Vanguard report reveals massive gap between average and median 401(k) balances
By
Damilola Esebame
10h ago· 6 min readenNews
Summary
Vanguard's 25th edition of the How America Saves report reveals a stark disparity in 401(k) savings among nearly 5 million workers. While the average 401(k) balance reached a record $167,970 at year-end 2025, the median balance was just $44,115 — a four-to-one gap. This highlights that the average figure is skewed by high-balance accounts and does not represent the typical American worker, most of whom have far less saved for retirement.
Source
bskyVanguard report reveals massive gap between average and median 401(k) balancesmiramarflnews.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledThe average 401(k) balance climbed to a record $167,970 at year-end 2025, according to Vanguard's 25th edition of the How America Saves report.
The median balance, which represents the person at the exact midpoint of the distribution, was just $44,115, Vanguard reported.
That four-to-one gap means...
The average 401(k) balance climbed to a record $167,970 at year-end 2025, according to Vanguard's 25th edition of the How America Saves report, which tracked the behavior of nearly 5 million workers.
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