This Is the Average 401(k) Balance for Gen Xers -- How Does Yours Compare?

All investors expect their retirement nest eggs to grow over time. Still, if you want to hit your ultimate savings target, you'll need to reach minimum milestones en route to amassing that final figure.

With that as the backdrop, how much do Generation Xers (born between 1965 and 1980) have tucked away in their 401(k) accounts? Mutual fund company and retirement plan administrator Fidelity has an answer you might like to know.

The number(s)

Fidelity's analysis is a credible snapshot of the state of Gen X's retirement savings. Based on a review of 24.8 million participants in the 26,200 workplace retirement plans it oversees, Fidelity reports that as of the end of last year the value of the average Gen Xer's 401(k) is $222,100.

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Take this figure with at least a small grain of salt. Although Fidelity didn't provide a detailed breakdown, data from rival fund company and retirement plan administrator Vanguard suggests that a small handful of very large 401(k) balances for the 45-to-60 crowd is skewing this number upward. Indeed, based on Vanguard's figures, the median (midpoint) balance of all these accounts is only about one-third this calculated average.

Fidelity also says that for the Gen X crowd the balance of the average IRA (individual retirement account, funded outside of the workplace) balance right now is $120,300, although again it's likely that the median amount is markedly lower -- probably in the ballpark of one-third of the average. The company didn't say how many of these retirement savers were also participants in a workplace-sponsored 401(k) plan.

Perspective

Are you behind the average? Or for that matter, are you behind the lower median numbers? Even if you are, that may not be quite as problematic as it seems at first blush.

Although all Gen Xers technically belong to the same generation, the 15 years separating its oldest members and its youngest ones are arguably the most important in terms of having enough extra income to tuck away some serious money toward retirement.

The youngest Gen Xers are now about 45 years old, and likely just starting to see some of life's biggest expenses (like raising kids and student loans) ease, while their mid-career earnings are becoming more substantial. The oldest members of Gen X, on the other hand, have been earning their peak income for a while now, and may well have many of life's big-ticket costs (like home purchases or children's education) nearly or completely knocked out.

This might make the point: While the average Gen Xer's 401(k) account is currently worth $222,100, Fidelity says the average baby boomer's 401(k) balance isn't much bigger at only $270,800 (although these older investors do boast an average IRA value of $287,600). Right behind the Gen Xers, however, the average millennial's 401(k) account is currently only worth $83,700, while their average IRA is only worth $29,400.

Most current Gen Xers are now at a time in their lives when they'll see their savings achieve their greatest and fastest growth. Just make sure you're exiting this phase of your nest egg's growth with as much retirement savings as possible. The proverbial clock is ticking.

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