Average retirement savings for married couples by age
What families actually have in retirement accounts at each age, how much to have saved by 30, and the 2026 limits for putting more in.
Checked October 22, 2026
Most pages on this search quote one scary average. The average is a poor guide, because a few very large accounts pull it up. This page gives the median (the middle family) next to the mean, says who is counted, and ends with what you can do about your own number.
Average retirement savings by age
The Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances is the main U.S. survey of what families own. The 2025 results came out on October 9, 2026. This table is the value of retirement accounts (IRAs and employer plans like a 401(k)) by the age of the person the survey treats as the head of the family, in 2025 dollars.
| Age | Families with an account | Median balance | Mean balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 35 | 48.8% | $21,000 | $48,450 |
| 35 to 44 | 59.6% | $61,000 | $182,430 |
| 45 to 54 | 63.0% | $133,000 | $415,780 |
| 55 to 64 | 63.1% | $239,000 | $670,250 |
| 65 to 74 | 49.0% | $257,000 | $767,510 |
| 75 or more | 44.6% | $257,000 | $798,710 |
| All families | 54.9% | $106,000 | $451,120 |
What these numbers can and cannot tell you
- They are household figures. One balance covers everything the family holds, for one person or two.
- They count only families with an account. Under 35, about half have none, and the median and mean skip them. If you counted everyone, the typical family would look smaller.
- They are from one survey year. It is 2025, with 4,367 families interviewed, so a stock market year moves the numbers.
- Age is the reference person's, chosen by the survey. In a mixed-sex couple it is the man, so the age of the second partner is not reflected.
- They are not a target. A family with a pension, a paid-off home or a smaller life can need less in accounts.
Retirement savings for married couples
The Fed does not split these figures by married and not married with age. It does report couples as a family type, meaning two people who are married or living together as partners, for all ages combined:
| Family type | Families with an account | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| Couple, no children | 65.7% | $172,000 | $672,980 |
| Couple with children | 67.0% | $127,000 | $456,620 |
| Single, no children, under 55 | 46.1% | $25,000 | $78,550 |
So the honest answer to the married-couples question is that no age-by-age table exists in the Fed's release. Use the age table above as the bar for a typical household, and use the couples rows as a reminder that two incomes with accounts usually reach more.
How much should I have saved for retirement by 30?
Fidelity gives milestones as a multiple of your salary: 1 times by 30, 3 times by 40, 6 times by 50, 8 times by 60 and 10 times by 67. They assume you start saving at 25, put away 15 percent of income each year including any employer match, keep more than half in stocks on average, retire at 67 and want about 45 percent of your pre-retirement income to live on, with no pension.
| Age | Fidelity: times your salary |
|---|---|
| 30 | 1x |
| 40 | 3x |
| 50 | 6x |
| 60 | 8x |
| 67 | 10x |
If you earn $60,000, 1 times is $60,000. The Fed's median for families under 35 with an account is $21,000. Most people are somewhere under the guideline in their late 20s, and the guideline is an average of a long plan, not a deadline.
What to do with the numbers
- Compare as a household. Add both of your retirement accounts, then compare with the age row of the older of you.
- Look at the rate, not the balance. Fidelity's guideline is 15 percent of pay, with your employer's match counted in. That is a number you can set this month.
- Get the match first, if an employer offers one.
- Decide who contributes what. If one of you earns more, the same percentage of pay is a different number of dollars. See how to split by income or try the fair split calculator.
- Keep a cushion too. A emergency fund keeps you from pulling from these accounts.
2026 401(k) and IRA limits
Each of you has your own limit, so a couple can put in double.
| Account | 2026 limit per person | Extra at 50 or older |
|---|---|---|
| 401(k), 403(b), most 457 and TSP | $24,500 | $8,000 |
| Ages 60 to 63 | $24,500 | $11,250 |
| IRA (traditional or Roth) | $7,500 | $1,100 |
A Roth IRA can be contributed to in full below $242,000 of income for married couples filing jointly, and phases out between $242,000 and $252,000. For singles the range is $153,000 to $168,000. A couple that maxes out both 401(k)s and both IRAs in 2026 puts away $64,000 before any catch-up, which is $24,500 twice plus $7,500 twice.
Those are ceilings, not a goal. The plan that matters is the one you can keep up each paycheck.
Questions people ask
What is the average retirement savings for married couples by age?
The Federal Reserve does not publish a table for married couples by age. Its 2025 survey does report couples overall: among couples with no children at home that have a retirement account, the median balance is $172,000 and the mean is $672,980. For all families by age, see the table above.
How much should I have saved for retirement by 30?
Fidelity's guideline is 1 times your salary by 30, assuming you start saving at 25 and put away 15 percent of income, employer match included. For comparison, families under 35 who have a retirement account hold a median of $21,000 in the Fed's 2025 survey. Both are reference points, not a test.
How much should I have saved by 30?
On Fidelity's milestones, about 1 times your annual pay in retirement accounts. If you earn $60,000 that is $60,000. The Fed's 2025 survey finds a median of $21,000 among families under 35 that have a retirement account, and only 48.8 percent of them have one, so many people are behind that guideline and still on track to catch up.
What is the difference between the median and the average?
The median is the middle family: half have less and half have more. The average (the mean) is pulled up by a few very large balances. The mean at each age in the table is far above the median, so the median is the better picture of a typical family.
Do these numbers include Social Security or a pension?
No. The Fed's figure is retirement accounts only: IRAs and employer plans such as a 401(k), 403(b) or thrift savings plan. Social Security and pensions are not in this figure.
How much can we put into retirement accounts in 2026?
Each of you can put up to $24,500 into a 401(k) and $7,500 into an IRA in 2026. At 50 or older, there is an extra $8,000 for a 401(k) and $1,100 for an IRA.
Sources
5 sources · read October 22, 2026
Every number on this page comes from federalreserve.gov, fidelity.com and irs.gov. If a source has changed since, the source is right.
- 1Federal Reserve: Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2022 to 2025, Survey of Consumer Finances (October 2026)federalreserve.gov
- 2Federal Reserve: 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, historical tables (Table 6, retirement accounts by age and family structure)federalreserve.gov
- 3Federal Reserve: Survey of Consumer Financesfederalreserve.gov
- 4Fidelity: How much do I need to retire?fidelity.com
- 5IRS: 401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026, IRA limit increases to $7,500irs.gov
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