Average 401(k) balance at 25

age
$
Your rank among savers your age
50th

percentile for ages 25 to 34, on 2024 plan data

Median$16,255
Average$42,640
Top quarter at$41,477
10th$2,74225th$6,37050th$16.3k75th$41.5k90th$96.4k95th$160k99th$411k10th$2,74225th$6,37050th$16.3k75th$41.5k90th$96.4k95th$160k99th$411k

The balance at each percentile for your age band, built from the median and average Vanguard publishes. Your own band on the ladder is marked.

A 401(k) balance of $16,255 at age 25 sits at about the 50th percentile of savers aged 25 to 34 - ahead of roughly 50% of them. The published median for that age is $16,255 and the average $42,640, on Vanguard plan data for 2024.

Against the two published figures

The median saver aged 25 to 34 holds $16,255 and the average is $42,640. The gap between those two is the shape of the distribution: most balances sit below the average, so beating the median matters more than beating the mean.

50thpercentile for your age
$16,255the median at 25 to 34
$41,477gets you into the top quarter

Balances at every age

What Vanguard published for 2024, band by band.

AgeMedianAverage90th
Under 25$1,948$6,899$14,953
25 to 34$16,255$42,640$96,373
35 to 44$39,958$103,552$234,255
45 to 54$67,796$188,643$424,084
55 to 64$95,642$271,320$608,671
65 and over$95,425$299,442$662,803

Questions people ask

What is the average 401(k) balance by age?
On Vanguard plan data for 2024: $6,899 under 25, $42,640 at 25 to 34, $103,552 at 35 to 44, $188,643 at 45 to 54, $271,320 at 55 to 64 and $299,442 at 65 and over. Medians are far lower at every age, because a small number of very large balances pull the average up.
Should I compare myself to the median or the average?
The median. It is the middle saver, so half of people your age hold less and half hold more. The average at 25 to 34 is $42,640 against a median of $16,255 - beating the average would already put you well inside the top third.
How is the percentile worked out?
A log-normal distribution is fitted to the two figures Vanguard publishes for your age band, its median and its average, which determines the curve exactly. Your balance is then read off that curve. It is a model of the distribution, not a published percentile table, and the method section says so.
Is this every 401(k) in the country?
No. It is Vanguard's own defined contribution plans, which is a large sample but not the whole market, and it counts one account rather than one person. Someone with balances at two employers appears twice, each smaller than their total.
Does this include an IRA or an old employer plan?
Not unless the money was rolled into the plan being measured. If you hold several retirement accounts, add them up before reading the percentile, and remember the comparison group is per-account rather than per-person.

Method and sources

  • Vanguard, How America Saves 2025, Figure 54Account balances by participant demographics, plan year 2024
The calculation

Vanguard publishes an average and a median balance for each age band. A log-normal is fitted to exactly those two statistics - the median fixes its centre, the ratio of average to median fixes its spread - and your balance is read off the resulting curve as a rank. The same family is fitted independently at every age and produces a comparable spread each time, which is the check that the shape suits the data rather than one band.

What these figures do not cover
  • The percentile comes from a fitted model, not from a published percentile table. It is a good estimate of a rank and a poor estimate of a tail.
  • The sample is Vanguard defined contribution plans, not every 401(k) in the United States.
  • Balances are per ACCOUNT. Someone with plans at two employers appears twice, each below their real total.
  • Age bands are what the source publishes, so a percentile steps at a band edge rather than sliding. That step is in the data, not in the arithmetic.

Last updated August 2026.

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