Top 10 States for Household IRA Assets
People in some states have set aside a lot more for retirement than others. The U.S. Census Bureau makes the uneven nature of U.S. wealth clear in its new state-level wealth and asset ownership data tables. In four states, the typical household with an IRA or a Keogh plan has less than $40,000 in assets in those plans. The Census Bureau includes assets in Keogh plans — 401(k)-like plans for very small businesses — along with the IRA asset totals. In three other states, the typical IRA/Keogh plan asset total is over $80,000. For a look at the states with the highest median IRA/Keogh plan asset levels, see the gallery above. For more state-level IRA/Keogh plan data, see the table below.
The Survey of Income and Program Participation
In the past, curious observers had to download giant data files to get Census Bureau asset ownership breakdowns by state. This year, the Census Bureau has released easy-to-use state-level asset ownership data tables. The Census Bureau gathered the data in 2020, through the Survey of Income and Program Participation. Respondents were asked to provide data for 2019. The bureau released the state-level tables in March, and those tables provide the freshest available look at 2019 asset totals.
The Numbers
The tables show, for example, the median household net worth by state. The tables also show the median levels of certain types of assets, such as the amount held in the typical checking account, by state, for the residents of the state that have that kind of asset. For financial professionals interested in retirement planning, the state-level table set gives state-level medians for net worth, net worth excluding the value of home equity, cash held in checking accounts, home equity, motor vehicle equity and defined contribution retirement plan assets, as well as IRA and Keogh plan assets.
IRA Assets, Keogh Plan Assets and Net Worth, by State
| Household Net Worth | Percentage of Households… | Median Value of IRA and Keogh Assets | Median IRA and Keogh Assets as Percentage of Total Net Worth, Excluding Home Equity | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (excluding equity in home) | Without an Individual or Employer-Sponsored Retirement Account | With an IRA or Keogh | (for households with IRA or Keogh assets) | (for households with IRA or Keogh assets) | |
| Alabama | $25,630 | 49.3 | 23.4 | $50,000 | 195.1 |
| Alaska | NA | 31.4 | 31.8 | NA | NA |
| Arizona | $39,840 | 42.3 | 29.5 | $53,000 | 133.0 |
| Arkansas | $18,710 | 54.9 | 20.6 | NA | NA |
| California | $59,270 | 41.4 | 34.6 | $61,500 | 103.8 |
| Colorado | $78,970 | 30.9 | 42.1 | $55,000 | 69.6 |
| Connecticut | $66,480 | 32.3 | 40.5 | $75,000 | 112.8 |
| Delaware | $43,730 | 43.5 | 30.0 | NA | NA |
| District of Columbia | $19,500 | 36.5 | 32.2 | NA | NA |
| Florida | $26,130 | 47.6 | 29.7 | $54,000 | 206.7 |
| Georgia | $21,730 | 45.5 | 28.8 | $50,000 | 230.1 |
| Hawaii | $44,040 | 38.3 | 37.6 | NA | NA |
| Idaho | $54,960 | 37.8 | 29.8 | NA | NA |
| Illinois | $42,500 | 37.9 | 33.9 | $50,800 | 119.5 |
| Indiana | $31,750 | 37.8 | 32.8 | $45,900 | 144.6 |
| Iowa | $95,410 | 33.3 | 40.4 | $55,000 | 57.6 |
| Kansas | $39,930 | 39.6 | 30.7 | $72,800 | 182.3 |
| Kentucky | $25,810 | 48.6 | 27.2 | $42,000 | 162.7 |
| Louisiana | $21,450 | 56.2 | 26.2 | $50,000 | 233.1 |
| Maine | $41,200 | 45.4 | 31.3 | NA | NA |
| Maryland | $68,000 | 29.9 | 36.8 | $58,000 | 85.3 |
| Massachusetts | $96,080 | 32.2 | 43.2 | $48,000 | 50.0 |
| Michigan | $45,070 | 36.8 | 31.9 | $50,000 | 110.9 |
| Minnesota | $126,000 | 26.6 | 45.0 | $70,000 | 55.6 |
| Mississippi | $7,310 | 62.2 | 19.8 | $30,000 | 410.4 |
| Missouri | $29,100 | 41.2 | 33.1 | $30,000 | 103.1 |
| Montana | $63,230 | 33.6 | 42.9 | $40,400 | 63.9 |
| Nebraska | $43,890 | 32.8 | 39.8 | $52,000 | 118.5 |
| Nevada | $29,200 | 44.9 | 38.4 | $25,080 | 85.9 |
| New Hampshire | $99,340 | 26.4 | 43.2 | NA | NA |
| New Jersey | $65,000 | 37.5 | 34.3 | $90,000 | 138.5 |
| New Mexico | $15,010 | 54.1 | 24.1 | NA | NA |
| New York | $53,000 | 42.7 | 34.9 | $50,000 | 94.3 |
| North Carolina | $36,100 | 42.0 | 33.9 | $55,000 | 152.4 |
| North Dakota | $114,300 | 18.5 | 57.9 | NA | NA |
| Ohio | $32,910 | 42.9 | 33.2 | $65,000 | 197.5 |
| Oklahoma | $27,170 | 45.2 | 30.9 | $50,000 | 184.0 |
| Oregon | $56,200 | 36.3 | 38.6 | $84,000 | 149.5 |
| Pennsylvania | $57,800 | 33.8 | 35.1 | $45,500 | 78.7 |
| Rhode Island | $27,000 | 45.1 | 30.8 | NA | NA |
| South Carolina | $20,780 | 48.5 | 28.2 | $82,000 | 394.6 |
| South Dakota | $131,600 | 21.4 | 48.6 | NA | NA |
| Tennessee | $22,410 | 49.0 | 21.9 | $50,000 | 223.1 |
| Texas | $25,390 | 48.1 | 26.4 | $38,000 | 149.7 |
| Utah | $59,160 | 36.0 | 32.8 | $55,300 | 93.5 |
| Vermont | NA | 37.0 | 25.0 | NA | NA |
| Virginia | $65,910 | 35.2 | 31.6 | $60,000 | 91.0 |
| Washington | $63,140 | 35.1 | 39.0 | $40,000 | 63.4 |
| West Virginia | $9,830 | 57.2 | 22.2 | NA | NA |
| Wisconsin | $48,510 | 31.8 | 37.3 | $79,900 | 164.7 |
| Wyoming | $84,200 | 14.2 | 51.1 | NA | NA |
| TOTAL | $41,200 | 20.2 | 32.7 | $50,800 | 123.3 |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, Survey Year 2020, Public Use Data | |||||
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