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Answer key · for teachers
Figures as of November 14, 2026, from each chart's current data.
Chart 1 of 1 · Wealth
The chart's answer: At the end of June 2026, the wealthiest 1% of U.S. households held 32.5% of all household wealth, the next 9% held 36.4%, the next 40% held 28.8% and the bottom 50% held 2.3%. In 1989 the shares were 22.8%, 38.0%, 35.7% and 3.5%. Wealth here is net worth: what households own (homes, stocks and mutual funds, pensions and retirement accounts, private businesses, cars and other belongings, bank deposits) minus what they owe (mortgages, credit cards, student and car loans). The Fed estimates each quarter by combining its Financial Accounts with its Survey of Consumer Finances, taken every three years, so the newest quarters are estimates that get revised.
Which group holds the largest share of wealth? Is it the group with the most households?
If wealth were split evenly, what share would the bottom 50% hold? How far is the chart from that?
The takeaway gives the 1989 shares too. Which groups gained a share since then, and which lost one?
Open question: answers will vary. Look for answers that use the chart's numbers and source.
Source: Federal Reserve Board, Distributional Financial Accounts (Public domain (Federal Reserve Board; cite the Board as the source)) · Data as of Jun 30, 2026 · chart.ly/charts/how-us-wealth-is-divided
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