![\"Women](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/517e084a05900c608f5d7fb9eb138e88.jpeg\")
Women tend to put more of their pay into retirement accounts, Vanguard says.Credit: Patricio Nahuelhual \/ Getty Images Key Takeaways <\/p>\n
Women tend to put more of their pay into retirement accounts, Vanguard says.
Credit: Patricio Nahuelhual \/ Getty Images Key Takeaways <\/p>\n
Higher earners hold more in their 401(k)s, but don’t always save a bigger share of their pay.<\/p>\n
Vanguard says savings rates are a better indicator of retirement preparation than account balances.<\/p>\n
Workers with the highest 401(k) balances aren’t always the best savers.<\/p>\n
Bigger paychecks build bigger 401(k) balances, but not necessarily from higher savings rates, according to Vanguard’s annual “How America Saves” report. Gender complicates the picture, too: women typically sock away more<\/a> of their paychecks but hold less in their 401(k)s than their male counterparts.<\/p>\n Why This News Matters <\/p>\n Retirement account balances don’t present a comprehensive picture of Americans’ assets, given that many own homes and have multiple 401(k) plans. Still, they are a key support for Americans’ retirements<\/a>.<\/p>\n The spread among balances according to income is dramatic. The typical worker earning under $15,000 had about $3,490 saved in 2025; the typical worker making $150,000 or more had $230,540, about 66 times as much. Averages run even higher\u2014$19,600 at the bottom, $401,410 at the top\u2014because a handful of very large accounts pull them up.<\/p>\n The balance gap makes sense: the same contribution rate<\/a> yields more dollars set aside as paychecks grow. A 6% rate on $30,000 is $1,800 a year; on $150,000, it’s $9,000. Higher earners also have more left over after bills, so you might expect them to save a larger share of their paychecks, too.<\/p>\n But contribution rates don’t always rise with income. Workers earning less than $15,000 annually saved an average of 6.1% of their pay in 2025, while those making between $15,000 and $29,999 saved 5.7%, Vanguard said.<\/p>\n Savings rates also fell at the high end of the income spectrum. Americans earning $100,000 to $149,999 saved an average of 9.0% of their pay, while those making $150,000 or more saved 8.6%.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n