It’s a great time to be wealthy in the U.S., in the sense that asset levels are rising rapidly and recent tax legislation keeps top tax rates relatively low.
As of mid-2025, the amount of household wealth for those at the top 1% totaled nearly $52 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve. If you add in those from the 90th to 99th percentiles, the total reaches almost $113 trillion. That’s up from about $96.5 trillion just two years ago, which is an approximately 17% surge.
At a household level, this equates to a minimum net worth of about $1.8 million for those in the top 10%, based on the latest Census data from 2023 (the average household size is roughly 2.5 individuals). Applying the same 17% growth in overall wealth levels for those toward the top, that equates to a household net worth of at least $2.1 million to be considered wealthy in 2025.
While asset prices such as for stocks and real estate might not grow as quickly over the next decade as they have over the past few years, if we approximate that wealth levels will double for those at the top during that time — similar to historical patterns — then that means you’d need around $4.2 million in household wealth to be considered wealthy in 2035.
Becoming Wealthy by 2035
By some measures, lower-wealth households are catching up, with the share of household wealth held by the bottom 50% growing from 1.1% to 2.5% over the past 10 years. Yet that 2.5% only represents a little over $4 trillion — meaning about half the country has about one-13th the wealth of 1% of the country.
And at the same time, lower-income households are showing signs of pressure, amidst a shaky labor market. The 4% annual wage growth for higher-income households in September significantly outpaced the 1.4% growth for lower-income households, while higher-income households’ spending is also growing at a faster rate, according to Bank of America.
So, if you’re intent on reaching the upper echelons of wealth, the reality is that trudging along with small salary increases that you put into savings is unlikely to get you there, especially as inflation still runs relatively hot.
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Instead, those at the top often stand out for having higher shares of wealth in areas such as real estate holdings, stocks and mutual funds, and equity in their own businesses or professions, per Census data.
With that in mind, one place to start is by upping both your investment contributions.
One best practice for general retirement planning is to up your contributions by 1% per year to give you exponentially more money in retirement, without feeling much sacrifice now.
Yet if you want to become wealthy by 2035, you might try a more aggressive approach of upping your retirement and non-retirement contributions by 1% each month, for example, up to a point where you still have enough leftover for necessities.
As that investment nest egg grows, you might feel more comfortable taking calculated risks, such as leaving your job to start your own business. Or, you might take a job at a startup that has a lower base salary but significant stock options. If you’ve learned to live on a lower salary based on taking a high percentage out for investment contributions, that might be doable for you. And if luck and hard work combine at the right time, you might see those stock options turn into substantial wealth.
Real estate is another avenue to explore, albeit while keeping in mind that any investment carries risk. Perhaps you can’t afford to buy a house on your own, but maybe you’re willing to take a bigger swing with moves like pooling money with friends to buy a fixer-upper house that you share.
Instead of splitting rent, you then pay the mortgage together, and maybe there’s an extra income stream from renting a spare bedroom. A few years later, maybe you’ve made some basic improvements to the house and the market has grown to the point where you can sell for a significant profit.
Or, maybe you’ll inherit your parents’ house over the next decade. Instead of selling it for cash, you might decide to rent it out to generate income, while building your net worth if the home price continues to appreciate.
While these types of moves won’t automatically vault you into the top 10% of household wealth, they could help you get there faster than a traditional savings-based approach. And even if you don’t technically reach “wealthy” levels, growing your assets like this can put you in a much more comfortable position.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Here’s the Net Worth You’ll Need To Be Considered Wealthy in 2035
