What the Typical Gen X Saver on Fidelity’s Platform Could Have at 67 With a $222,100 401(k)

Fidelity’s retirement data for Gen X shows where the average worker stands today, but the bigger issue is whether that nest egg can hold up through retirement, especially with the risks that can show up in the final stretch before age 67.

A Gen Xer reviewing Fidelity’s latest numbers sees an average 401(k) balance of $222,100 and a savings rate of 10.4% of pay, which naturally raises the question of how that amount compares with their own account. More importantly, what might it grow into by full retirement age? Earlier coverage in this series examined what the average Boomer balance could cover now. This look is aimed forward, since most Gen X workers still have years of paychecks and contributions ahead.

How Fidelity Defines the Gen X Average

Fidelity’s latest quarterly data covers 24.8 million participants. Gen X is defined as people born between 1965 and 1980, and employers in this group added 5.0% of pay on top of worker contributions.

An average can be skewed by a small number of very large accounts. For example, if nine people have $50,000 and one person has $2 million, the average is $245,000 even though most people are far below that level. The figure also reflects only one account on one platform. A worker with an old 401(k) elsewhere or an IRA could have more saved overall, while someone who recently changed jobs could show a lower balance.

Projecting $222,100 to Age 67

Full retirement age is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later, according to the Social Security Administration, so that is where the projection ends. The example begins with a 50-year-old, leaving 17 years for saving.

The model assumes a salary of $64,064, based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics median weekly pay for full-time workers, annualized. It also assumes annual raises of 3% and total contributions of 15.4% of pay from worker and employer combined, invested at year-end.

To estimate retirement income, the projection uses the 4% rule, which means withdrawing 4% of the balance in the first year and dividing that amount into 12 monthly payments. The figures below are in future dollars and do not account for inflation.

For context, the 10-year Treasury yield was about 5% around the time of the analysis. That suggests a bond-heavy portfolio could fall near the lower end of the range, while a stock-heavy portfolio could produce results above or below it.

Four Factors That Can Shift the Result

The examples below are based on the 6% return case. Increasing the savings rate by one percentage point, to 11.4%, would raise the balance at 67 by about $22,207. That improvement comes solely from the higher contribution rate.

Catch-up contributions let workers age 50 and older put in extra money beyond the standard limit. For 2026, the standard employee limit is $24,500, while the catch-up amount is $8,000 for ages 50 to 59 and 64 or older, and $11,250 for ages 60 to 63.

Adding an extra $8,000 a year from age 50 through 59 would increase the balance by roughly $158,552 by age 67. Workers who earned more than $150,000 in 2025 must make those catch-up contributions as Roth contributions, meaning they come from after-tax pay.

Working two additional years, until 69, allows for two more years of contributions and growth. That lifts the balance to about $1,090,329, or $3,634 a month under the 4% rule. Delaying Social Security also increases the benefit by 2/3 of 1% for each month beyond full retirement age, which works out to 8% a year, up to age 70.

The average retired worker’s benefit is $2,071 after the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment. Waiting two years would lift that amount to about $2,402. Under the 2026 Trustees Report, the combined trust funds are projected to be depleted in 2034, after which about 83% of scheduled benefits would still be payable.

Why Timing and Loans Matter Near Retirement

Sequence-of-returns risk depends on when market losses occur. A downturn in the years just before or after 67 can be especially damaging because the account is likely near its peak, leaving less time to recover. If withdrawals have already begun, selling during a decline locks in those losses.

Outstanding 401(k) loans can also slow growth. Fidelity data shows that 25.8% of Gen X savers had an outstanding 401(k) loan, compared with 14.0% of Boomers and 19.7% of Millennials. Borrowed money stays out of the market until it is repaid, and repayments come from after-tax income. Some borrowers also reduce contributions while paying the loan back, which can further weaken long-term growth.

The Key Number to Monitor

Among all the variables in this projection, the savings rate is the one each worker can control most directly. In the fourth quarter, 10.7% of Gen X workers on Fidelity’s platform increased their contribution rate. At the median salary used here, a one-point increase adds about $641 in the first year.

Over 17 years, that change helps explain the difference between the $940,057 and $962,264 balances in the 6% scenario.