Earners in the top 1% need to make $1 million annually in states like California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington.
So, let's break it down – how many Americans have a net worth of $1 million or more? According to the 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances by the Federal Reserve, only about 12% of U.S. households have a net worth over $1 million. This means that the vast majority – 88% – are nowhere near that level.
For 2022, the average wage for working Americans was $61,136. The average wages of those in the top 1 percent of wage earners were $785,968 that year. In the rarefied top 0.1 percent, the average earnings were more than $2.8 million in 2022.
Based on that figure, an annual income of $500,000 or more would make you rich. The Economic Policy Institute uses a different baseline to determine who constitutes the top 1% and the top 5%. For 2021, you're in the top 1% if you earn $819,324 or more each year. The top 5% of income earners make $335,891 per year.
Upper middle-class income range ($116,898 to $150,298)
According to Kiplinger data, to be in the top 1% of wealth in the U.S. in 2024, one must have a net worth of about $11.6 million. That's up significantly from past years, showing just how concentrated wealth has become at the top. But the 1% isn't the only benchmark worth considering.
How many multi-millionaires are in the US? About 8,046,080 US households earn $2 million or more, covering about 6.25% of American households.
Probably 1 in every 20 families have a net worth exceeding $3 Million, but most people's net worth is their homes, cars, boats, and only 10% is in savings, so you would typically have to have a net worth of $30 million, which is 1 in every 1000 families.
Your net worth is what you own minus what you owe. It's the total value of all your assets—including your house, cars, investments and cash—minus your liabilities (things like credit card debt, student loans, and what you still owe on your mortgage).
By age 35, aim to save one to one-and-a-half times your current salary for retirement. By age 50, that goal is three-and-a-half to six times your salary. By age 60, your retirement savings goal may be six to 11-times your salary. Ranges increase with age to account for a wide variety of incomes and situations.
This suggests that for most, the path to significant wealth is a marathon, not a sprint. Now, that's not to say young millionaires don't exist. On average, the world's 100 richest individuals earned their first million by age 37.
Medicine comes out top. Half of doctors in the US earn over $200,000 per year, and the mean is actually higher than finance and law. That said, the very highest-earning people are in finance and law. The top 1% in finance earn over $2m per year.
A choropleth map of the U.S. showing the adjusted gross income needed to be in the top 1% of earners by state, using IRS tax year 2021 data adjusted to October 2024 dollars. Washington, D.C. leads at $1,222,791.28, while West Virginia trails at $425,816.40. The national figure is $797,760.07.
Yahoo Finance
In 2024, Americans stated that the average net worth they consider “wealthy” is $2.5 million. That's up by $300,000 over last year, when Americans said $2.2 million qualified you as rich.
Eight men own the same wealth as the 3.6 billion people who make up the poorest half of humanity, according to a new report published by Oxfam today ahead of the annual meeting of political and business leaders in Davos, Switzerland.
What is a good net worth for my age? People in their 20s and 30s should target net worth of $100,000 to $300,000. A net worth of $1 million or more should be the goal in your 40s and beyond. A seven-figure net worth is usually necessary to ensure a comfortable retirement.
According to IRS standards, a monthly income of approximately $45,000 qualifies someone as wealthy. However, if you're aiming for the top 1% as measured by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), you'd need to earn about $68,277 monthly.
Rich retirees: In the 90th percentile, with net worth starting at $1.9 million, this group has much more financial freedom and is able to afford luxuries and legacy planning.
While the trend for physician income is depressingly down, the middle class (based on the Pew Research Center definition) makes two-thirds to double the U.S. median household income or roughly $50,000–$150,000 a year. Most physicians are doing better than that.
Regarding net worth, having $1 million in liquid assets often puts you in the 'high net worth' category. But if you want to be considered very high net worth, you might need anywhere from $5 million to $10 million. For those aiming even higher, ultrahigh net worth status could mean having $30 million or more.
A millionaire is somebody with a net worth of at least $1 million. It's a simple math formula based on your net worth. When what you own (your assets) minus what you owe (your liabilities) equals more than a million dollars, you're a millionaire. That's it!