You're An Above-Average Gen Zer If Your Net Worth Is Over This Number

Gen Zers, people aged roughly 14 to 29 in 2026, are among the least wealthy working-age Americans. According to data gathered by Empower, the average net worth for Americans in their 20s is $139,243. While that age group doesn't represent all of Gen Z, everyone in their 20s in 2026 is a Gen Zer, so possessing wealth exceeding that figure would mean you're better off financially than at least a sizable portion of the generation.

The glaring problem with such maths, however, is that the average combined wealth doesn't truly represent what the typical individual Gen Z member actually has. The median net worth of 2026 Gen Zers in their 20s is only $6,600, and because medians mark the midpoint of a data set, it's less distorted by ultra-wealthy outliers than averages. That figure is about 31 times lower than what you need to be wealthier than the average baby boomer, but is still more than what most of Gen Z has in assets.

While a minority in 2026, it's also worth considering the teenagers among Gen Z. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data shows that Gen Z teens earn much less than their older counterparts, and another BLS analysis shows that only about 30% of people aged 16 to 19 are employed as of April 2026. With such restricted incomes, growing net worth could be especially difficult for Gen Z's younger members. This limitation, combined with the cost-of-living and debt pressures faced by Gen Z as a whole, could potentially bring both those average and median figures even lower.

Empire's report suggests that Gen Z's wealth is fairly low in comparison to older generations, and part of the reason for that is that its members are either recently independent or still dependent. Many Gen Zers are still in school or working early-career jobs, and BLS wage data shows full-time workers ages 20 to 24 earn about 42% less than full-time workers ages 35 to 44. At the same time, many Gen Zers also have to pay for rent, first cars, student loans, and entry-level wages. Meanwhile, any savings they may have set aside have had far less time to compound than those of older generations.

While a number of young Americans have benefited from strong asset markets, earlier access to retirement investing, and pandemic-era wealth gains, many are also getting squeezed by higher prices, heavier credit use, and high housing costs. Despite having the lowest spending habits of any working-age generation and being the generation least likely to own a credit card, TransUnion found Gen Z borrowers ages 22 to 24 are carrying higher credit card and auto loan balances than millennials did at the same ages — even after adjusting the millennial figures for inflation. Redfin also reports that the portion of Gen Zers who owned their homes by 28 is smaller than it was for both Gen X and the boomer generation — and houses are a major source of wealth for many Americans.