Recessions are most damaging to workers nearing retirement: Mean retirement account savings of families by birth cohort, 1989–2016 (2016 dollars)
| 1940–1945 | 1946–1951 | 1952–1957 | 1958–1963 | 1964–1969 | 1970–1975 | 1976–1981 | 1982-1987 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | $41,768 | $31,732 | $14,309 | |||||
| 1992 | $65,613 | $34,646 | $16,887 | $12,534 | ||||
| 1995 | $88,059 | $62,813 | $34,572 | $20,784 | ||||
| 1998 | $98,436 | $79,207 | $58,901 | $35,964 | $29,865 | |||
| 2001 | $160,296 | $134,058 | $94,136 | $54,518 | $29,796 | |||
| 2004 | $154,165 | $168,906 | $101,778 | $69,941 | $37,885 | $27,673 | ||
| 2007 | $218,532 | $139,631 | $94,099 | $56,238 | $27,996 | |||
| 2010 | $184,937 | $170,270 | $111,951 | $68,492 | $35,797 | $23,878 | ||
| 2013 | $168,665 | $128,714 | $83,877 | $69,363 | $32,628 | |||
| 2016 | $259,871 | $185,913 | $129,372 | $79,063 | $46,209 | $27,805 |
Note: Retirement account savings include funds in 401(k)-style defined contribution plans and in IRAs.
Source: EPI analysis of Survey of Consumer Finance data, 2016.