How many Americans have $0 in retirement savings? (2024)

FAQs

How many Americans have $0 in retirement savings? ›

The financial services company surveyed more than 1,000 Americans regarding their retirement savings. Twenty-eight percent of respondents said they have $0 set aside for their later years.

Do You? 20% of adults ages 50+ have no retirement savings, 61% worry they won't have enough at retirement, as per new AARP survey. Plus six tips to start saving now.

While it might be unsurprising and understandable that 28% of the adults ages 18-24 have no retirement savings, most older adults aren't doing much better. Between 25% and 35% of all demographics between the ages of 18 and 64 report having nothing saved for their golden years.

Many workers estimate they'll need $1 million or more to retire comfortably, though the typical American doesn't have anywhere close to that. The average household retirement account balance in 2022 was just under $334,000, according to the latest Survey of Consumer Finances.

Individuals who have not saved for retirement and who still own homes can turn to their homes as a source of income. For some, this could mean renting a portion of their space as a separate apartment. Another option is to take a reverse mortgage on a home, although doing so can be costly and complicated.

WASHINGTON—A new AARP survey finds that 20% of adults ages 50+ have no retirement savings, and more than half (61%) are worried they will not have enough money to support them in retirement.

Social Security offers a monthly benefit check to many kinds of recipients. As of May 2024, the average check is $1,778.24, according to the Social Security Administration – but that amount can differ drastically depending on the type of recipient. In fact, retirees typically make more than the overall average.

The Federal Reserve also measures median and mean (average) savings across other types of financial assets. According to the data, the average 70-year-old has approximately: $60,000 in transaction accounts (including checking and savings) $127,000 in certificate of deposit (CD) accounts.

According to the Federal Reserve's latest Survey of Consumer Finances, only about 10% of American retirees have managed to save $1 million or more.

After analyzing many scenarios, we found that 75% is a good starting point to consider for your income replacement rate. This means that if you make $100,000 shortly before retirement, you can start to plan using the ballpark expectation that you'll need about $75,000 a year to live on in retirement.

How long will $500000 last retirement? ›

Summary. If you withdraw $20,000 from the age of 60, $500k will last for over 30 years. Retirement plans, annuities and Social Security benefits should all be considered when planning your future finances. You can retire at 50 with $500k, but it will take a lot of planning and some savvy decision-making.

The definition of a comfortable retirement differs from person to person and depends on things like the number of holidays you plan to take each year. However, some experts have suggested you could maintain a comfortable lifestyle with a pension income between half and two thirds of your final working salary.

But many have no savings at all.

27% of U.S. adults have no emergency savings, as of May 2024 polling — the highest percentage since 2020.

In 2022, almost half of American households had no savings in retirement accounts, according to the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF). These accounts include individual retirement accounts; Keogh accounts; certain employer-sponsored accounts, such as 401(k), 403(b), thrift savings accounts; and pensions.

According to the Federal Reserve's latest Survey of Consumer Finances, only about 10% of American retirees have managed to save $1 million or more. This leaves a significant 90% who fall short of this milestone.

Emergency savings can come in handy when you need it the most, but a recent survey finds that some Americans don't have it all. Bankrate finds that more than 1 in 4 adults (27%) are in this predicament, representing the highest percentage since the consumer financial services company asked the question in 2020.