Methodology

Data source

All percentile benchmarks are derived from the Federal Reserve 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF), published October 2023.

The SCF is conducted every three years by the Federal Reserve Board. It is the most comprehensive source of US household wealth data available, surveying over 4,500 households with deliberate oversampling of high-wealth households to ensure accuracy at the top of the distribution.

Percentile calculation

Each age bracket has a set of percentile breakpoints built from the 2022 SCF, and they do not all come from the same place, so here is exactly which is which:

• Median (50th):the Federal Reserve’s own published figure for each age group (Table 2 of the October 2023 SCF bulletin).
• 25th, 75th, 90th and 99th: the Fed publishes only medians and means by age, so these come from DQYDJ’s analysis of the SCF public microdata, which reports 5-year age groups. We average the two 5-year groups inside each 10-year bracket.
• 10th and 95th: no source publishes these by age, so they are interpolated between the neighboring points (linearly near zero, and on a log scale between the 90th and 99th, where wealth rises steeply).

For a net worth between two breakpoints, the calculator interpolates linearly to estimate the percentile.

For example: if the 50th percentile for ages 35-44 is $135,600 and the 75th percentile is $413,000, a net worth of $260,000 would be approximately at the 61st percentile (roughly 45% of the way between 50 and 75 on a linear scale).

This method produces accurate estimates near the known breakpoints and approximations between them. Results are rounded to the nearest whole percentile.

City pages

The SCF has no city-level data, so a city page never changes your percentile. It restates the national figures against two local numbers:

• Typical home value: the Zillow Home Value Index for all homes, July 2026, metro-level where Zillow publishes one for the city and state-level otherwise.
• Median family income: HUD FY2026 income limits. HUD counts families, which leaves out people living alone, so the figure runs higher than median household income.
• Home value index:a city’s typical home value relative to the national typical home value (100). It measures housing only. It is not a full cost-of-living index and does not cover groceries, healthcare or transport.

From those, each page computes the price-to-income ratio, where the city ranks among all the cities on this site, how a paid-off typical home alone would rank by age, and the national net worth thresholds expressed in local homes and years of income. Ranks and medians compare only the cities this site covers, not every US city.

Age brackets

The SCF groups household wealth by age of the household head: Under 35, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, and 75 and older. This calculator uses the same groupings. If your household has two earners, use the age of the primary earner or financial decision-maker.

Limitations

• SCF data is collected every three years. The 2022 data reflects conditions as of early 2022, before the full impact of 2022-2023 interest rate changes.
• Percentiles represent household net worth, not individual net worth. For couples, total household assets and debts should be combined.
• Very high net worth values (above the 99th percentile) use the top known breakpoint as a ceiling; actual percentiles for extreme values may differ.
• The 2025 SCF is fielded but not yet published. When the Fed releases it, every breakpoint here will be updated.
• Zillow and HUD figures are more recent (2026) than the SCF (2022), so city pages compare 2022 wealth thresholds with 2026 home values and incomes. Treat the local comparisons as a sense of scale, not a precise same-year measurement.
• This tool does not store any data you enter. All calculations happen entirely in your browser.

Not financial advice

This calculator provides context for understanding your net worth relative to US households. It does not constitute financial advice, investment advice, or any recommendation to take or refrain from taking any action. Consult a licensed financial advisor for personalized guidance.