How much is a typical Texas household actually worth, and how does that change as people move from their thirties into retirement? The honest answer starts with a surprise: the "average" net worth figure you see quoted is far higher than what most families really have.
Below are 14 numbered facts on household net worth by age, the gap between the mean and the median, and how Texas stacks up against the United States on income and home values. Every figure is linked to its source at the foot of the page. Updated July 2026.
The big picture: mean vs median
Before any age breakdown, you need to understand why two very different numbers both describe "average" wealth, because the choice changes the story completely.
1. US median net worth is about $192,900, but the mean is roughly $1.06 million
The Federal Reserve's 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances, the most authoritative wealth dataset in the country, put median household net worth at $192,900 while the mean stood at about $1.06 million.1 The median is the household in the exact middle, so it is the number that describes a typical family. The mean is dragged upward by a small group of very wealthy households.
2. The top 1 percent hold about 31.7 percent of all US wealth
The reason the average is so much higher than the median is concentration. The Federal Reserve's Distributional Financial Accounts show the wealthiest 1 percent of households controlled roughly 31.7 percent of all net worth in late 2025, a record share.2 In dollar terms, that top slice reached about $52 trillion.3 When you read the age tables below, treat the median column as your realistic benchmark.
Net worth by age band
Wealth builds slowly through a working life and then draws down in retirement. The pattern is national (state-level net worth by age is not published), but it is the single best guide for Texans of any age.
3. Under 35: median net worth around $39,000
For households headed by someone under 35, median net worth was about $39,000, while the mean was roughly $183,500.4 Young families carry student loans and rarely own a home yet, so the median stays low and the mean-to-median gap is already nearly five to one.
4. Ages 35 to 44: median jumps to about $135,600
By the late thirties and early forties, median net worth rises to roughly $135,600, with a mean near $549,600.5 This is usually when home equity and retirement accounts start doing real work, though the median more than tripling from the under-35 band shows how uneven the first decade of adult earning is.4
5. Ages 45 to 54: median near $247,200, mean near $975,800
Peak earning years push median net worth to about $247,200, but the mean climbs to roughly $975,800.4 The nearly four-to-one gap here is the clearest single illustration of why the average overstates the typical Texan's finances.
6. Ages 55 to 64: median around $364,500
As people approach retirement, median net worth reaches about $364,500 and the mean rises to roughly $1.57 million.5 Mortgages are often paid down and retirement balances are near their high point, which is exactly when a written will and up-to-date beneficiary designations matter most.
7. Ages 65 to 74: median peaks at about $409,900
Median household net worth reaches its lifetime high of roughly $409,900 for the 65-to-74 group, with a mean of about $1.79 million.4 This is the wealthiest stage for the typical household, driven largely by a paid-off or nearly paid-off home.
8. Age 75 and up: net worth declines to about $335,600
After 75, median net worth eases to roughly $335,600 as retirees spend down savings, while the mean holds near $1.62 million.6 The decline is modest, which is one reason estate planning stays relevant deep into retirement.
| Age of household head | Median net worth | Mean (average) net worth |
|---|---|---|
| Under 35 | $39,000 | $183,500 |
| 35 to 44 | $135,600 | $549,600 |
| 45 to 54 | $247,200 | $975,800 |
| 55 to 64 | $364,500 | $1.57 million |
| 65 to 74 | $409,900 | $1.79 million |
| 75 and older | $335,600 | $1.62 million |
All figures above are from the Federal Reserve's 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances, the most recent full release.4
Texas income and homeownership
Net worth is not published state by state, but the two biggest inputs to it, income and home equity, are. Both tell you where Texas sits relative to the national picture.
9. Texas median household income was about $79,700 in 2024
Census data put Texas median household income at roughly $79,700 in 2024.7 That ranked the state around 24th nationally and left it just below the US median of about $81,600.8 Solid but not top-tier income means the typical Texas household builds net worth at roughly the national pace.
10. About 63 percent of Texas households own their home
The Texas homeownership rate was about 62.9 percent in 2024.9 That is down from a 2020 record high of 66.5 percent, when the state briefly ran near the national average.10 Because a home is the largest asset most families own, this single rate largely determines how much net worth the middle of the distribution can accumulate.
11. The typical Texas home is worth about $306,700
Zillow put the typical Texas home value near $306,682 in mid-2026, down about 2.2 percent over the prior year as the market cooled.11 That is close to the national median value of owner-occupied homes of $303,400 recorded in the Census Bureau's 2019 to 2023 American Community Survey.12 Texas home values, in other words, sit right around the US middle.
12. Texas homes recently sold at a median of about $343,800
Actual sale prices ran a bit above the typical-value estimate: the statewide median sale price was roughly $343,779 in spring 2026, up just under 1 percent year over year.13 For a homeowner who bought years ago and paid down the mortgage, the gap between that sale price and the loan balance is where most household net worth actually lives.
What it means for Texas families
13. Homeownership is shifting, and that reshapes wealth
The move toward renting is real in the state's largest metro. Harris County recorded its biggest shift away from homeownership in a decade, with the owner share falling as more households rent.14 Households that rent build net worth through savings and investments rather than home equity, so the age curve above can look very different for them.
14. Most Texas wealth is tied up in a house, which makes a will essential
Put the pieces together: a typical older Texas household holds a few hundred thousand dollars in net worth,4 most of it home equity on a property worth around $300,000.11 A house is exactly the kind of asset that can trigger a slow, expensive probate if there is no valid will directing who inherits it. If you want to make sure your home and savings pass the way you intend, you can start with our guided will builder. For more Texas-specific numbers, see our companion piece on how many Texans have a will.
Sources
- 1Federal Reserve, Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2019 to 2022 (Survey of Consumer Finances) (federalreserve.gov)
- 2FRED / Federal Reserve, Share of Net Worth Held by the Top 1% (fred.stlouisfed.org)
- 3CNBC, The wealth of the top 1% reaches a record $52 trillion (cnbc.com)
- 4Fidelity, Average and median net worth by age (2022 SCF) (fidelity.com)
- 5NerdWallet, Average and Median Net Worth by Age in the U.S. (nerdwallet.com)
- 6Kiplinger, The Average Net Worth by Age (kiplinger.com)
- 7USAFacts, Household income in Texas (usafacts.org)
- 8Every Texan, New Census Data on Texas income and inequality (everytexan.org)
- 9FRED / Federal Reserve, Homeownership Rate for Texas (fred.stlouisfed.org)
- 10Trading Economics, Homeownership Rate for Texas (historical) (tradingeconomics.com)
- 11Zillow, Texas Housing Market home values (zillow.com)
- 12US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 homeowners, renters and home values (census.gov)
- 13Redfin, Texas Housing Market median sale price (redfin.com)
- 14Kinder Institute for Urban Research, Rice University, Harris County shift toward renting (kinder.rice.edu)
About the author
Max Kuch
Max Kuch writes about estate planning, wills and inheritance for Texas Will Template. He gathers the numbers from official Texas and US public data, then explains what they mean for anyone thinking about putting their wishes in writing.