According to data based on estimates from the Federal Reserve, having a net worth of $4 million places you in the top 3% of American households. That's an elite group, for sure. Leigh Baldwin & Co. Advisory Services reports about 4,473,836 U.S. households have amassed $4 million or more in wealth.
The same study also reveals that Americans feel that being wealthy in the U.S. means having an average of $2.5 million, an increase on $2.2 million from 2023 and 2022. Baby boomers believe this figure should be slightly higher at $2.8 million, but Gen Z and Millennials believe they could feel wealthy at a lower figure.
In 2024, Charles Schwab's Modern Wealth Survey revealed that the bar for what Americans consider "wealthy" has risen. According to the survey, the average American believes it now takes a net worth of $2.5 million to be considered wealthy in today's economy. Last year and in 2022, it was $2.2 million.
The top 10% of earners have an average net worth of $2.65 million. Even if you're squeaking into the upper class (the 80-90% range), you're looking at about $793,000. Moving down to the middle class, things get a bit more varied. The upper-middle class folks have an average net worth of around $300,800.
Americans Say You Need $5.3 Million to Be Considered a Success In addition to net worth, the threshold for annual salary is $270,000, according to a new survey. For all the big numbers, 43% of respondents said their idea of success wasn't tied to a set sum. Nearly six in 10 said the most important measure is happiness.
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.
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).
Americans say you need a net worth of at least $2.5 million to feel wealthy, according to Charles Schwab's annual Modern Wealth Survey, which surveyed 1,000 Americans ages 21 to 75 in March 2024. That's up slightly from $2.2 million, compared with last year's survey results.
Interestingly, the 90th percentile is pretty flat, around $2.5M to $3M, from one's early 50s to one's 80s. The 95th is slightly less flat, with a peak slightly under $7M in one's late 60s; while the 99th percentile rises sharply with age until peaking over $22M in one's late 60s, from which point it mostly drops.
To be part of the top 1% in the U.S., a household's net worth needs to be at least $13.6 million. This measure includes everything you own – homes, investments, savings – minus debts. Wealth tends to be a lot more unevenly distributed than income.
According to estimates based on the Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances, a mere 3.2% of retirees have over $1 million in their retirement accounts. The number of those with $2 million or more is even smaller, falling somewhere between this 3.2% and the 0.1% who have $5 million or more saved.
The average age at which most people retire is 62, according to a 2021 Gallup Poll. But if you have $4 million in savings, it's entirely possible to retire by age 55. Retiring early offers a lot of advantages.
But after that, you are left on your own. That could explain why there are roughly 8.3 million millionaires in the U.S. … but only 1.4 million people with a net worth of $5 million or more. In other words, only 17% of people who reach $1 million in net worth then go on to get $5 million.
That's not chump change, but it's also not the $5-$10 million range some financial gurus – like Suze Orman – insist you must live comfortably. If you're dreaming of $3 million or more, though, you're officially aiming for a financial VIP club that represents less than 1% of retirees.
"For estate tax purposes all assets should be listed on the net worth statement, including tangible personal property like clothing, jewelry, furniture, cars, collections and art.
For example, a common rule of thumb is to have a net worth equal to one's annual salary by age 30, doubling that amount by age 40, and reaching five times the salary by retirement age.
Total net worth is the sum of nonhousing wealth, home equity, and IRA /Keogh assets; it does not include employer pension and Social Security wealth.
Americans believe it now takes an average net worth of $2.5 million to be counted as rich, a 14% increase from last year's $2.2 million, according to a new survey from Charles Schwab.
Retiring with $7 million means you can bid adieu to financial anxiety. You've amassed a significant nest egg that, when managed prudently, can provide you with a stable and worry-free income for the rest of your life. Basic living expenses like housing, healthcare and groceries will no longer keep you up at night.
You might need $5 million to $10 million to qualify as having a very high net worth while it may take $30 million or more to be considered ultra-high net worth. That's how financial advisors typically view wealth.
Key points. Millionaires tend to be happy, but not extremely happy. At very high levels ($10M+), multimillionaires tend to be slightly happier than millionaires. Self-made millionaires are happier than those who inherited their millions.