AnswerAt age 25 with $25k income, the median US net worth is $2,000. The 75th percentile is $13,000. You can see where you rank below.
Median: $2,000 · 75th percentile: $13,000
Source: Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances, 2025 data (released Oct 2026), computed from public microdata
Am I behind at age 25 on $25k?
Median net worth for US households age 25 earning $25k is $2,000; top 10% starts at $90,000. Computed from the Federal Reserve's 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances.
A 25-year-old household in the lowest income tier (up to about $25,000) has a median net worth of just $2,000 in SCF 2025, and the 25th percentile is $0. Many peers are in hourly work, part-time jobs, or school, and debts such as student loans often cancel out whatever savings exist. Starting near zero is common at this income, not a sign of failure.
Your numbers
Peer group: age under 35 · under $25,000Your $2,000 ranks ahead of 50% of US households age under 35 earning under $25,000.
Another $88,000 in net worth would put you in the top 10% for your peer group.
How this number is calculated
We look up your age and income in the Federal Reserve's 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances (the most recent SCF, released Oct 2026), then interpolate your position between 25th/50th/75th/90th/99th percentile breakpoints for that age×income cell. The Fed does not publish those cells, so we compute them from its public microdata. Figures are in 2025 USD, and cells with few sampled families are noisy. 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, $25k
At 25, an income near $25,000 usually means hourly or part-time work, a graduate stipend, or a gap between jobs. The survey measures household income, so it can also describe a young adult sharing costs with family. SCF 2025 puts the median net worth of this group at $2,000, about 0.1x annual income, which is roughly one month of earnings. A quarter of households here hold $0 or less, meaning debts equal or exceed assets. Your household is compared with the whole under-35 group, and a 25-year-old sits at its younger end, so the real peer picture is probably a little lower still. This cell rests on a small sample of families, so the figures are approximate, especially the upper percentiles.
Further up the distribution the 75th percentile is $13,000, the 90th is $90,000, and the 99th is $374,000. On a paycheck this size those higher balances are rarely built from wages alone. They more often reflect help or assets that sit outside the paycheck: family support, a scholarship that avoided debt, a car or home with little owed on it, or a gift or small inheritance. For comparison, the all-income median for under-35 households is $33,000, so this income tier sits far below the overall group, which is what you would expect when little is left after rent and basics.
The practical milestones at this stage are small ones: a starter cushion of around $1,000, reaching a net worth that is no longer negative, and capturing any employer retirement match. As an illustration, $100 a month invested for five years at a 7% real return grows to roughly $7,200, which would land between the median of $2,000 and the 75th percentile of $13,000. Returns are never guaranteed, and the bigger lever at this income is usually raising earnings rather than squeezing the savings rate. This is educational context, not financial advice.
Benchmarks for age 25, $25k
Source: Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances, 2025 (released October 9, 2026); cells computed from public microdata. Figures in 2025 USD. Cells built on fewer than about 100 sampled families are noisy. Your seeded percentile if net worth equals the median for this cell: 50th.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a zero or negative net worth at 25 on a low income something to worry about?
Not by itself. In this cell the 25th percentile is $0, so a meaningful share of similar households have no net worth or are in the red, usually because debts such as student loans match or exceed savings. What matters more is the direction over the next few years. Because the sample for this cell is small, treat the exact figure as a rough guide.
What is the median net worth of a 25-year-old earning about $25,000?
SCF 2025 puts it at $2,000 for under-35 households in the lowest income tier, versus $33,000 for all under-35 households at every income. The numbers cover the whole under-35 bracket, not just 25-year-olds, and younger people in the bracket usually sit lower than older ones.
Does student debt count against net worth in the survey?
Yes. Student loans are counted as a liability and reduce net worth dollar for dollar. A household with $20,000 of loans and $5,000 in the bank shows a net worth of minus $15,000, even if later earnings are strong. Income-driven repayment can keep monthly payments low while the balance lingers, which helps explain negative figures at the bottom of the range.
How much could $100 a month grow to?
At a 7% real (after-inflation) return, $100 a month for five years grows to about $7,200, and the balance keeps compounding if left invested. That is an illustration with steady returns, not a promise. With a median of $2,000 here, even this modest habit would move a household up the percentile ladder.
Should I build an emergency fund or pay down debt first?
Many planners suggest a small starter cushion first, so one surprise bill does not go on a credit card, then capturing any employer match, then paying down high-interest debt faster. Low-rate student loans are usually lower priority than card balances. The right order depends on your rates and job stability, and this is general education rather than advice.
Does the survey count my partner's income and assets?
Yes. The survey measures the whole household, so a partner's income and assets are included along with yours. A household income near $25,000 can therefore look different from one person's $25,000 paycheck. Net worth is the same idea: all household assets minus all household debts.
Methodology & data sources
Calculations on this page use benchmarks from US federal statistical agencies. Percentile breakpoints are interpolated linearly between tabulated cells. Figures are in the dollars of each dataset's reference year unless noted. Numbers are educational estimates, not personalized financial advice.
Net worth figures come from the Federal Reserve SCF 2025 (2025 dollars). Age medians match the Fed's published tables; the age × income cells are computed from the public microdata, and cells with fewer than about 100 sampled families are noisy. Full methodology.