Is a net worth of $1 million rich in the United States?
Yes, it is well above the typical adult. A net worth of $1 million puts you ahead of about 88% of adults in the United States — roughly 230.3 million people have less.
Source: WealthPercentile model for adults aged 20+ in United States (World Inequality Database 2026 update).
How $1 million compares in the United States
Thresholds for net worth, per adult. The last column shows $1 million relative to each level.
| Group | Starts at | $1 million is |
|---|---|---|
| Median adult | $93,600 | 10.7× this level |
| Top 25% | $470,000 | 2.1× this level |
| Top 10% | $1.19 million | 84% of this level |
| Top 5% | $2.04 million | 49% of this level |
| Top 1% | $5.42 million | 18% of this level |
What $1 million means in the United States
$1 million is close to the top-10% line: about one adult in 8 has more. In this range, financial assets start to matter alongside housing.
On the broad model measure, the 12% of adults in the United States with more than $1 million hold 73% of all net worth.
The average (mean) net worth per adult in the United States is about $570,000 on the model measure, so $1 million is 175% of the average — the largest amounts pull the mean well above the median.
The next step up is the top-10% line at $1.19 million: that is about $193,000 (19%) more than $1 million.
$1 million by global standards
Compared with all 5.5 billion adults in the world, $1 million is in the top 1.5%. The world median net worth is about $10,800, and the global top 1% starts near $1.31 million. Living costs differ a lot between countries, so a global rank says more about purchasing power abroad than about comfort at home.
The same $1 million in other countries
Ranks within each country, converted at ECB exchange rates. Countries with official person-level statistics use those; the rest use the model.
| Country | Rank | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| India | top 0.06% | model |
| South Africa | top 0.4% | model |
| Brazil | top 0.4% | model |
| China | top 0.9% | model |
| Japan | top 3.1% | model |
| Norway | top 3.5% | Statistics Norway |
| France | top 5% | model |
| Canada | top 6.8% | model |
| United Kingdom | top 7.2% | model |
| Germany | top 7.6% | model |
| Sweden | top 11% | model |
| Australia | top 13% | model |
| Switzerland | top 20% | model |
Other amounts in the United States
- $100,000 — top 49%
- $500,000 — top 24%
- $1 million — top 12%
- $2 million — top 5.2%
- $5 million — top 1.2%
Frequently asked questions
What percentile is $1 million net worth in the United States?
$1 million is in the top 12% of adults in the United States: about 88% have less.
What net worth puts you in the top 1% in the United States?
About $5.42 million per adult.
How is this calculated?
WealthPercentile model for adults aged 20+ in United States (World Inequality Database 2026 update). Amounts are per adult; couples’ wealth is split equally. Exchange rates are ECB reference rates of 2026-10-09.
Read more
- What it takes to join the global top 1% in 2026
- Average versus median wealth — where the gap is largest
- Why the same salary ranks differently depending on who measures it
Estimates for education and curiosity, not financial advice. Read the methodology.