401(k) PlansHeadlines love the "average 401(k) balance by age" number because it makes for an easy gut-check. It is useful — as long as you understand why the average overstates where most people actually are.
Average balances climb with age, but a minority of large accounts pulls the average well above the median. The typical saver has noticeably less than the average. What matters more is your savings rate, allocation, and time — all of which you can act on today.
What the published data actually shows
Fidelity publishes a plan-wide average every quarter, but neither Fidelity nor any other major recordkeeper publishes a public age-banded table of 401(k) balances. The by-age figures that circulate online are third-party estimates rather than published data, so none appear here.
As of March 31, 2026, the average 401(k) balance across Fidelity-administered plans was $141,000, measured across 26,800 corporate plans and 25.6 million participants. The total savings rate reached a record 14.4% — a 9.6% average employee contribution plus 4.8% from employers. Source: Fidelity, Q1 2026 Retirement Analysis.
Plan-wide figures, not age-specific. Balances vary widely by income, tenure, and plan.
Read the gap between average and median
When an average sits far above the median, it tells you the distribution is lopsided: a relatively small number of large accounts drags the average up. If you are "below average," you are likely still in good company — and the better question is what your current balance is on track to become.
Project your own balance
Enter your balance and life stage below to see a realistic projection to retirement, and how a disciplined allocation compares to a typical one:
The levers that move the number
- The full employer match — commonly described as the closest thing to free money in a retirement plan.
- The allocation itself — see 401(k) allocation by age.
- Raising the contribution rate 1% a year — small, nearly painless, and powerful over time.
Model any of these in the 401(k) Calculator.
The part that actually matters: discipline
A sound allocation only helps if you hold it through the rough stretches and change it for the right reasons. That is the idea behind the 401(k) Edge strategy — a rules-based monthly update that works with any plan and any provider, so your 401(k) follows evidence instead of emotion. Most months, it says do nothing.