Realistic Reference Data on Retirement Savings by Age in 2025

May 11, 2025 | 401K, 401K, 403B, 457(b), All, Feature, Financial Planning, IRA, Retirement Planning, Retirement savings, Roth 401K, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, Solo 401(k)

How much should I have saved for retirement by age? This is one of the most often asked questions by many Americans. This is especially true for those who are at the beginning or in the middle of their retirement savings journey.

Retirement savings can be mostly classified into employment-based retirement plans (401(k), 403(b), 457(b)), tax-deferred savings, IRAs & Roth IRAs, and other taxable savings & investments. Sometimes, people also include real estate investments and annuities. In this context, we mainly deal with total savings in tax-deferred accounts (401(k) & IRAs) and other taxable savings & investments. Furthermore, similar to a 401(k), we assume they are invested in a portfolio of stock and bond funds.

We have developed a Retirement Savings by Age Calculator that uses realistic historical year-by-year stock and bond return data, and year-by-year median income levels in the U.S., to derive some realistic reference data on accumulated savings for various income tiers and different age groups. In addition to current age, its other input parameters include the age when you started saving, the stock and bond allocation breakdown, and the annual savings rate. You can then use its derived accumulated value for your age to see how much savings people in different income tiers should have accumulated at your age. The income tiers include low income, middle income, lower upper income, and mid-upper income. That will give you a reference benchmark to compare with your own savings.

Here is the table of Retirement Savings by Age in 2025:

Accumulated Retirement Savings by Age in 2025

Age Low Income Savings Middle Income Savings Lower Upper Savings Mid Upper Savings
22 4,692 9,383 14,075 18,766
23 10,205 20,410 30,615 40,821
24 14,415 28,829 43,244 57,659
25 19,033 38,067 57,100 76,134
26 24,117 48,235 72,352 96,469
27 30,169 60,338 90,507 120,675
28 35,649 71,298 106,947 142,596
29 41,701 83,402 125,103 166,804
30 47,993 95,986 143,979 191,972
31 54,176 108,351 162,527 216,702
32 60,808 121,616 182,424 243,232
33 68,424 136,849 205,273 273,697
34 76,622 153,245 229,867 306,490
35 85,379 170,758 256,137 341,516
36 95,279 190,557 285,836 381,115
37 106,361 212,721 319,082 425,442
38 116,113 232,225 348,338 464,451
39 126,615 253,229 379,844 506,459
40 138,001 276,003 414,004 552,005
41 149,555 299,109 448,664 598,219
42 161,660 323,319 484,979 646,638
43 175,702 351,405 527,107 702,809
44 188,676 377,352 566,028 754,704
45 201,028 402,057 603,085 804,113
46 213,579 427,158 640,737 854,316
47 226,934 453,868 680,802 907,736
48 242,453 484,906 727,359 969,811
49 260,779 521,559 782,338 1,043,117
50 280,784 561,568 842,352 1,123,136
51 306,303 612,607 918,910 1,225,214
52 329,959 659,918 989,877 1,319,835
53 355,201 710,402 1,065,603 1,420,804
54 381,840 763,679 1,145,519 1,527,359
55 414,759 829,518 1,244,276 1,659,035
56 447,640 895,280 1,342,920 1,790,560
57 487,279 974,557 1,461,836 1,949,114
58 529,766 1,059,532 1,589,297 2,119,063
59 570,608 1,141,217 1,711,825 2,282,433
60 617,874 1,235,749 1,853,623 2,471,497
61 676,347 1,352,693 2,029,040 2,705,386
62 736,880 1,473,760 2,210,639 2,947,519
63 800,892 1,601,783 2,402,675 3,203,567
64 880,896 1,761,791 2,642,687 3,523,583
65 958,342 1,916,685 2,875,027 3,833,369
66 1,044,480 2,088,961 3,133,441 4,177,921
67 1,132,551 2,265,101 3,397,652 4,530,202
68 1,214,968 2,429,936 3,644,904 4,859,871
69 1,293,402 2,586,803 3,880,205 5,173,606
70 1,293,402 2,586,803 3,880,205 5,173,606

In the above, it has the following input parameters:

We believe a 10% annual savings rate is a reasonable assumption for someone who is a diligent saver. Of course, if you have not been able to save that much, that’s ok, as the above data are there for you to get inspiration.

The above data is also assumed to invest in a 60% stocks and 40% bonds portfolio. The historical returns data are from  NYU Stern website.

Finally, the historical income tiers are from Census Bureau’s website. The following is the year by year income level table:

Historical Income Tier Levels by Year

Year Low Income Middle Income Lower Upper Income Mid Upper Income
1977 6,785 13,570 20,355 27,140
1978 7,530 15,060 22,590 30,120
1979 8,415 16,830 25,245 33,660
1980 9,340 18,680 28,020 37,360
1981 10,130 20,260 30,390 40,520
1982 10,525 21,050 31,575 42,100
1983 10,885 21,770 32,655 43,540
1984 11,715 23,430 35,145 46,860
1985 12,455 24,910 37,365 49,820
1986 13,240 26,480 39,720 52,960
1987 13,840 27,680 41,520 55,360
1988 14,685 29,370 44,055 58,740
1989 15,605 31,210 46,815 62,420
1990 16,355 32,710 49,065 65,420
1991 16,510 33,020 49,530 66,040
1992 16,805 33,610 50,415 67,220
1993 17,175 34,350 51,525 68,700
1994 17,870 35,740 53,610 71,480
1995 18,805 37,610 56,415 75,220
1996 19,445 38,890 58,335 77,780
1997 20,210 40,420 60,630 80,840
1998 21,220 42,440 63,660 84,880
1999 22,385 44,770 67,155 89,540
2000 22,955 45,910 68,865 91,820
2001 22,930 45,860 68,790 91,720
2002 22,915 45,830 68,745 91,660
2003 23,030 46,060 69,090 92,120
2004 23,605 47,210 70,815 94,420
2005 24,435 48,870 73,305 97,740
2006 25,055 50,110 75,165 100,220
2007 25,550 51,100 76,650 102,200
2008 25,465 50,930 76,395 101,860
2009 25,415 50,830 76,245 101,660
2010 25,240 50,480 75,720 100,960
2011 25,125 50,250 75,375 100,500
2012 25,370 50,740 76,110 101,480
2013 26,125 52,250 78,375 104,500
2014 26,345 52,690 79,035 105,380
2015 27,645 55,290 82,935 110,580
2016 28,495 56,990 85,485 113,980
2017 29,525 59,050 88,575 118,100
2018 30,540 61,080 91,620 122,160
2019 32,835 65,670 98,505 131,340
2020 33,760 67,520 101,280 135,040
2021 35,390 70,780 106,170 141,560
2022 37,290 74,580 111,870 149,160
2023 40,305 80,610 120,915 161,220
2024 40,305 80,610 120,915 161,220

Historical Income Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Historical Income Tables: Households, Table H-5. Access the data here. All values are in nominal (current) dollars for each year. Note: 2024 income uses 2023 data as a proxy, pending official release.

Of course, there are several caveats: it assumes a single historical savings rate (10%) for each year; furthermore, it assumes one’s income level remains the same throughout the years. As for income tiers and savings rates, for those who are in high-cost-of-living areas such as New York City or the San Francisco Bay Area, the mid-upper income level might be considered middle income and thus might also affect people’s savings rates.

From the above table, one can see that a 60-year-old middle-income earner should be able to have saved more than a million in 2025. This is a very real figure, as long as you have saved a fairly reasonable amount of money (10% or so) each year and invested consistently in a diversified portfolio since you started working at age 22.