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Households headed by someone aged 75 or older had the highest median net worth among U.S. age groups in 2025, according to CBS News: $504,000 across about 18 million households. CBS also reports that the group’s median rose 37% from 2022 to 2025. These are group-level survey figures, not a description of every older household’s finances.
What the 2025 figures say
CBS News reported that roughly 18 million U.S. households were headed by someone 75 or older, and that their median net worth was $504,000 in the 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF). Among the age groups CBS compared, this was the highest median.
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The Federal Reserve’s official release gives a broader national comparison: between the 2022 and 2025 surveys, real median net worth for all families rose 2% to $215,900, while real mean net worth rose 7% to $1.24 million. Those national estimates are explicitly adjusted for inflation. CBS’s age-specific figures should not be assumed to use the same dollar basis without checking the underlying table definitions.
| Measure | Reported result | Source and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Median net worth, households headed by someone 75 or older | $504,000 in 2025 | CBS News; age-group figure |
| Number of households headed by someone 75 or older | About 18 million | CBS News |
| Change in that age group’s median net worth | Up 37% from 2022 to 2025 | CBS News; change between survey waves |
| Real median net worth for all families | Up 2% to $215,900 from 2022 to 2025 | Federal Reserve; national estimate, inflation-adjusted |
| Real mean net worth for all families | Up 7% to $1.24 million from 2022 to 2025 | Federal Reserve; national estimate, inflation-adjusted |
What “richest” means here
A median, not a typical balance for every household
The median is the midpoint: half of households in the measured group have net worth above it and half below it. A $504,000 median does not mean each household headed by someone 75 or older has that much wealth, nor that every household in the group is financially comfortable. Net worth is a balance-sheet measure—the value of assets minus debts—not income or cash readily available to spend.
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Median and mean are different measures
The Federal Reserve’s $215,900 national median and $1.24 million national mean are not competing estimates of the same midpoint. The mean is the total divided across families and can be pulled upward by households with very large fortunes. The median better describes the center of the distribution. Neither national figure is the 75-plus subgroup estimate.
How to read the reported 37% increase
CBS reports a 37% increase in the 75-plus group’s median net worth between the 2022 and 2025 survey waves. This is a change in the group’s median across two survey periods. It does not show that each household’s wealth rose by 37%, and it is not an annual rate of return or a forecast. Because the comparison uses different survey waves, it also should not be read as tracking the same individual households over time.
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What the Survey of Consumer Finances measures
The Federal Reserve conducts the SCF every three years. It is a cross-sectional survey of U.S. families that examines balance sheets, income, net worth, credit use and other financial outcomes. The 2025 results were released on October 9, 2026, and describe surveyed financial conditions rather than live account balances. The Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances index identifies the 2025 survey as the most recent and links to its report, chartbook, historical tables, public dataset and technical documents.
What the headline does—and does not—establish
The headline is about households grouped by the age of the household head, not about every American aged 75 or older as an individual. The age-specific count, median and 37% change are reported by CBS News. The Federal Reserve’s published release confirms the overall national changes, but those national figures do not independently verify the exact 75-plus values. The result supports a ranking by reported median net worth; it does not establish that all older households are wealthy or explain why the group’s median changed.
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