Net Worth Calculator with Median by Age Benchmark

The net worth formula

Net worth = everything you own − everything you owe. That is the whole formula. The hard part is using honest numbers.

Assets: cash in checking and savings, brokerage accounts, retirement accounts (401(k), IRA, HSA), the market value of your home and other real estate, vehicles at resale value, and the cash value of a whole life policy if you have one. Liabilities: mortgage balances, HELOCs, car loans, student loans, credit card balances (the full balance, not the minimum), personal loans, medical debt, and money owed to family.

Worked example: a 38-year-old homeowner

Assets: $15,000 in checking and savings, $20,000 in a brokerage account, $85,000 across a 401(k) and IRA, a home worth $380,000, and a car worth $18,000. Total assets: $518,000.

Liabilities: $290,000 mortgage, $12,000 car loan, $22,000 student loans, and $3,500 on credit cards. Total: $327,500.

Net worth = $518,000 − $327,500 = $190,500. The median for households aged 35 to 44 is about $135,600, so this household is about $54,900 above the median. The debt-to-asset ratio is 63 percent, mostly the mortgage.

Notice that only $35,000 of that is liquid. Most of the net worth is home equity and retirement money, which is normal and fine, but it means a job loss would be covered by savings, not by net worth. Mark each asset liquid or not, and the calculator shows the split.

How you compare: median net worth by age

The benchmark comes from the Federal Reserve's 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances, the most detailed public data on US household wealth. Median net worth by age of head of household: under 35, about $39,000; 35 to 44, $135,600; 45 to 54, $247,200; 55 to 64, $364,500; 65 to 74, $409,900; 75 and older, about $335,600.

Use the median, not the average. The averages are three to six times higher because a small number of very wealthy households pull them up. The median is the household in the middle, which is the fair comparison. The survey runs every three years; the 2025 results are expected in late 2026, and this page will update when they are published.

Also remember these are household figures. A married couple should compare their combined net worth, not each person's.

Rules for honest numbers

Use market value, not purchase price. Your house is worth what it would sell for today, minus about 6 to 8 percent if you want a conservative figure that accounts for selling costs. Your car is worth its private-party or trade-in value, which drops every month.

Leave out personal stuff. Furniture, electronics, and clothes sell for pennies on the dollar. Include jewelry, art, or collectibles only if you have a recent appraisal and would actually sell.

Count retirement accounts at face value, but know they are pre-tax. A $100,000 traditional 401(k) might be worth $75,000 to $85,000 after income tax when withdrawn. Roth balances are already after-tax.

Include every debt, including the 0 percent car loan and the buy-now-pay-later balance.

Why track it monthly

A single net worth number is a snapshot. The trend is what matters. Paying down $400 of principal a month and investing $500 grows net worth by $10,800 a year before any market gains. Seeing that number rise each month is one of the best motivators for sticking with a budget.

This calculator saves your list in your browser, not on a server. Come back on the first of each month, update the balances from your statements, and write down the result. Nothing is uploaded and there is no account to create. Clearing your browser data resets it.

Common mistakes

Counting the home at Zillow's highest estimate while ignoring selling costs.

Forgetting a debt because it has no monthly bill yet, like deferred student loans or a tax bill.

Comparing yourself with the average instead of the median, and feeling behind for no reason.

Treating a negative net worth as failure. Many people in their 20s start below zero because of student loans. The direction of travel matters more than the starting point.