AnswerAt age 25 with $150k income, the median US net worth is $157,000. The 75th percentile is $440,000. You can see where you rank below.
Median: $157,000 · 75th percentile: $440,000
Source: Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances, 2022 data (released Sept 2023)
Am I behind at age 25 on $150k?
Median net worth for US households age 25 earning $150k is $157,000; top 10% starts at $890,000. Sourced from the Federal Reserve's 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances.
Senior individual contributors, second-year consultants, and dual-earner couples make up most of the $150K-at-25 cohort. SCF median net worth here is $157,000 — roughly a year of gross income — suggesting many in this band have already built a meaningful taxable brokerage on top of retirement accounts.
Your numbers
Used to pick your SCF age bracket (Under 35).
Your SCF income tier: $100,000 – $200,000. Use gross household income, not take-home.
Total assets minus total liabilities. Negative values are allowed.
- 25th percentile
- $32,000
- Median (50th)
- $157,000
- 75th percentile
- $440,000
- Top 10% (90th)
- $890,000
- Top 1% (99th)
- $2,800,000
Your ranking
How this number is calculated
We look up your age and income in the Federal Reserve's 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances (the most recent SCF, released Sept 2023), then interpolate your position between published 25th/50th/75th/90th/99th percentile breakpoints for that age×income cell. Figures are nominal 2022 USD. Households with similar age and income show meaningful net-worth variance — the percentile reflects how your balance sheet compares to theirs, not to the full US population.
What these numbers mean for age 25, $150k
A household earning $150K at age 25 is statistically rare — roughly the top 7-8% of households in this age bracket. It typically means either a solo high earner in tech, finance, or specialized engineering, or a dual-income couple where both partners earn $70-90K. The SCF median net worth of $157,000 indicates that strong savers in this band are tracking close to a 1x-income benchmark already, well ahead of the standard age-30 target.
The 75th percentile of $440,000 implies more than wages alone — it usually involves vested stock from a pre-IPO or IPO event, a co-purchased starter home in an appreciating market, or significant family assistance with a down payment. Reaching this band purely through W-2 saving in three years is mathematically possible but uncommon, since post-tax savings on $150K cap around $40-50K annually.
The 90th percentile of $890,000 almost always reflects an equity event: a startup acquisition, a tech IPO, or crypto holdings that appreciated. The 99th percentile of $2.8M is essentially unreachable through earned income at this age and reflects inherited wealth, family trusts, or extreme equity outcomes from early-employee stock at a unicorn.
Benchmarks for age 25, $150k
Source: Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances, 2022 (released September 2023). Figures in 2022 USD. Your seeded percentile if net worth equals the median for this cell: 50th.
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Frequently asked questions
What jobs realistically pay $150K to a 25-year-old in 2026?
Senior software engineer at a major tech firm, second-year management consultant, finance analyst at a top investment bank, specialized data scientist, and a small slice of biotech and quant trading roles. Most require either a top-tier degree or a high-leverage skill stack.
How does dual income change the interpretation of this cell?
Two earners at $75K each face different tax brackets and benefit access than a solo $150K earner, with potentially two 401(k) matches and two HSA limits. This often lets dual-income households save more in absolute dollars than solo earners at the same headline income.
Is buying a home a good move for someone at this income and age?
It depends on city, expected tenure, and whether the down payment competes with retirement savings. In stable mid-cost metros with a 7-year horizon, the math often works. In high-cost coastal cities with shorter horizons, renting and investing typically wins.
What does the gap between the 75th and 90th percentile tell us?
The jump from $440K to $890K within one age-income cell signals that the top 10% almost always have a non-wage wealth source — equity vesting, real estate appreciation, or family transfers. Pure salary saving rarely produces this outcome by 25.
How aggressive should retirement savings be at this income?
Maxing the 401(k) at $23K, contributing to a backdoor Roth, and using an HSA if eligible is the standard high-earner stack. After those, taxable brokerage saving of 10-20% of gross income is common among those tracking toward FIRE-style targets.
Are these figures pre-tax or post-tax wealth?
Net worth in the SCF is post-tax, reflecting actual ownership. However, pretax retirement balances are counted at face value, not after-tax-equivalent — meaning a $100K traditional 401(k) is counted the same as $100K in a Roth, despite different effective values at withdrawal.
Methodology & data sources
Calculations on this page use published benchmarks from US federal statistical agencies. Percentile breakpoints are interpolated linearly between published cells. Figures are in current-year USD unless noted. Numbers are educational estimates, not personalized financial advice.