Retirement Savings Statistics in America (2026)

The numbers

1. Median 401(k) balance, ages 25–34: $14,933

   Vanguard recordkept participants. Mean is $37,557 in the same cohort.

   As of 2025 · Vanguard Research

2. Median 401(k) balance, ages 35–44: $35,537

   Roughly 0.5× annual income for the median household in this age band — well below the often-cited 2× target.

   As of 2025 · Vanguard Research

3. Median 401(k) balance, ages 55–64: $87,571

   Critically short of the 7–10× annual-income target most advisors recommend for retirement readiness at age 65.

   As of 2025 · Vanguard Research

4. Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,976/month

   Up 2.5% from 2025 due to the COLA. Maximum benefit at full retirement age is $4,018; at age 70 it's $5,108.

   As of 2026-01 · Social Security Administration

5. 28% of non-retired adults have no retirement savings at all

   Down from 31% in 2023. Lowest-quartile income households account for nearly half.

   As of 2025 · Federal Reserve

6. 401(k) participation rate: 83%

   Among eligible employees at firms with auto-enrollment. Drops to 60% at firms without auto-enroll.

   As of 2025 · Vanguard Research

7. Median IRA balance: $42,000

   Per the Fed's most recent Survey of Consumer Finances. Mean is $185,000.

   As of 2025 · Federal Reserve

8. Average Social Security replacement rate: 37%

   Of pre-retirement income for an average-earner retiring at full retirement age. The target for a comfortable retirement is generally 70–80%.

   As of 2025 · SSA Office of the Chief Actuary

9. Full retirement age (FRA) for those born 1960+: 67

   Claiming at 62 reduces the monthly benefit by 30%; claiming at 70 boosts it by 24% relative to FRA.

   As of 2026 · Social Security Administration

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do these median balances come from?

Median 401(k) figures come from Vanguard's annual How America Saves report, which covers ~4.7 million recordkept participants. IRA and broader household figures come from the Federal Reserve's triennial Survey of Consumer Finances.

Why is the median so much lower than the mean?

Retirement balances are heavily right-skewed — a small number of high earners with $1M+ accounts pull the mean far above the typical household. The median is a better gauge of where most Americans actually are.