U.S. Household Net Worth: a New High

According to a June 2013 WSJ article, U.S. household net worth was $70.3 trillion, surpassing its previous 2007 high point. This is the highest amount in nominal terms since the Federal Reserve began such recordkeeping in 1945. The figures are not adjusted for inflation or population growth. Adjusted for inflation and population growth, Americans’ net worth remained ~ 11% below the peak level reached in the third quarter of 2007.

 

As of June 2013, stocks had replaced real estate as the top household asset (27% vs. 25% for real estate). Homeowners’ equity as a percentage of household real estate was 50%, the same level it was in 2008. From 2008 to June 2013, this percentage figure dropped down to 39% in early 2009.