How Does the Wealth of Americans Aged 65–74 Measure Up Against Other Generations?

• Americans ages 65–74 have a median net worth of $410,000, the highest of any age group.

• About 76% own a home and 51% have a retirement account, making home equity and savings the biggest drivers of wealth at this stage.

• Debt is less common but still present, with roughly 65% carrying some debt and about a third holding a credit card balance.
  

Americans ages 65–74 are typically in retirement or just a few years removed from full-time work, making this a key moment to assess how wealth looks once paychecks have largely stopped. For many households, this stage represents the high-water mark for net worth before savings begin to be drawn down.

According to the Federal Reserve’s latest Survey of Consumer Finances, the median net worth for households in this age range is $410,000, the highest of any age group in the U.S.

As the chart shows, net worth generally rises through midlife as incomes peak, home equity builds, and retirement accounts grow. Households ages 65–74 sit at the top of that curve, before balances typically begin to decline as people move deeper into retirement and start spending more of their savings.

Still, the median figure masks wide variation within this age group itself. While some Americans in their late 60s and early 70s hold substantial wealth, others enter retirement with far less, underscoring why looking beyond a single net worth number matters.

Knowing how Americans ages 65–74 compare financially can help you gauge whether your own retirement savings and assets are on track—or why your situation may look very different. These benchmarks offer context as income stops and spending patterns change.

Net worth totals can be misleading on their own. A closer look at how wealth is actually held shows where Americans ages 65–74 tend to concentrate their assets—and which liabilities often remain in retirement. The breakdown below reflects Federal Reserve data, with median balances representing only those who hold each asset or liability.

Assets:

• Retirement accounts: 51% have a retirement account, with a median balance of $200,000

• Primary residence: 76% own a home, with a median value of $320,000

• Vehicles: 88% own at least one vehicle, with a median value just over $27,000

• Additional residential real estate: 19% own a second property, such as a vacation home, with a median value of $195,000

Liabilities:

• Total debt: 65% carry some debt, with a median balance of $45,000

• Mortgage or home-equity loan: 29% have a home loan, with a median balance of $113,000

• Vehicle loans: 24% have an auto loan, with a median balance of $16,000

• Credit card debt: 34% owe on one or more cards, with a median balance of $3,500

Taken together, these figures show that wealth at ages 65–74 is still heavily anchored in real estate and retirement savings, even as many households continue to carry some debt into retirement.

Revisiting your net worth periodically can help you understand how quickly assets are being spent and how much flexibility you still have. In retirement, changes in that figure often reflect spending patterns and market swings, not financial success or failure.

At a glance, the figures for Americans ages 65–74 may suggest a relatively comfortable financial picture, especially since this age group reports the highest median net worth of any cohort. But net worth alone doesn’t determine how secure retirement actually feels on a day-to-day basis.

Much of that wealth is tied up in assets that aren’t easily converted into income, such as home equity. While owning a home outright can reduce monthly expenses, it doesn’t automatically help cover rising healthcare costs or other ongoing bills unless homeowners tap that equity. At the same time, retirement account balances must often last for decades, making spending decisions—and market performance—especially consequential.

That’s why experiences within this age group vary so widely. Some retirees are well positioned to maintain their lifestyles, while others face tighter constraints despite having positive net worth on paper. These benchmarks offer useful context, but they also highlight why retirement security depends not just on how much wealth households have, but how accessible and sustainable it is over time.

Read the original article on Investopedia