A Look at the Net Worth of the Average American

The stock market and rising home values appear to have done good things for the bank accounts of middle-aged and older Americans. The average 50-something now has a net worth of $1.55 million, and the figure rises to $1.96 million for 60-somethings, reports USA Today, citing new stats from the federal Survey of Consumer Finances. Those falling short of the marks shouldn't despair: The "average" figure is skewed by the uber-wealthy. A more accurate comparison would be the median amounts, which are much lower. Yahoo Finance has a detailed look at all the numbers, but here is a snapshot of various age groups:

• 20s: Average net worth of $81,638; median of $21,310
• 30s: Average net worth of $394,798; median of $83,950
• 40s: Average net worth of $876,091; median of $203,900
• 50s: Average net worth of $1.55 million; median of $271,200
• 60s: Average net worth of $1.96 million; median of $461,085
• 70s: Average net worth of $1.88 million; median of $421,300