National context, one age at a time.
Average net worth for couples at 40 in the United States.
For US couples whose older partner is aged 38–42, estimated average net worth is $956,251 and the median is $276,574. These are family assets minus debts, not the wealth of each individual 40-year-old.
Sample: 250 families. Pooled ages 38–42, centered on 40. Five implicates are repeated imputations, not five times as many families. Estimates have survey uncertainty; no confidence intervals are provided.
| Measure | Amount |
|---|---|
| Average (weighted mean) | $956,251 |
| 25th percentile | $100,582 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $276,574 |
| 75th percentile | $734,210 |
| 90th percentile | $1,541,160 |
The average and the middle tell different stories.
The average is 3.5 times the median near age 40. Large wealth observations and their survey weights can pull the average well above the middle family, so “average” and “typical” are not interchangeable.
How does your metro compare?
These local links use modeled wealth for couple economic units and age bands. Their population and age definition differ from this national estimate, so the amounts are not a like-for-like national-versus-local ranking.
- Chicago: $293,942 couple median at ages 35–44
- Minneapolis–St. Paul: $330,694 couple median at ages 35–44
- Columbus: $262,376 couple median at ages 35–44
- Dallas–Fort Worth: $250,140 couple median at ages 35–44
- Atlanta: $263,854 couple median at ages 35–44
- Seattle: $413,342 couple median at ages 35–44
- San Francisco: $616,560 couple median at ages 35–44
- New York: $337,258 couple median at ages 35–44
- Boston: $418,996 couple median at ages 35–44
- Austin: $331,204 couple median at ages 35–44
- Denver: $343,748 couple median at ages 35–44
Other questions worth asking.
All metro comparisons and national age benchmarks →
- Average net worth at 25: national context
- Average net worth at 30: national context
- Average net worth at 35: national context
- Average net worth at 40: national context
- Median income at 30: national context
- What income is top 10% or top 1% in Chicago?
- What income is top 10% or top 1% in Minneapolis–St. Paul?
- What income is top 10% or top 1% in Columbus?
- What income is top 10% or top 1% in Dallas–Fort Worth?
- What income is top 10% or top 1% in Atlanta?
- What income is top 10% or top 1% in Seattle?
- What income is top 10% or top 1% in San Francisco?
- What income is top 10% or top 1% in New York?
- What income is top 10% or top 1% in Boston?
- What income is top 10% or top 1% in Austin?
- What income is top 10% or top 1% in Denver?
- Seattle vs. Dallas–Fort Worth
- Chicago vs. Atlanta
- Seattle vs. Chicago
- Chicago vs. Minneapolis–St. Paul
- Atlanta vs. Dallas–Fort Worth
- Minneapolis–St. Paul vs. Columbus