Here's the Average Net Worth of American Gen Xers (How Do You Compare?)

If you were born between 1965 and 1980, you're a Gen Xer, or a member of the often-overlooked generation between baby boomers and millennials. While you're in your peak earning years, you're also facing some unique generational challenges, from coping with aging parents and adult children to facing the end of pensions and the start of privatized saving. As you start investing, increasing your retirement savings, and planning for the future, you might be wondering what your net worth is and whether you're falling behind your peers.

Below, we'll cover the average net worth of Gen Xers like you, then show how your generation compares to millennials and baby boomers alike.

Data collected by the Federal Reserve shows the mean (or average) and median net worth of individuals broken down by age. According to the Fed's study from 2022, which is the most recent year data was available, Gen Xers have the following net worth:

• Ages 45 to 54: $971,270 (mean)/$246,700 (median)
• Ages 55 to 64: $1,564,070 (mean)/$364,270 (median)

Wondering why there's such a striking difference between the median and mean? A handful of high earners can skew the average upward, making it appear that everyone else in the set has more money than they actually do. As a result, a median — which is the middle number of a set — can be a more accurate measure of what people in your cohort are actually worth.

How do Gen Xers compare to the age groups on either end of their birth years? As you might expect, millennials have a lower net worth than Gen Xers, while baby boomers are worth more. Using the Federal Reserve's data above, here's how millennials stack up:

• Younger than 35: $183,380 (mean)/$39,040 (median)
• Ages 35 to 44: $548,070 (mean)/$135,300 (median)

Meanwhile, baby boomers — who have had decades more to save than their younger counterparts — have the following net worth:

• Ages 65 to 74: $1,780,720 (mean)/$410,000 (median)
• Age 75 and older: $1,620,100 (mean)/$334,700 (median)

As baby boomers age and begin to spend their retirement savings, their net worth tends to decrease. But generationally, they're still worth much more than millennials and Gen Xers.

As anyone responsible for a household budget knows, prices over the past few years have been significantly impacted by inflation. Here's the average net worth of Gen Xers in today's dollars adjusted to account for inflation:

• Ages 45 to 54: $1,072,138.97 (mean)/$272,320.45 (median)
• Ages 55 to 64: $1,726,502.83 (mean)/$402,100.41 (median)

Net worth is calculated by subtracting your total liabilities (or debts) from your total assets. According to 2022 Fed data, Gen Xers' key assets include home equity, with 45- to 54-year-olds having a median home equity of $380,000. Gen Xers from 55 to 64 have a lower median home equity value of $350,000. Other crucial assets include pooled retirement funds, stock holdings, transaction accounts, savings accounts, and vehicles.

Housing is also one of the key liabilities for Gen Xers. The median unpaid mortgage balance for younger Gen Xers is $189,000, while the median home debt for older Gen Xers, who have had 10 to 20 years more to pay down debt than their younger counterparts, is $130,000. Other common liabilities for Gen Xers include car loans, credit card debt, and non-residential real estate debt.

While Gen Xers aren't as close to retirement as baby boomers, some of them — anyone age 50 and older — have hit an age where they're allowed to make catch-up contributions to certain retirement savings accounts. For the 2025 tax year, those younger than 50 are limited to contributing $23,500 to a tax-advantaged IRA, but anyone 50+ can contribute an extra $7,500.

But while Gen Xers are the right age to reap certain financial benefits, their generation is facing some unique retirement challenges. While some baby boomers still benefit from pensions, the movement toward privatized savings means fewer members of Gen X can rely on a consistent employer payment after they've retired.

Gen Xers also had to weather the storm of the 2008 financial crash, unlike millennials, many of whom were still in school when the recession hit. Many are also juggling the emotional and financial strain of caring for aging parents while simultaneously dealing with teenage or young adult children who still rely on their parents for some financial support.

No matter how high or low your net worth is, improving it will help you prepare yourself financially for retirement.

Instead of focusing on where you fall compared to your generational cohort, think about what you want your retirement to look like and plan accordingly. Your net worth doesn't have to be higher than everyone else's — it just needs to be enough for you to feel good about retiring.