US Retirement Assets Reach $51.2 Trillion

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- US retirement assets reached $51.2 trillion as of June 30, 2026, marking a 7.9% increase from the end of March 2026. These assets account for 33% of all household financial assets in the United States.

Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) held $19.9 trillion in assets at the end of the second quarter of 2026, a 9.2% increase from the end of the first quarter of the same year. Defined contribution (DC) plans, such as 401(k) plans, accounted for $15.0 trillion, up 8.7% from March 31, 2026. Government defined benefit (DB) plans, including federal, state, and local government plans, held $10.4 trillion in assets as of June 2026, a 5.1% increase from the end of March 2026. Private-sector DB plans held $3.2 trillion in assets at the end of the second quarter, and annuity reserves outside of retirement accounts accounted for another $2.7 trillion.

Defined Contribution Plans Americans held $15.0 trillion in all employer-based DC retirement plans on June 30, 2026, of which $10.8 trillion was held in 401(k) plans. In addition to 401(k) plans, at the end of the second quarter, $920 billion was held in other private-sector DC plans, $1.6 trillion in 403(b) plans, $585 billion in 457 plans, and $1.2 trillion in the Federal Employees Retirement System's Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). Mutual funds managed $6.2 trillion, or 58%, of assets held in 401(k) plans at the end of June 2026. With $3.7 trillion, equity funds were the most common type of funds held in 401(k) plans, followed by $1.7 trillion in hybrid funds, which include target date funds.

Individual Retirement Accounts IRAs held $19.9 trillion in assets at the end of the second quarter of 2026. Forty-one percent of IRA assets, or $8.0 trillion, was invested in mutual funds. With $4.8 trillion, equity funds were the most common type of funds held in IRAs, followed by $1.3 trillion in hybrid funds.

Other Developments Mutual funds play a key role in US households' individual account-based retirement savings but are less important for traditional DB plans. Mutual funds represent $15.9 trillion, or 46%, of the assets held in IRAs and DC plans in June 2026. Mutual funds are also held through variable annuities (VAs), which have similar tax advantages and restrictions as retirement plans and are counted as part of Americans' nest egg for retirement. In June 2026, VA mutual fund assets outside retirement plans amounted to $1.5 trillion.