This sum of money would quickly put you in the top 1% of the U.S., according to Fortune magazine. When you consider how wealthy the U.S. is relative to most of the world—for instance, $57,000 of net worth would put you in the top 1% in the Philippines—$5 million is an enormous number.
High-net-worth individuals fall into three categories
Financial professionals use the following terminology: High-net-worth individuals (HNWIs): Liquid assets between $1 million and $5 million. Very-high-net-worth individuals (VHNWIs): Liquid assets between $5 million and $30 million.
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In 2024, Americans stated that the average net worth they consider “wealthy” is $2.5 million.
According to recent data from the Federal Reserve, a net worth of at least $3,795,000 places you among the coveted top 5% of U.S. households. While this may seem like a substantial sum, it pales compared to the ultra-affluent's stratospheric wealth.
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. Think about it.
To crack the top 10% of retirees, your net worth needs to hit around $1.9 million, according to Federal Reserve Board survey data. For those aged 65-74, that figure jumps to about $2.63 million; for retirees 75 and older, it climbs even higher to $2.86 million.
Americans need $5 million in net worth to join the 1% | Fortune.
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.
Key Takeaways. The lower class has a median net worth of about $3,500, while the upper class has one of about $7.81 million. The middle class has a median net worth that ranges from $93,300 to $1.04 million.
Answer: For most people, $5 million in savings is more than enough money to enjoy a comfortable life in retirement. The overwhelming majority of people retire with a lot less, and many of them are doing fine. However, most retirees have different lifestyles and perspectives on what it means to be comfortable.
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).
Five Million in numerals is written as 5000000.
The Top 1% by Net Worth
When it comes to net worth, the threshold is even higher. 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.
Data from the Employee Benefit Research Institute, which utilizes the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances, indicates that only about 0.1% of retirees have over $5 million saved for retirement. Additionally, about 3.2% have savings exceeding $1 million.
Rich people are often measured by their income. Wealthy people, though, are measured by their net worth – how much they own minus how much they owe. A person can earn a huge salary but not wealthy if they have high debt or no savings.
Someone who has $1 million in liquid assets, for instance, is usually considered to be a high net worth (HNW) individual. 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.
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.
“Somewhere around 4,473,836 households have $4 million or more in wealth, while around 3,592,054 have at least $5 million. Respectively, that is 3.48% and 2.79% of all households in America.”
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.
Other sources define the upper-middle class as anyone making a lot of money but that hasn't crossed the threshold to become truly wealthy. These individuals often have a net worth of at least $500,000 to $2 million.
Just 16% of retirees say they have more than $1 million saved, including all personal savings and assets, according to the recent CNBC Your Money retirement survey conducted with SurveyMonkey. In fact, among those currently saving for retirement, 57% say the amount they're hoping to save is less than $1 million.