Average 401(k) Balance by Age
Enter your 401(k) balance and pick your generation to compare against Fidelity's latest average account balances — plus the age-based savings guideline Fidelity itself recommends.
How you compare
Your balance vs. the Fidelity average for your generation
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Learn moreAverages vs. medians — and what's missing
These figures are averages (means) of Fidelity's own book of 26.8 million retirement accounts — not medians. Medians run meaningfully lower, because a relatively small number of long-held, high-balance accounts pull the mean upward. These numbers also only cover active Fidelity 401(k) accounts: they exclude old 401(k)s left behind at previous employers and any separate IRA balances, so your true retirement savings picture may be larger than a single account suggests.
How it’s calculated & sources
You enter your 401(k) balance and pick a generation; we compare your number to Fidelity's published average balance for that generation and show where you land on a scale from half that average up to well above it.
Benchmark: average 401(k) balance by generation, Fidelity Q1 2026 retirement analysis (26,800 plans, 25.6M participants, as of Mar 31 2026).
Results update as you type and are general estimates for context, not personalized financial or tax advice.
Worked example
A Gen Xer with a $180,000 401(k) balance compares to Fidelity's Gen X average of $215,600 — about 84% of the average, or roughly 17% below it. That's a normal spot to be relative to the average given that balances also include older, longer-tenured savers who pull the mean up.
Common mistakes
- Comparing your one active 401(k) to the average without counting old employer accounts or IRAs you may have rolled over.
- Assuming "average" means "typical" — a median would be lower and is arguably the fairer comparison.
- Ignoring the salary-multiple guideline in favor of a flat dollar target that doesn't scale with your income.
Where it is used
- Sanity-checking your retirement savings progress against a real, sourced benchmark.
- Deciding whether to increase your contribution rate toward Fidelity's 15% total savings guideline.
- Setting an age-appropriate salary-multiple target (1× by 30 up to 10× by 67).
Frequently asked questions
Are these averages or medians?
These are averages (means) of Fidelity's own book of 401(k) accounts. Medians run lower, because a relatively small number of large, long-held balances pull the average up. These figures also exclude old 401(k)s left behind at previous employers and any separate IRA balances, so your total retirement savings may be higher than a single account suggests.
What is Fidelity's 15% savings guideline?
Fidelity recommends saving 15% of pay toward retirement each year, counting both your own contributions and your employer's match. Fidelity's published guideline also includes an age-based salary-multiple rule of thumb: aim for 1× your salary saved by 30, 3× by 40, 6× by 50, 8× by 60, and 10× by 67.
What if I'm behind on my 401(k)?
If you're 50 or older, the IRS lets you make catch-up contributions above the normal 401(k) limit, which is one of the fastest ways to close a savings gap. Even a modest increase in your contribution rate compounds meaningfully over 10–15 years, especially if it captures more of an employer match.
Does this include my employer match?
Yes — Fidelity's reported balances are total account value, which includes both your own contributions and any employer match or profit-sharing that has been deposited into the account.