Key Takeaways. The minimum net worth of the top 1% is roughly $11.1 million. A person would need to earn an average of $823,763 per year in order to join the top 1%. The median salary for all workers in the United States in 2021 was $45,470.
People with the top 1% of net worth (opens in new tab) in the U.S. in 2022 had $10,815,000 in net worth. The top 2% had a net worth of $2,472,000. The top 5% had $1,030,000.
How to Make the Top 1% List. To be in the top 1%, you must have an annual wage of at least $823,763, according to the Economic Policy Institute, That excludes sources of unearned income like investment returns.
Ultra high net worth individuals: population of global 1 percent 2021, by country. Over 22 million individuals residing in the United States belonged to the global top one percent of ultra high net worth individuals worldwide in 2021. China ranked second, with over five million top one percent wealth holders globally.
This means that the other 99% of earners in the U.S. make less than this amount per year. When it comes to net worth, the top 1% of Americans have a minimum net worth of around $11.1 million.
A net-worth millionaire is someone who has a net worth of at least $1,000,000. Net worth is a fancy way to say 'what you own minus what you owe. ' If that amount ends up being $1,000,000+, you're a net-worth millionaire."
According to a YouGov survey from January 2022, U.S. Americans believe that ten percent of households in their country have an annual income of more than $1 million.
The United States has 325 million people—in 160 million households, as viewed by the Internal Revenue Service. That means 1.6 million households fall into the 1 percent category.
According to the IRS, a $400,000 or more annual household income represents America's top 1.8% income-earners.
Many set their sights even higher. An annual income of $1 million or more was the most popular answer, with 22% of respondents saying they need to rake in seven figures to feel rich.
According to the ATO, the top 1% of income earners in Australia start at $237,300 but average $438,100. Inspired by this article from the US, readers asked me to do an Australian version. Below I interviewed some households with incomes above $250,000 for singles or above $400,000 if a couple.
Top 1% Income By Age
Top 1% income for ages 27-31: $170,000. Top 1% income for ages 32-36: $210,000. Top 1% income for ages 37-41: $260,000. Top 1% income for ages 42-46: $320,000.
A high-net-worth individual (HNWI) is someone with liquid assets of at least $1 million. These individuals often seek the assistance of financial professionals to manage their money, and their high net worth often qualifies them for additional benefits and opportunities.
In fact, statistically, around 10% of retirees have $1 million or more in savings. The majority of retirees, however, have far less saved. If you're looking to be in the minority but aren't sure how to get started on that savings goal, consider working with a financial advisor.
Fully 60 percent of those worth $5 million or more said they're wealthy, while only 28 percent of those worth $1 million to $5 million said they were wealthy (those were the only two categories given).
And because of racial and gender wage gaps, women are less likely to reach the six-figure threshold compared with men. Just 11% of women make $100,000 or more on a national level, whereas 21% of men do.
According to the IRS, a $400,000 or more annual household income represents America's top 1.8% income-earners.
Annual income often comes in rounded numbers, as seen in the spikes sticking out at each $10,000. More round numbers at the $150,000 and $200,000 marks. About 2% of employed people made $300,000 or more in total income.
More than 76 percent of Americans get to experience the joys of a six-figure household income for at least one year, just more than half will make $150,000 or more at some point, and about 20 percent hit the $250,000 mark at least once, which these days would put them within the top 2 percent of earners.
From the top 5% to the top 1%
Salaries start to jump significantly the closer you get to the top 1%. You'll start to see dramatic shifts in the top 5%, where the EPI found the average earners significantly increased to $343,000 in 2020, up from $324,000 the year before.
The Power of Compounding
One of the reasons that the first $1 million is so hard is that it is such a large amount of money relative to where most people begin. To go from $500,000 in assets to $1 million requires a 100% return—a level of performance very hard to achieve in less than six years.