Net Worth Calculator – Compare to U.S. Median by Age

Your net worth is a simple but powerful snapshot of your finances – everything you own minus everything you owe. Use this net worth calculator to total your assets and debts, see your net worth in dollars, compare it with the U.S. median by age, and get ideas for how to move that number higher over time.

How to Use the Net Worth Calculator

You can complete the net worth calculator in just a few minutes. Having recent account statements nearby will make the process easier. Follow these steps:

1. Choose an age group that best matches you. The calculator will use this to show the U.S. median net worth for similar households.
2. List your assets in the left column. Include cash, checking and savings accounts, taxable investments, retirement accounts, your home’s market value and other valuable property.
3. List your liabilities in the right column. Include mortgage balances, home equity loans or HELOCs, auto loans, student loans, credit card balances and any other personal debts.
4. Use the “+ Add asset” or “+ Add liability” buttons if you need more rows for additional items. You can also rename categories to fit your situation.
5. As you edit the fields, the calculator automatically updates your totals, shows your net worth in dollars, draws a visual bar of assets versus liabilities and compares you with the U.S. median for your age group.
6. Optional: Click Export (CSV) to download your asset and liability list so you can keep a copy in your own spreadsheet or budgeting system.

What Is Net Worth?

Net worth is the value of all your assets minus the total of all your liabilities. In other words, it is what you own minus what you owe. Many major financial sites and calculators use this same definition when they estimate a person’s or household’s net worth.

Assets typically include cash and bank accounts, investments, retirement accounts, home equity, vehicles and sometimes other items such as a business interest or valuable collectibles. Liabilities typically include mortgages, home equity loans, auto loans, student loans, personal loans and credit card balances.

A positive net worth means the value of your assets is greater than your debts. A negative net worth means your debts are larger than your assets, which is common for people early in their careers or those with large student loans. Net worth is not a credit score and not the same thing as income. It is a balance-sheet style snapshot of your overall financial position at a specific point in time.

How Your Net Worth Compares by Age

This calculator uses median net worth by age ranges from the Federal Reserve’s 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances, summarized by age group. Median values show the midpoint in each group, so half of households have a higher net worth and half have a lower one. Because a small number of very wealthy households can pull the average up, median net worth is usually a better benchmark than the mean.

When you choose an age group in the calculator, it pulls the median net worth for that group and shows whether you are above or below that median in dollar terms and percent. This can be a useful reference point, but it does not tell the whole story. People live in very different locations, face different costs of living and have different family sizes, careers and goals.

If your net worth is below the median for your age, view that as information rather than a judgment. The most important comparison is between your net worth today and your own net worth a year or two from now as you work on improving your finances.

Understanding Your Results in This Calculator

As you change the inputs, the net worth calculator shows several pieces of information designed to be easy to scan:

• Total assets: the sum of all asset rows you entered.
• Total liabilities: the sum of all debt rows you entered.
• Net worth: assets minus liabilities, displayed as a headline number.
• Visual bar of assets vs. liabilities: a horizontal bar showing what share of your total balance sheet is assets versus debts.
• U.S. median net worth for your age group: a comparison line that shows the median and indicates whether you are above or below it.
• Debt-to-asset ratio: your total liabilities divided by total assets, shown as a percentage.
• Breakdown tables: an asset and liability table that shows each line item’s dollar amount and percent of the total.

The debt-to-asset ratio can be a helpful way to understand how leveraged you are. For example, a ratio above 60% means debts make up most of your balance sheet, while a ratio below 20% suggests a relatively conservative use of debt. There is no single “right” number, but higher leverage generally means more risk if you lose income or if interest rates rise.

Because this calculator also lets you export your entries to CSV, you can keep your asset and liability list in a spreadsheet, share it with a financial advisor or use it as a starting point for a more detailed financial plan.

How to Build Your Net Worth Over Time

Your net worth does not change only when you inherit money or sell a business. For most households, it moves gradually through hundreds of small decisions about spending, saving, paying down debt and investing. Here are practical ways to increase net worth over time:

• Pay down high-interest debt first. Credit card balances and other high-rate loans can erode net worth quickly. Prioritizing these debts often frees up cash flow for saving and investing.
• Build and protect an emergency fund. Keeping several months of expenses in a high-yield savings account can reduce the need to take on new debt when unexpected costs arise.
• Contribute regularly to retirement accounts. Workplace plans like 401(k)s and individual retirement accounts (IRAs) let your investments grow over time, and employer matches are effectively part of your net worth.
• Invest for growth, not just saving. Cash is important, but long-term goals usually require investing in diversified stock and bond portfolios so your money has a chance to outpace inflation.
• Avoid lifestyle creep. As income rises, it is easy to let spending rise at the same pace. Directing part of every raise or bonus into savings and debt payoff can meaningfully boost net worth over a few years.
• Review big-ticket items. Housing, transportation and insurance are major line items for most households. Refinancing, downsizing, selling unused vehicles or shopping around for better rates can all affect net worth.

No single move will transform your balance sheet overnight. Instead, focus on a repeatable routine – checking in on your budget, making automatic transfers to savings and investments and revisiting your debt payoff plan. When you update this calculator every few months, you can see how those habits change your net worth over time.

How Often Should You Check Your Net Worth?

There is no required schedule, but for most people checking net worth once a quarter or a few times a year is enough. If you track it too frequently, you may see more noise than signal, especially if you invest in the stock market where day-to-day values fluctuate. If you track it too rarely, it is harder to see whether your plan is working.

Consider updating the calculator after major changes such as paying off a loan, buying a home, switching jobs or receiving a large bonus or inheritance. Keep your older CSV exports so you can look back and see how far you have come. This can be especially motivating if you are starting with a negative net worth and gradually move into positive territory.