Americans over 75 are now 15 times richer than younger generations: their median wealth has jumped 37% in three years while that of those under 35 has fallen by 23%.

Americans have continued to get richer since the end of the Covid crisis. According to a benchmark survey carried out by the Fed every three years, the median net worth in the United States stood at $215,900 in 2025 (half of households have more, the other half less), a slight increase of 2% compared to 2022, after taking into account inflation.

This development is significantly lower than that observed between 2019 and 2022 (+37%). And for good reason, not all Americans have seen their wealth increase in the same way over the last three years, far from it. The best-paid 10%, for example, were much better off (+31%) than the lowest-paid 20% (-6%), as were owners (+6%) compared to tenants (-7%).

By age groups, the disparities are even more glaring: when the median net wealth of the youngest families fell by 23% between 2022 and 2025 ($33,000 for families where the reference person is under 35), that of households occupied by at least one person over 75 jumped over the same period by 37%, to nearly $505,000.

Now 15 times wealthier than the youngest families (compared to 9 times in 2022), this oldest category of the population has become the richest in the country ahead of those aged 65-74 ($432,000 median wealth, -4%). 55-64 year olds, 45-54 year olds and 35-44 year olds have seen their wealth slightly increase or decline.

Substantial financial and real estate income These data confirm an observation established for some time now: that of a two-speed American economy with on one side the oldest who continue to get rich and consume and on the other the youngest who are struggling to cope with persistent inflation across the Atlantic. The fact remains that this trend contrasts with the situation observed in the past. Because historically, older Americans became significantly poorer as they aged, to the point of being forced to draw on their savings: “The situation today is completely reversed,” Edward Wolff, professor of economics at New York University, points out to the Wall Street Journal.

The reasons for this new generational divide are known. First, the investment portfolio of older people, built up over a long period of time, has benefited from the good performance of the stock market in recent years. As the Wall Street Journal recalls, the S&P 500 index notably increased by 78% between the end of 2022 and the end of 2025.

Many of them have also purchased affordable housing by taking out low-rate credit. Many have since benefited from the boom in the real estate market and finished repaying their loan. People over 75 “were able to seize opportunities at the right time”, summarizes Edward Wolff, in the economic daily.

Machine-translated from French