Net Worth Calculator — Compare With Your Age Group
Add up what you own and what you owe to get your net worth, see your debt-to-asset ratio and liquid assets, and compare your result with the Federal Reserve's median and average net worth for your age.
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Net Worth by Age — US Families
Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances, 2022 (in 2022 dollars). The median is the middle family; the mean is pulled up by the wealthiest households.
| Age of Head of Family | Median | Mean |
|---|
How this calculator works
- Net worth = total assets − total liabilities.
- Debt-to-asset ratio = total liabilities ÷ total assets — lower means more of what you own is truly yours.
- Liquid assets = cash + non-retirement investments you could access without penalties.
- Expected net worth (rule of thumb) = age × pre-tax household income ÷ 10, from The Millionaire Next Door (Stanley & Danko). The authors call households at twice this figure or more "prodigious accumulators of wealth" and those at half or less "under accumulators".
By Suhaib Hassan · Benchmarks checked against the Federal Reserve Bulletin (October 2023) on 28 Sep 2026; examples re-run 17 Oct 2026 · How CalculatePilot verifies formulas →
A worked example
Using the default figures: assets of $15,000 + $25,000 + $60,000 + $350,000 + $18,000 = $468,000, and liabilities of $240,000 + $12,000 + $18,000 + $4,000 = $274,000, give a net worth of $194,000. That's a debt-to-asset ratio of 59%. For a 38-year-old, the SCF 2022 median for ages 35–44 is $135,600, so this household is above the median for its age group.
Why net worth matters more than income
Income measures cash flow; net worth measures your actual financial position. Someone with a high income but heavy debt and little saved can have a lower net worth than someone with a modest income and steady saving habits. Tracking it over time — quarterly or yearly — shows whether you're moving in the right direction. Home equity and retirement accounts count toward net worth but aren't easy to spend, which is why liquid assets are shown separately.
Sources
- Aladangady A, et al. Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2019 to 2022: Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances. Federal Reserve Bulletin, October 2023 (Table 2).
- Stanley TJ, Danko WD. The Millionaire Next Door. Longstreet Press, 1996.
Median vs mean: why the average looks so much bigger
Using the Federal Reserve figures in the table above, the mean is roughly four times the median in every age group, because a small number of very wealthy families pull the average up:
| Age of head of family | Median | Mean | Mean ÷ median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 35 | $39,000 | $183,500 | 4.7× |
| 35–44 | $135,600 | $549,600 | 4.1× |
| 45–54 | $247,200 | $975,800 | 3.9× |
| 55–64 | $364,500 | $1,566,900 | 4.3× |
| 65–74 | $409,900 | $1,794,600 | 4.4× |
| 75 or more | $335,600 | $1,624,100 | 4.8× |
Compare yourself with the median, which is the middle family. This calculator shows whether you are above or below the median for your age group; it does not give an exact percentile rank, because that needs the full wealth distribution, which the Fed's published age table does not include.
Expected net worth by age and income (the Millionaire Next Door rule)
Expected net worth = age × pre-tax household income ÷ 10. The authors call twice that figure "prodigious accumulators" and half of it "under accumulators". Examples:
| Age | Income | Expected | Prodigious (2×) | Under (0.5×) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | $60,000 | $180,000 | $360,000 | $90,000 |
| 40 | $100,000 | $400,000 | $800,000 | $200,000 |
| 50 | $100,000 | $500,000 | $1,000,000 | $250,000 |
| 50 | $150,000 | $750,000 | $1,500,000 | $375,000 |
| 60 | $100,000 | $600,000 | $1,200,000 | $300,000 |
It is a rough yardstick, not a verdict. It ignores inheritances and other one-time windfalls and tends to fit mid-career households better than very young ones.
Retirement accounts are not fully yours yet
The calculator counts retirement balances at face value. Traditional 401(k) and IRA withdrawals are taxed as income, so a more cautious view subtracts the tax you expect to owe. For example, $500,000 in a traditional 401(k) at an assumed 24% tax rate is worth about $380,000 after tax. Roth balances are generally not taxed on qualified withdrawals.
How fast can net worth grow?
Starting from the worked example's $194,000, at a constant 7% a year (an illustration, not a forecast):
| Scenario | After 10 years | After 20 years |
|---|---|---|
| No new savings | $389,874 | $783,515 |
| Add $1,000 a month | $562,959 | $1,304,442 |
Real returns vary and are not guaranteed. Use the Retirement Calculator to model contributions in more detail.
Frequently asked questions
Should I include my car's value as an asset?
You can include it for a complete picture — use its current resale value, not what you paid. Many people leave depreciating items like vehicles out when tracking wealth-building, since they lose value every year.
How often should I recalculate my net worth?
Many people track it quarterly or annually — often enough to see meaningful trends, but not so often that normal market swings feel misleading.
What is the median net worth in the US?
In the Federal Reserve's 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances, the median US family net worth was $192,900 and the mean was about $1.06 million. The mean is much higher because a small number of very wealthy families pull the average up.
Does this calculator show my net worth percentile?
No. It shows whether you are above or below the Federal Reserve median for your age group, along with the mean. An exact percentile needs the full wealth distribution, which the Fed's age table does not publish.
Why is average net worth so much higher than median?
A few very wealthy families pull the average up. In the Fed's 2022 data the mean is roughly four times the median in every age group, so the median is the better benchmark.
How do I calculate net worth for a couple?
Add up the household's combined assets and liabilities and enter your household income. The Fed groups families by the age of the household head, so use the age of the main earner or older partner.
Should retirement accounts count at full value?
Most people count them at face value, but pre-tax balances will be taxed when withdrawn. For a cautious view, subtract an assumed tax rate: $500,000 at 24% is about $380,000 after tax.
How accurate is the Millionaire Next Door net worth formula?
It is a rough guide: age times pre-tax household income divided by 10. It ignores inheritances and windfalls and fits mid-career households better than very young ones.
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