Hardship 401(k) Withdrawals Rose in 2025
- According to Vanguard, 6% of individuals with a Vanguard-administered 401(k) account utilized a hardship withdrawal in 2025. This was the highest reading over the period from 2020 to 2025.
- The share of individuals who used a hardship withdrawal has risen each year since 2020.
Average 401(k) & IRA Balances
- The average 401(k) account balance at Fidelity was $146,400 in Q4 2025. This was an increase from $131,700 in Q4 2024.
- The average IRA account balance at Fidelity increased from $127,500 in Q3 2025 to $137,100 in Q4 2025.
Median Retirement Net Worth by State
- SmartAsset analysis of the 2023 Census found the median retirement savings of individuals living in Massachussets was $150,000, which was the highest of any state. The two other states with median retirement savings above $140,000 was Hawaii, at $149,000, and Washington, at $143,000.
- Mississipi was the state with the lowest median retirement savings, at $35,000.
- Note that there was not data published for every state.
Increasing Interest in Retirement Finances
- Google Search Trends utilizes a 0 to 100 index. The readings in the chart and mentioned below are the 12-week moving averages of the Interest Index.
- Interest for the term 401k withdrawals was 74.83 for the week of 3/1/2026. Interest was 73.42 for an estate planner and 62.50 for a financial advisor.
- All three of these terms were near their peak interest for this term over the period from 5/23/2021 to 3/1/2026.
Increasing U.S. Household Net Worth
- The net worth of U.S. households increased by $5.89 trillion from Q2 2025 to Q3 2025. This was the second consecutive quarter with an increase.
Breaking Down the Share of Households with a Net Worth of $100K+
- SmartAsset reported that 79% of households in Hawaii had a net worth of at least $100,000. This was the most of any state.
- Arkansas, at 44%, was the state with the lowest share of households with a net worth of $100,000.
