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The Averages & Benchmarks

The headline U.S. averages and reference values behind NumberBench — each labeled with what kind of benchmark it is and the public source. These are the flagships: 46 calculators score your number live on a “How you compare” bar, and 370+ more cite a reference benchmark for context. Click any card to run your own number.

370+calculators benchmarked

40headline references

10+data sources

100%sourced

Benchmark types

Official a published authority (CDC, EPA, Federal Reserve, BLS) Market avg a current measured average that moves over time Rule of thumb a widely-used industry guideline Break-even computed from your own inputs

Money — 16 benchmarks

Roth IRA contribution

2026 limit $7,500 ($8,600 at 50+)

IRS, 2026 IRA contribution limits (Notice 2025-67)

12-month CD yield

Nat. avg 1.65%; top ~4%

FDIC national deposit rates, June 2026

Savings APY

Nat. avg 0.38%; top ~4%

FDIC national deposit rates, June 2026

Personal-loan APR

~11.4% bank average

Federal Reserve G.19, 24-month loans, early 2026

Net worth vs your age group

US median by age (SCF)

Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances, 2022

Debt-to-income (back-end)

≤36% strong; 43% QM line

28/36 lender rule; CFPB qualified-mortgage threshold

Life-insurance coverage

10–12× income (DIME)

Industry needs-analysis convention (DIME method)

Investment return

Stocks ~10% nominal (~7% real)

Long-run US stocks ~10% nominal (~7% real); bonds/savings far less

Retirement withdrawal

~3.9% safe starting rate

Morningstar 2026: ~3.9% safe starting rate (30-yr, 90% success); classic “4% rule”

401(k) savings rate

12–15% incl. employer match

Fidelity ~15% incl. match; Vanguard 12–15% incl. employer contributions

Credit-card APR

21.52% (accounts assessed interest)

Federal Reserve G.19, Q1 2026: 21.52% (accounts assessed interest); 21.00% all accounts

Auto-loan rate

60-mo 7.52% · 72-mo 7.55%

Federal Reserve G.19 new-car average, Q1 2026 (finance-company avg 6.1%)

Dividend yield

S&P 500 ≈ 1.07%

S&P 500 dividend yield ≈ 1.07% (Jun 2026, SlickCharts / GuruFocus)

Emergency fund

3–6 months of expenses

Standard guidance: 3–6 months of essential expenses

Personal saving rate

US avg ~3%; target 15–20%

BEA personal saving rate, May 2026

Credit utilization

Under 30% (ideal <10%)

FICO/credit-scoring guidance: under 30%, ideally under 10%

Real Estate — 10 benchmarks

Cap rate

4–8% typical band

Investor convention; varies by market and asset class

Down payment

Median 19% (first-time 10%)

NAR 2025 Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers

PMI removal (LTV)

Request at 80%; auto at 78%

Homeowners Protection Act

Rent affordability

≤30% of income

HUD cost-burden definition

Mortgage rate

Freddie Mac PMMS 30-yr fixed average, Jun 25 2026

Refinance rate

Freddie Mac PMMS 30-yr fixed average, Jun 25 2026

Home affordability (DTI)

≤28% of gross income

Conservative 28/36 rule of thumb

Rental cap rate

Cap rates commonly 4–10% (market-dependent)

BRRRR cash-on-cash

Common investor target ~8%+ cash-on-cash

Closing costs

~2–5% of price

Typical buyer closing costs 2–5% of the loan amount

Business & Pricing — 9 benchmarks

Markup → margin

vs your industry’s gross margin

NYU Stern margin dataset, Jan 2026

Profit margin (by industry)

Per-industry sector average (24 industries; see Industry Margins sheet)

Damodaran (NYU Stern) gross margins by industry, Jan 2026

ROAS

Your computed break-even ROAS

Break-even ROAS computed from your own margins

Amazon FBA margin

~20%+ healthy (category-dependent)

General guidance; margins vary widely by category

Marketplace margin

General guidance; ecommerce margins vary by category

Restaurant food cost %

28–35% of menu price

Industry rule of thumb: 28–35% food cost

Contractor margin

Common target ~8–15% net profit

Cost per hire

≈ $4,700 average

SHRM-reported average cost per hire ≈ $4,700 (secondary-cited)

PTO accrual

11 days at 1 yr · 15 at 5 yr · 18 at 10 yr · 20 at 20 yr

BLS National Compensation Survey, private-industry avg paid vacation by tenure

Pay & Taxes — 7 benchmarks

Overtime multiplier

FLSA minimum 1.5×

U.S. Department of Labor, FLSA

Paycheck income percentile

Median $53,010 · top 10% $155k · top 1% $450k

US individual income distribution, 2025 (Census CPS via DQYDJ)

Take-home income percentile

Median $53,010 · top 10% $155k · top 1% $450k

US individual income distribution, 2025 (Census CPS via DQYDJ)

Salary income percentile

Median $53,010 · top 10% $155k · top 1% $450k

US individual income distribution, 2025 (Census CPS via DQYDJ)

Sales tax (combined avg)

~7.5% (0%–9.5%)

U.S. average combined state+local sales tax ~7.5% (Tax Foundation, 2025)

Property tax (effective)

~0.90% (0.3%–2.2%)

U.S. average effective property-tax rate ~0.90% (Tax Foundation, 2025)

Self-employment tax

15.3% (12.4% SS + 2.9% Medicare)

IRS SE tax rate; Social Security portion up to the annual wage base

Health — 4 benchmarks

BMI

Healthy 18.5–<25

CDC adult BMI categories

Body fat %

Men: overweight ≥25, obesity ≥30 · Women: overweight ≥36, obesity ≥42

Clinical body-fat thresholds (NHANES DXA / metabolic-risk study)

Daily calorie needs

~2,000 (women) · ~2,500 (men)

NHS / USDA Dietary Guidelines average adult needs

Protein intake

~0.7–1 g per lb bodyweight

Common athletic guidance; RDA 0.36 g/lb minimum

Everyday — 5 benchmarks

Tip %

Full-service 19.3 · Quick-service 15.8 · Takeout 13.7

Toast restaurant tipping data, Q1 2026 (card tips)

Fuel economy

27.2 mpg new-vehicle average (MY2024)

EPA Automotive Trends Report: MY2024 new vehicles avg 27.2 mpg

GPA

≥2.0 good standing

~2.0 is a common good-standing minimum

Electricity price

~16.5¢/kWh residential

U.S. average residential electricity price (EIA, 2025)

Reading speed

~238 words per minute

Average adult silent reading speed (Brysbaert meta-analysis, 2019)

Manufacturing — 2 benchmarks

OEE

World-class >85% · ~55–60% typical

Nakajima/TPM: world-class >85%; ~55–60% typical (Evocon)

Machine-shop rate

$75–$150/hr typical

Common shop rates ~$75–$150/hr