What share of U.S. wealth does the bottom half hold?

The less wealthy half of U.S. households held 2.3% of all household wealth in the second quarter of 2026, down from 3.5% in 1989. Their share fell to 0.4% at the end of 2010, after home prices dropped. 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). Many households in this group owe nearly as much as they own. 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.