What the median household actually has.
Median net worth by age band across four developed economies, with notes on what drives the differences and how to read your own figure against the cohort.
Median, not mean — and why it matters
Net worth is heavily right-skewed: a few ultra-high-net-worth households drag the average up. The mean for a 35–44 cohort in the US is roughly four times the median. Comparing yourself to the mean produces a much harsher self-assessment than comparing to the median, because the mean reflects a distribution most households do not occupy. Use the median.
Cross-country median net worth, 2024 published figures
| Age band | Australia (AUD) | US (USD) | UK (GBP) | Canada (CAD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| < 25 | $13,000 | $12,400 | £8,800 | $15,000 |
| 25–34 | $59,000 | $39,000 | £35,000 | $56,000 |
| 35–44 | $210,000 | $135,000 | £155,000 | $195,000 |
| 45–54 | $417,000 | $247,000 | £326,000 | $378,000 |
| 55–64 | $650,000 | $365,000 | £489,000 | $555,000 |
| 65+ | $770,000 | $410,000 | £487,000 | $612,000 |
Sources: ABS Household Income and Wealth (Australia, 2023–24 release), Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances (US, 2022 release), ONS Wealth and Assets Survey (UK, 2024 release), Statistics Canada Survey of Financial Security (2023 release).
Why Australian medians are so much higher
Three structural reasons:
- Compulsory superannuation. The 11.5 % employer contribution rate (rising to 12 % in 2025) means working Australians accumulate retirement savings without active decision. This shows up as a roughly 25 % higher median net worth in the 45–54 cohort vs. the equivalent US figure.
- Real estate values. Sydney and Melbourne rank among the world's least-affordable cities by price-to-income. The asset side of the balance sheet inflates accordingly.
- Lower student debt prevalence. Higher-education funding through HECS/HELP at indexed-but-low rates produces less destructive household debt than US private student loans at market rates.
Why US medians are lower than expected
Despite higher income levels in raw terms, US medians lag because:
- No mandatory retirement savings (401(k) participation is voluntary).
- Higher rates of student-loan debt, often substantial (median outstanding balance $20,000 in the 25–34 cohort).
- Healthcare-related debt is uniquely common.
- The wealth distribution is more unequal — the median lags the mean further than in other Anglosphere countries.
How to read your own figure against the cohort
- Above 200 % of median: roughly the 70th percentile or higher. You are doing materially better than your age cohort.
- 100–200 % of median: middle to upper-middle of the distribution. Comfortable.
- 50–100 % of median: below median but not unusually so. Particularly common for high-cost-of-living-area households who have prioritised cash flow over savings.
- Below 50 % of median: meaningfully behind. Worth examining what is driving the gap (high consumption debt? late entry to home ownership? recent windfall loss?) rather than treating the figure itself as the problem.
What about the top decile?
The 90th percentile of net worth in the 45–54 cohort is approximately five times the median. The 99th percentile is roughly 20 times the median. The distribution is genuinely fat-tailed at the top. The calculator does not display top-decile thresholds because they are not generally useful as benchmarks for typical households — they are aspirational at best and distracting at worst.