The average 401k balance by age in early 2026 puts the typical number at $167,970. If that makes you feel behind, here’s the part most headlines leave out: the median balance — the number sitting right in the middle, with half of savers above it and half below — is just $44,115. A relatively small group of long-tenured, high-earning savers with seven-figure balances pulls the average up far higher than what a typical person actually has.
So which number should you compare yourself to? Neither one, really — not by itself. A useful target depends on your age and your income, not a national average that mixes in people 20 years further into their careers. Below is the real 401k balance by age for 2026, a better benchmark built around your own salary, and a calculator that tells you exactly where you stand.
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401(k) Balances by Age in Early 2026
Vanguard’s How America Saves research is the most complete source, because it reports both the average and the median for its more than 5 million participant accounts:
| Age Group | Average Balance | Median Balance |
|---|---|---|
| 25–34 | $42,640 | $16,255 |
| 35–44 | $103,552 | $39,958 |
| 45–54 | $188,643 | $67,796 |
| 55–64 | $271,320 | $95,642 |
| 65+ | $299,442 | $95,425 |
Fidelity’s more recent Q2 2026 snapshot of the 401(k) accounts it administers shows even higher numbers — averages of about $75,200 for savers in their 30s, $156,800 in their 40s, and $263,500 in their 50s — a sign balances kept climbing through 2026 on the back of a strong stock market. Either data set tells the same story: at every age, the median runs to roughly a third to a half of the average, because a relatively small number of large, decades-old accounts drag the mean upward.
Why the Average and the Median Tell Two Different Stories
An average — more precisely, the mean 401k balance by age — adds up every balance and divides by the number of accounts, so one person with $3 million pulls the number up as much as 30 people with $100,000 pull it down. A median just lines everyone up by balance and picks the person in the middle — which is why it tracks what a typical saver actually has far more closely.
That doesn’t make the median a goal to aim for, though. It’s a description of where other people happen to be, and Vanguard’s own research is blunt that most participants are under-saved relative to what they’ll need — so “average for your age” and “on track for retirement” are two different questions. The next section gives you a target that’s actually tied to your own income instead of everyone else’s account balance.
A Better Benchmark: Save a Multiple of Your Salary
Fidelity’s research team built a benchmark that scales with your own paycheck instead of a population average: save a running multiple of your annual salary by each age milestone.
| Age | Target Savings (× your salary) |
|---|---|
| 30 | 1× |
| 40 | 3× |
| 50 | 6× |
| 60 | 8× |
| 67 | 10× |
These targets assume you retire at 67, save 15% of your pre-tax income every year (including any employer match), keep more than half your portfolio in stocks on average, and want your savings plus Social Security to replace about 45% of your pre-retirement income through age 93. Change any one of those assumptions — retiring at 60, being self-employed with no match, starting late — and the “right” multiple for you moves too, which is exactly what the calculator below adjusts for.
Are You on Track? 401(k) Progress Calculator
Enter your age, salary, and current balance. The calculator interpolates Fidelity’s milestones for your exact age and projects your balance at 67 if you keep contributing at your current rate.
Assumes a 15% combined savings rate (you + employer match) continuing every year to age 67, and a 7% average annual investment return. Target multiple is Fidelity’s published age benchmark, linearly interpolated between milestones. Estimates only, not financial advice. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Assumes a 15% combined savings rate (you + employer match), a 7% average annual investment return, and no withdrawals before 67. Estimates only, not a projection of any specific investment's performance.
If You're Behind, Here's What Actually Moves the Number
For 2026, the IRS raised the employee 401(k) contribution limit to $24,500. If you're 50 or older you can add a $8,000 catch-up on top of that, for $32,500 total — and thanks to a SECURE 2.0 provision that phases in this year, savers who are specifically 60 to 63 get an even bigger catch-up of $11,250 instead, for $35,750 total. Contributing the full amount isn't realistic for most people, but knowing the ceiling matters if a bonus, raise, or inheritance gives you a chance to catch up in one or two big years.
Short of maxing out, the moves that close the gap fastest, in order, are usually: capture 100% of any employer match first (it's an immediate, guaranteed return before your own money is even invested), turn on automatic annual escalation so your deferral rate rises 1% a year without you having to decide again, and route at least half of every raise into the 401(k) before your take-home pay adjusts to it. Compounding does more of the work than any single lump sum — an extra 2% of salary saved consistently for 15 years usually closes more of the gap than a single large deposit late in the game. If you're juggling this alongside other goals, our retirement savings guide walks through how a 401k balance by age fits into the bigger picture.
Opt-In Here, Automatic in Australia and Korea
Retirement saving is opt-in in the US, but opt-out almost everywhere I've lived. In Australia, where I spent over a decade, employers are legally required to pay the Superannuation Guarantee — 12% of an employee's ordinary earnings, as of the rate that finished phasing in for 2026 — into a super fund automatically, with no decision required from the worker at all. Korea runs two parallel systems: 국민연금 (the National Pension), currently funded by a combined 9% of income split between employee and employer, with a 2026 reform beginning to raise that rate in gradual steps toward 13% over the coming years; and 퇴직연금 (employer retirement pension), which requires employers to set aside roughly one month's average wage for every year an employee stays. Compared to both, the American 401(k) puts almost the entire decision — whether to enroll, how much to defer, whether to increase it — on the individual, which is exactly why benchmarks like the ones above exist: nothing happens automatically unless you set it up that way.
If your plan doesn't have automatic escalation turned on, that's the single closest thing to Australia's "no decision required" system you can build for yourself inside a 401(k) — and our Roth 401(k) vs. IRA guide covers the next decision most people face once contributions are flowing: which account gets the money.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good 401k balance for my age in 2026?
A good starting benchmark is Fidelity's salary-multiple target: 1x your salary by 30, 3x by 40, 6x by 50, 8x by 60, and 10x by 67. If you're above that multiple, you're ahead of the underlying assumptions (15% savings rate, retiring at 67); if you're below it, the calculator above shows the gap in dollars, not just percentages.
Is $100,000 in a 401k good for my 40s?
It's above the Vanguard median for the 35-44 age band ($39,958) and closer to the 45-54 median ($67,796), so it's solidly ahead of a typical saver's balance. Measured against Fidelity's salary-multiple target (3x your salary by 40), whether it's "good" depends entirely on your income — $100,000 is 3x a $33,000 salary but well under 3x a $90,000 salary.
What if I have $0 in my 401k at 40?
You're not alone — Vanguard's own data shows meaningful numbers of participants with little to no balance at every age, which is exactly why the median sits so far below the average. The fastest first step is enrolling at whatever rate captures your full employer match, since that's an immediate, guaranteed return before the market does anything at all; increasing 1% a year from there closes more ground over a decade than most people expect.
Does the 401k balance by age include Roth 401k and IRA balances?
The Vanguard and Fidelity figures above cover employer-sponsored 401(k) plan balances only, including both traditional and Roth 401(k) contributions inside the same plan — but not money held separately in an IRA. If you're weighing which account to prioritize once your 401(k) is contributing, our Roth 401k vs IRA guide walks through the tax trade-offs.
Both the average and the median describe other people, not you. A multiple of your own salary, checked against your own age, is the only version of "on track" that actually means something — and it's worth checking again every few years, since your income, your plan, and the rules around it all keep changing too.
If you are still deciding
- How Much Will My Social Security Increase in 2027?
- Net Worth by Age
- Average Savings by Age
- Bronze Plan + HSA vs. Silver Plan
Updated September 28, 2026. Written by Jun, who is not a licensed financial advisor. Figures use Vanguard's "How America Saves 2025" report, Fidelity's Q2 2026 retirement analysis, and 2026 IRS contribution limits. Calculator results are estimates for planning purposes only, not a guarantee of investment performance.
Sources: Vanguard, "How America Saves 2025" and "Previewing How America Saves 2026" · Fidelity, Q2 2026 Retirement Analysis and "Retirement Guidelines" · IRS, "401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026" · Australian Taxation Office, Superannuation Guarantee rate · 대한민국 정책브리핑, 국민연금 보험료율 개편안
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