every age band.
- Average 401(k) balance by age — retirement savings, which this page leaves out.
- Net worth percentile calculator — enter your age and net worth to see your percentile.
- Average salary by age — the income side of the same picture.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average savings by age in the US?+
Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances 2025, families with a checking, savings or money market account (2025 dollars): Under 35 — median $5,000, average $20,520; 35–44 — median $6,600, average $40,780; 45–54 — median $9,400, average $62,710; 55–64 — median $10,000, average $90,660; 65–74 — median $10,000, average $78,830; 75+ — median $14,000, average $97,140. Across all ages the median is $8,200 and the average $62,800.
Why is average savings so much higher than the median?+
A small share of families hold very large cash balances, which pulls the average up. Across all ages the average ($62,800) is 7.7 times the median ($8,200). The median is the better yardstick: half of families hold more, half less.
How much savings does a 30-year-old have?+
For families headed by someone under 35, the median transaction-account balance is $5,000 and the 75th percentile $16,200; one in ten holds more than $45,200. At 35–44 the median is $6,600. A common rule of thumb is to keep three to six months of essential spending as an emergency fund, which for many households is more than the median holds.
What counts as savings in these figures?+
The Fed's "transaction accounts": checking, savings, money market deposit and money market mutual fund accounts, call accounts at brokerages and prepaid cards. Certificates of deposit are a separate category (shown in the CD table on this page), and retirement accounts and investments are not included.
Did savings go up or down since 2022?+
In 2025 dollars, the median rose for 55–64 and 75+ and fell for Under 35, 35–44, 45–54 and 65–74 between the 2022 and 2025 surveys. For example, 55–64: $8,760 in 2022 to $10,000 in 2025; Under 35: $5,910 to $5,000.
Where does this data come from?+
The Federal Reserve Board's Survey of Consumer Finances 2025, released 9 October 2026. Medians, averages and the share holding an account are the Fed's published figures; percentiles and the CD table are computed from the Fed's public SCF 2025 data file with the same method, which reproduces every published figure exactly.
