How many Americans don't have $1000 in their bank account?
Already a subscriber? A stunning new Bankrate survey of 1,030 individuals finds that more than half of American adults (56%) lack sufficient savings to shoulder an unexpected $1,000 expense.
Fewer than half of Americans, 44%, say they can afford to pay a $1,000 emergency expense from their savings, according to Bankrate's survey of more than 1,000 respondents conducted in December. That is up from 43% in 2023, yet level when compared to 2022.
According to the Federal Reserve's most recent Survey of Consumer Finances, the median savings account balance for all families was $8,000 in 2022. Savings account balances can vary greatly depending on income, age, education and race.
Nearly Half of Americans Don't Have $500 in Savings
According to the survey, 49% of Americans have $500 or less in their savings account, with 36% reporting they have less than $100 saved up. This means that a small financial upset can cause these households to end up in debt — or more debt.
The numbers speak for themselves. A new GOBankingRates survey found that most Americans have $1,000 or less in personal savings in 2023; a third have $500 or less saved, while 8.5% have between $501 and $1,000. Meanwhile a whopping 11.4% said they have no savings, the survey found.
Key Takeaways. More than one in four Americans (28%) have savings below $1,000. This is the case for 32% of Gen Zers, followed by Millennials at 31%, Gen X at 27% and Baby Boomers at 20%.
How Much Do Americans Have in Their Savings Accounts? | ||
---|---|---|
$101-$500 | 12.80% | 10.04% |
$501-$1,000 | 11.30% | 12.58% |
$1,001-$2,000 | 10.60% | 9.81% |
$2,001-$5,000 | 10.60% | 10.64% |
About 29% of respondents have between $501 and $5,000 in their savings accounts, while the remaining 21% of Americans have $5,001 or more. Few hold much cash in their checking accounts as well. Of those surveyed, 60% report having $500 or less in their checking accounts, while only about 12% have $2,001 or more.
In 2017, a salary of about $378,000 would land you in the 5% club. By 2022, the salary it takes to stay at that level is more than $544,000.
Income percentage | Account balance |
---|---|
60-79.9% | $7,924 |
80-89.9% | $13,434 |
90-100% | $43,631 |
National average | $8,814 |
How many people have $1,000 in their bank account?
Just 45% of all Americans have $1,000 or more in savings.
Personal Savings in the U.S.
This is about as many people as those who volunteered to give answers about the status of their savings and had more than $1,000 in the bank. 18 percent said their saving were at least $1000 but under $10,000, while 11 percent each had $10,000 to $49,999 and $50,000 or more saved up.
Most American households have at least $1,000 in checking or savings accounts. But only about 12% have more than $100,000 in checking and savings.
A majority, 65%, say they live paycheck to paycheck, according to CNBC and SurveyMonkey's recent Your Money International Financial Security Survey, which polled 498 U.S. adults. That's a slight increase from last year's results, which found that 58% of Americans considered themselves to be living paycheck to paycheck.
The result? Nearly seven in 10 Americans (69%) had less than $1,000 in their savings account. Breaking the survey data down a bit further, we find that 34% of Americans don't have a dime in their savings account, while another 35% have less than $1,000.
Age | Average Savings | Median Savings |
---|---|---|
All ages | $22,020 | $3,559 |
55-64 | $32,800 | $4119 |
65-75 | $46,067 | $4,951 |
75+ | $75,957 | $44,289 |
As of May 2023, more than 1 in 5 Americans have no emergency savings. Nearly one in three (30 percent) people in 2023 had some emergency savings, but not enough to cover three months of expenses. This is up from 27 percent of people in 2022.
Amid economic uncertainty and gloomy forecasts, Americans are struggling to save. A recent GOBankingRates study of 1,063 U.S. adults found that nearly half of those surveyed have less than $500 in savings, with 36% having $100 or less in savings.
Having enough set aside for an unexpected car repair is a good place to start your emergency fund, but just 45% of Americans would be able to cover a $1,000 emergency expense without turning to a credit card or loan, according to the survey.
Other answers revealed that 15 percent had between $1,000 to $5,000, 10 percent with savings of $5,000 to $10,000, 13 percent boasted $10,000 to $20,000 of cash in their bank accounts while 20 percent had more than $20,000.
Is 100k in savings a lot?
When your savings reaches $100,000, that's a milestone worth marking. In a world where 57% of Americans can't cover an unexpected $1,000 expense, having a six-figure savings account is commendable.
– Nearly 13 percent said they have $50,000 to $99,999. – More than 12 percent said they have $100,000 to $199,999. – Nearly 10 percent have $200,000 to $299,999. – About 16 percent have $300,000 or more in retirement savings.
Age range | Average balance | Median balance |
---|---|---|
35-44 | $76,354 | $28,318 |
45-54 | $142,069 | $48,301 |
55-64 | $207,874 | $71,168 |
65+ | $232,710 | $70,620 |
Age | Average Account Balance | Median Account Balance |
---|---|---|
25-34 | $30,017 | $11,357 |
35-44 | $76,354 | $28,318 |
45-54 | $142,069 | $48,301 |
55-64 | $207,874 | $71,168 |
Age | Average Account Balance | Median Account Balance |
---|---|---|
45 to 54 | $48,200 | $6,400 |
55 to 64 | $57,670 | $5,620 |
65 to 74 | $60,410 | $8,000 |
75 and older | $55,320 | $9,300 |
References
- https://usafacts.org/data-projects/retirement-savings
- https://www.usnews.com/banking/articles/the-average-savings-account-balance
- https://www.firstunitedbank.com/spendlifewisely/nearly-7-10-americans-have-less-1000-savings
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/banking/data-2023-savings-report
- https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/24/many-americans-cannot-pay-for-an-unexpected-1000-expense-heres-why.html
- https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/5-things-you-shouldnt-do-when-your-savings-reaches-$100000
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- https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/most-americans-have-$1000-or-less-in-savings-how-to-increase-that-amount
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- https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/money/average-401k-balance-by-age