Average Retirement Savings by Age (2025)
How does your retirement savings compare to your peers — and what do the benchmarks say you should have?
The Median vs. Average Gap: Retirement savings data is highly skewed. A small number of high-balance accounts pull the average up significantly. The median is a better benchmark for most people — it represents the midpoint, where half of people have more and half have less.
Average and Median Retirement Savings by Age Group
| Age Group | Avg 401(k) | Median 401(k) |
|---|---|---|
| Under 25 | $7k | $3k |
| 25–34 | $38k | $15k |
| 35–44 | $97k | $36k |
| 45–54 | $179k | $61k |
| 55–64 | $256k | $90k |
| 65+ | $280k | $88k |
Sources: Vanguard "How America Saves" 2024 (401k data); Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances 2022 (total retirement assets). Total retirement includes 401(k), IRA, and other retirement accounts.
How Much Should You Have? (Fidelity Guidelines)
Fidelity recommends saving a multiple of your annual salary by each age milestone, assuming you save 15% of income starting at age 25 and retire at 67.
Age 30
1×
of salary
Age 35
2×
of salary
Age 40
3×
of salary
Age 45
4×
of salary
Age 50
6×
of salary
Age 55
7×
of salary
Age 60
8×
of salary
Age 67
10×
of salary
Example: If you earn $80,000 at age 40, Fidelity suggests having $240,000 (3×) saved for retirement. At $100,000 salary at age 50, the target is $600,000 (6×).
2025 Retirement Contribution Limits
401(k) / 403(b)
$23,500
+$7,500 (age 50+)
Employee contribution limit
Traditional/Roth IRA
$7,000
+$1,000 (age 50+)
Combined limit across both IRA types
SEP-IRA
$70,000
N/A
25% of compensation, whichever is less
HSA (self-only)
$4,300
+$1,000 (age 55+)
Triple tax advantage, invest for retirement
Behind on Retirement Savings? Catch-Up Strategies
Maximize tax-advantaged accounts first
Before investing in taxable brokerage, ensure you're maximizing 401(k) to at least get the employer match, then max out an IRA, then return to 401(k) up to the limit.
Use catch-up contributions after 50
Workers 50+ can contribute an extra $7,500 to 401(k) and $1,000 to IRAs. These "catch-up" provisions exist specifically to help people who started saving late.
Delay Social Security if possible
Each year you delay Social Security past 62 increases your benefit by up to 8% per year. Delaying from 62 to 70 can increase your monthly benefit by over 75%.
Reduce sequence-of-returns risk
As you near retirement, shift allocation toward more conservative investments to protect against a market crash early in retirement, which can dramatically reduce portfolio longevity.
Related Calculators
Methodology & Sources
- • 401(k) data: Vanguard "How America Saves 2024" — based on 5 million Vanguard participant accounts
- • Total retirement assets: Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) 2022, Table 7 — retirement accounts by age of head of household
- • Fidelity benchmarks: Fidelity Investments age-based retirement savings guidelines, assuming 15% savings rate from age 25, retirement at 67
- • Contribution limits: IRS Revenue Procedure 2024-40 (2025 limits)
- • Note: 401(k) medians represent only participants with account balances; many workers without employer-sponsored plans are excluded, which means the broader population median is likely lower.