Here's The Average Net Worth of Millennials
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While American media is rife with stories about millionaire (and billionaire) teenagers and 30 Under 30 lists, the data shows that the Mark Zuckerbergs (worth almost $50 billion) and Evan Spiegels (worth $2 billion) of the world have little in common with their millennial brethren.
Financial website The College Investor estimated the average net worth (or assets minus liabilities) for several cohorts of millennials. Not surprisingly, the liabilities here are, primarily, student loan debt. As The College Investor points out, the average debt burden for students has almost doubled within the millennial generation. Graduates in the Class of 2016 are saddled with $37,172 in student loan debt, on average, while those in the Class of 2003 had an average of $18,271 to pay back upon graduation. That makes a big difference.
If you're a millennial and you want to be better than average you should aim for $10,400+ to your name, according to the research. That's slightly more realistic than aiming for a Zuckerberg-level bank account (though Money has plenty of savings and investing tips to help you maximize yours).
The College Investor estimates Generation Y's net worth by age breaks down like so: detract
Age | Average Net Worth |
---|---|
35 (Class of 2003) | $20,236 |
34 (Class of 2004) | $17,351 |
33 (Class of 2005) | $13,599 |
32 (Class of 2006) | $9,896 |
31 (Class of 2007) | $6,036 |
30 (Class of 2008) | $2,093 |
29 (Class of 2009) | -$1,989 |
28 (Class of 2010) | -$6,043 |
27 (Class of 2011) | -$10,168 |
26 (Class of 2012) | -$14,447 |
25 (Class of 2013) | -$18,988 |
24 (Class of 2014) | -$23,704 |
23 (Class of 2015) | -$28,706 |
22 (Class of 2016) | -$33,984 |
But isn't this low? Not really. Millennials, roughly between the ages of 18 and 35, may just be starting college, or have graduated over a decade ago. Some entered the job market in the midst of the Great Recession, while others missed it completely. Some are starting families and buying houses, and others are renting textbooks. It's a massive cohort, and making sweeping generalizations isn't particularly helpful. The site attempted to take pay, debt, and savings rates into account when making the calculations.
Read Next: Compare Your Net Worth to the Average American’s
For reference, here are the average starting salaries for millennials over the years, according to NACE.
Age | Average Starting Salary |
---|---|
35 (Class of 2003) | $40,818 |
34 (Class of 2004) | $43,124 |
33 (Class of 2005) | $41,376 |
32 (Class of 2006) | $42,881 |
31 (Class of 2007) | $43,094 |
30 (Class of 2008) | $42,414 |
29 (Class of 2009) | $41,546 |
28 (Class of 2010) | $40,766 |
27 (Class of 2011) | $41,701 |
26 (Class of 2012) | $44,259 |
25 (Class of 2013) | $45,327 |
24 (Class of 2014) | $48,127 |
23 (Class of 2015) | $50,561 |
22 (Class of 2016) | $51,100 (estimated) |