The average net worth for a 30 year old American is roughly $9,000 in 2024. But for the above-average 30 year old, his or her net worth is closer to $250,000. The discrepancy lies in education, saving rate, investment returns, consistency, and income.
Hopefully, you will aim to be an above average 30 year old since you've landed on Financial Samurai. I've been writing about personal finance since 2009 to help people achieve financial freedom sooner. The average American 30 year old doesn't have his or her financial act together. When it comes to building wealth, it's good to outperform your 30-year-old peers.
According to CNN Money, the average net worth in 2022 for the following ages are: $9,000 for ages 25-34, $52,000 for ages 35-44, $100,000 for ages 45-54, $180,000 for ages 55-64, and $232,000+ for 65+. In 2024, the figures are likely 10% higher.
Thee figures seem low. But that's because the age range is large. Most Americans aren't fiscally responsible with their money with only a ~7 savings rate before the global pandemic hit.
The personal saving rate has since come down in 2022 as people get more comfortable living with the virus. The average American is now only saving 6% of their income a year versus 30% during the height of the pandemic in 2020! The YOLO economy is here to stay as people revenge spend their way to better times.
The bull market is a live and well, which is one of the reasons why the average net with for a 30 year old is ticking higher. Further, the above average 30 year old does a lot more than the average person to solidify his or her finances. Let's review what an above average person is.
The Above Average 30 Year Old Net Worth
1) Someone who went to college or started working right out of high school. He or she believes grades and a good work ethic do matter.
2) Does not irrationally spend more than they make.
3) Saves for the future because they realize at some point they no longer are willing or able to work.
4) Takes responsibility for their own actions when things go wrong and learns from the situation to make things better.
5) Takes action by leveraging free tools on the internet to track their net worth, minimize investment fees, manage their budget, and stay on top of their finances in general. Once you know where all your money is, it becomes much easier to optimize your wealth and make it grow.
6) Welcomes constructive criticism and is not overly sensitive from friends, loved ones, and strangers in order to keep improving. Keeping an open mind is critical.
7) Has a healthy amount of self-esteem to be able to lead change and believe in themselves.
8) Enjoys empowering themselves through learning, whether it be through books, personal finance blogs, magazines, seminars, continuing education and so forth.
9) Has little-to-no student loan debt due to scholarships, part-time work, or help from their parents. Our parents have saved and invested through the largest bull market in history. It's understandable that parents want to help their children out.
10) Invests in stocks, real estate, and alternative assets to boost wealth.
Now that we have a rough definition of what “above average” means for a 30 year old, we can take a look at the tables I've constructed based on the tens of thousands of past comments by you and posts I've written to highlight the average net worth of the above average person.
The Above Average Net Worth Calculated
First, we must highlight what the average tax-deferred retirement savings plan is for those in America. We'll focus on the simple 401K system we have here where one can contribute a maximum of $20,500 of their pre-tax income every year in 2022. The figure tends to go up about $500 every two years.
This chart can be used as a rough estimate for those with the RRSP plan in Canada, and retirement plans in Europe and Australia as well.
In fact, any country that has any sort of tax-deferred retirement plan and social safety net program for retirement that has a GDP/capita of $30,000 or more can use the below chart as an aspirational guide. Remember, we are talking about the “above average person.”
Financial Samurai Tax-Deferred (401k) Savings Guide
Net Worth Assumptions For A 30 Year old
The assumption here is that the above average person is able to start maxing out their tax-deferred retirement plan every year after the second full year of work, and continue on without fail until 65.
The low and high end account for a conservative 0% return to a more historical 7% – 8% constant rate of return. Of course you can lose money and make much more if you are good and lucky.
Given the 401k maximum contribution limits have increased over time, the three columns from left to right can also be used as guidance for older savers over 45 years old, middle aged savers between 30 – 45, and younger savers under 30 who get to contribute $18,000 a year at the minimum for the majority of their careers.
For example, when I started contributing to my 401k in 1999, the maximum contribution limit was only $10,000. As a 39 year old, I'll focus on the Mid End column as a guidance.
This chart does not take into consideration any after-tax savings post 401K contribution or 401k company matching either to remain conservative. It's always good to end up with too much money than too little.
Financial Samurai Post-Tax Savings Guide For All Ages
The above chart assumes on the low end that one saves about $5,000 a year in after-tax income. At the high end, one saves around $10,000-$15,000 a year in after-tax income after maxing out their tax-deferred retirement vehicle. I've tried to keep things as simple as possible, assuming no inflation and no investment returns.
I also believe saving $5,000-$15,000 a year in after-tax income is very realistic for the above average person. For those who make more than $60,000 a year, it should be highly feasible. The above average 30 year old just needs to want it.
If you want to achieve financial independence at an earlier age, not only do you need to boost your tax-advantageous retirement accounts, you must also aggressively build your after-tax (taxable) investment accounts so they can spit off enough passive income.
Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) is all about having enough capital to live off your investments. If you can't live off your investments, then you are not truly financially free.
When I retired in 2012 at the age of 34, I had $80,000 in retirement income and a net worth of about $3 million. But now that I'm 44 with two children and a stay at home spouse, I want closer to $300,000 in retirement income.
Finally, the chart should show you the power of consistency.
The Importance Of Real Estate To Build Wealth For 30 Year Olds
By age 30, you should aim to own your primary residence. If you don't own a primary residence by age 30, then at least invest in real estate online. It's important to get NEUTRAL real estate by owning your primary residence. As a renter, you are “short” the real estate market as a price taker. As an owner, you ride the inflation wave up and down.
A recent study showed that the average net worth of a homeowner is roughly $200,000. This is 40X greater than the average renter's net worth of $5,000.
We can debate the merits of this study all day long. But the point is, “above average” people generally all own homes and are wealthier. The average net with of a homeowner is much greater than the average net worth of a renter.
The return on rent is always -100%. You get a place to live and that's that. There is never a positive return on an asset after a month, or 30 years of renting.
A renter cannot pass on her paid off house to her kids or grandchildren. There is no asset accumulation at all. There is a reason why some 97% of millionaires are property owners.
Take a look at the median sales price in San Francisco since 1990. There are definitely booms and busts. However, over time, this city's real estate prices have continued to go up. With leverage, any homeowner in San Francisco since 1990-2000 is now a millionaire.
The value of real estate varies across all the land and the world. It is very hard to make an assumption of what should be inputted as a result. According to the US Census bureau, the median home price in America is about $370,000 today.
You can't get anything livable in San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles, and maybe even Washington DC and Boston for $370,000. But, you sure can in the Midwest or South.
Given the lower valuations in the heartland of America and the rise of mobile work due to technology, it's a wise move to invest in these 18-hour cities that have higher job growth potential.
Investing Strategically In Real Estate
I've personally invested $954,000 in 17 commercial real estate investments around the country through real estate crowdfunding.
My favorite two platforms are Fundrise for their eREITs and CrowdStreet for their 18-hour-city-focused individual deals. Both are free to sign up and explore. Fundrise offers diversified funds in the Sunbelt region while CrowdStreet offers individual deals, mostly for accredited investors to build their own select portfolio.
To help calculate the average net worth of a 30 year old using property, let's construct an equity value chart of something based on a range of $250,000-$500,000.
We will assume that upon retirement, you have your house paid off. Or, we will value the house by capitalizing the value of all rents you would pay if you did not own.
Financial Samurai Home Equity Accumulation Guide
I assume that the above average person buys a $250,000-$500,000 piece of property at 27. By the time they turn 28, they will have owned the property for 1 year and have paid down $3,500-$7,500 in principal on a $250,000-$400,000 loan.
I conservatively assume a $250,000 no money down loan for the low end house. This is even though after 5 years of working, the low-end above average person should have around $25,000-$30,000 saved up in cash based on the after-tax savings charts above.
By the time a 27 year old pays off his or her mortgage in 30 years, s/he will be 57 years old with a place to live rent from for the rest of his/her life. That is the true value of the property, the rent saved for the remainder of the owner's life.
It can be calculated as the present value of those future rental payments, or simply the market value of the home. I assume zero price appreciation on the home to keep things conservative. Further, I assume no extra payments to accelerate the payoff either.
Home prices have historically returned just a bit above inflation every year e.g. 2-3%. But given the above average person puts down about 20%, the 2-3% returns suddenly turns into a 10%-15% cash-on-cash per year.
10-15% compares favorably to the average S&P 500 return of roughly 8% – 10%. Add on the tax benefits for mortgage interest deduction and owning a home through a mortgage becomes more beneficial for higher income earners.
The X Factor To Boost Wealth
So far, we've touched upon pre-tax savings, after-tax savings, investment returns of 0 for those savings to remain conservative, and real estate.
You need to spend less than you earn for that inevitable day you no longer have an income. You also need to live somewhere. Hence, you should own your primary residence if you know you will be there for much longer than 5-10 years.
There's something missing in all of this, and that something is what I call the X Factor. Above average people seem to always be thinking of new ways to build wealth. There is an optimism about them that no matter what happens, they can always find ways to make more money.
It's hard to quantify what that X Factor is for the average above average person. However, it's there somehow through music, writing, athletics, communication, entrepreneurship, hustling, and so much more.
The great thing about savings and real estate is that the process is highly automatic. If you implement the plan and wake up 10 years later, you will inevitably be worth much more provided you keep your job and your home.
Given savings and building equity in your home over the next several decades is largely automatic, the X Factor comes out because you have so much more free time to do something else!
My X Factor In My 30s
In my case, my X Factor was starting Financial Samurai in July 2009 at the age of 32. I thought about starting this site in 2006 when I just finished my MBA from Berkeley. However, I was always too busy at my investment banking job. I also needed a break from working and going to school part-time for 20 hours a week.
When the global financial crisis hit in 2008 – 2009, I finally decided it was now or never. Thanks to starting Financial Samurai in 2009, I was able to negotiate a severance package in 2012 and retire early. Financial Samurai now generates enough online revenue to provide for my family. It is also worth in the low eight-figures.
Never would I have imagined Financial Samurai would one day be worth this much and produce this much revenue. However, with enough consistency and dedication, you can make almost anything a success!
The Above Average Net Worth For A 30 Year Old
I have gone ahead and averaged the averages for pre-tax savings, post-tax savings, and real estate equity progress in the spreadsheet below. The pre and post tax savings can be invested however you see fit and is a topic of another post.
Another thing to note is taxation, given pre-tax savings have to eventually be withdrawn and taxed. Again, these are rough estimates to give you an idea of the average net worth of the above average person.
There you have it! Based on my assumptions above, the average net worth of the above average 30 year old is around $250,000. By the time this person is 40, his/her net worth should climb to around $660,000. By age 60, the net with climbs to around $2,180,250.
The key is to stay disciplined with your savings and investing routine. With a proper asset allocation or net worth allocation, you'll be amazed at how far your net worth will grow over time.
Of course some of you above average Financial Samurai readers will have a total net worth much higher than the chart. Some of you will become millionaires by 30. But then, I'd have to write another post entitled, “The Average Net Worth Of Financial Rockstars!”
Achieve Financial Freedom Through Real Estate
Real estate is my favorite way to achieving financial freedom. It is a tangible asset that is less volatile, provides utility, and generates income. By the time I was 30, I had bought two properties in San Francisco and one property in Lake Tahoe. Today, real estate generates over $150,000 a year in passive income.
In 2016, I started diversifying into heartland real estate to take advantage of lower valuations and higher cap rates. I did so by investing $810,000 with real estate crowdfunding platforms. With interest rates down, the value of cash flow is up. Further, the pandemic has made working from home more common.
Take a look at my two favorite real estate crowdfunding platforms. Both are free to sign up and explore.
Fundrise: A way for accredited and non-accredited investors to diversify into real estate through private eFunds. Fundrise has been around since 2012 and manages over $3.4 billion for over 500,000 investors For most people, investing in a diversified eREIT is the way to go.
CrowdStreet: A way for accredited investors to invest in individual real estate opportunities mostly in 18-hour cities. 18-hour cities are secondary cities with lower valuations, higher rental yields, and potentially higher growth due to job growth and demographic trends. If you have a lot more capital, you can build you own diversified real estate portfolio.
Both are sponsors of Financial Samurai and Financial Samurai is a six-figure investor in the Fundrise Flagship Fund.
Manage Your Finances In One Place
The best way to build wealth is to get a handle on your finances by signing up with Empower. They are a free online platform which enables you to track and optimize your finances.
Before Empower, I had to log into eight different systems to track 28 different accounts. Now, I can just log into Empower to see how my stock accounts are doing. I can check how my net worth is progressing and where my spending is going. You also get your net worth amount sent to your inbox weekly.
One of their best tools is the 401K Fee Analyzer. It has helped me save over $1,700 in annual portfolio fees I had no idea I was paying. You just click on the Investment Tab and run your portfolio through their fee analyzer. It's so easy.
They've also come out with their incredible Retirement Planning Calculator. It uses your linked accounts to run a Monte Carlo simulation to figure out your financial future. You can input various income and expense variables to see the outcomes. Definitely check to see how your finances are shaping up as it's free.
Related: The Average Net Worth For A 35 Year Old
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About the Author
Sam worked in investing banking for 13 years at GS and CS. He received his undergraduate degree in Economics from The College of William & Mary and got his MBA from UC Berkeley. In 2012, Sam was able to retire at the age of 34 largely due to his investments. They now generate roughly $310,000 a year in passive income. He spends most of his time playing tennis and taking care of his family. Financial Samurai was started in 2009. It is one of the most trusted personal finance sites on the web with over 1.5 million pageviews a month.
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