Top 2% wealth: The top 2% of Americans have a net worth of about $2.472 million, aligning closely with the surveyed perception of wealth. Top 5% wealth: The next tier, the top 5%, has a net worth of around $1.03 million. Top 10% wealth: The top 10% of the population has a net worth of approximately $854,900.
Additionally, statistics show that the top 2% of the United States population has a net worth of about $2.4 million. On the other hand, the top 5% wealthiest Americans have a net worth of just over $1 million.
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.
The 95th percentile, with a net worth of $3.2 million, is considered wealthy, facilitating estate planning and possibly owning multiple homes. The top 1%, or the 99th percentile, has a net worth of $16.7 million and represents the very wealthy, who enjoy considerable financial freedom and luxury.
The top 10% of U.S. families have a median net worth of $3.79 million. That's nearly 20 times as much as the median net worth nationwide, which is $192,900. People with a high net worth tend to earn large incomes, have a higher level of education, and own their homes.
$2.2 million
That's how much net worth an American needs to be considered wealthy in 2023, according to the Charles Schwab Modern Wealth Survey.
Net-worth percentile breakdowns: Top 1% = $10.8 million Top 2% = $2.5 million Top 5% = $1.03 million Top 10% = $855,000 Top 50% =$522,000 Do these numbers surprise you?
According to Schwab's 2023 Modern Wealth Survey, its seventh annual, Americans said it takes an average net worth of $2.2 million to qualify a person as being wealthy. (Net worth is the sum of your assets minus your liabilities.)
To feel wealthy, Americans say you need a net worth of at least $2.2 million on average, according to financial services company Charles Schwab's annual Modern Wealth Survey.
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.
At its most basic, net worth is everything you own minus everything you owe. To calculate your net worth, tally the value of all or your assets, including bank accounts, investments, and perhaps the value of your home or vacation home.
The top 10% of earners, who have a net worth on average of $6.63 million according to the Fed, saw their income increase by over 22%, while the middle-income percentiles—between the 20 and 59.9 mark—experienced just a 5% boost in their income between 2019 and 2022.
If you're earning $200,000 per year, you've reached elite status in this country. That's nearly triple the median income of American workers, which per the latest U.S. Census data is $70,784.
When it comes to net worth, the top 1% of Americans have a minimum net worth of around $11.1 million. Of course, these numbers vary by state and differ somewhat from study to study. For that reason, it's necessary to understand income and net worth stats in your area to get the full picture.
We can also define middle class in terms of net worth. According to the U.S. Census data, the average net worth for U.S. households in 2022 is about $300,000. The median net worth is about $110,000 in 2024. In other words, wealth is concentrated at the top.
Some sources define upper middle class as anyone who's making a lot of money but hasn't quite crossed the threshold to become truly wealthy yet. These individuals often have a net worth of at least $500,000 to $2 million.
If you have more than $1 million saved in retirement accounts, you are in the top 3% of retirees. According to EBRI estimates based on the latest Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances, 3.2% of retirees have over $1 million in their retirement accounts, while just 0.1% have $5 million or more.
Middle class: Those in the 40th to 60th percentile of household income, ranging from $55,001 to $89,744. Upper middle class: Households in the 60th to 80th percentile, with incomes between $89,745 and $149,131. Upper class: The top 20% of earners, with household incomes of $149,132 or more.
“In order to be considered "well off" how much money does one need to make a week in America on average?” The median household income in America is about $60,000/yr. If we take “well off” to mean “above average”, then the 75% percentile of the income distribution is about $110,000/yr. But this varies a lot by location.
Among the 47 million households headed by someone age 60 or older, 7% had household investable assets of at least $2 million, Drinkwater said. Only 6% of the 89 million households in the U.S. headed by someone 40 to 85 years old has that amount, Drinkwater said.
The analysis further noted how nearly eight million families have wealth over $2 million, compared to 4.7 million in 2019. This was particularly pronounced among families in the 55-74 age range.
Having two million dollars would put you close to the top 10 percent of wealth at almost any age, except for families headed by a person 55 to 64, where you'd need $2.1 million.
"High-net-worth" is defined as having $5 million or more in assets.