Women who have stayed in a 401(k) plan for at least five years averaged $273,400 at the end of June, Fidelity says. The number describes a specific group, not every woman with a workplace plan. It is also an average, which a few very large balances can pull upward.
Five continuous years is the dividing line
Fidelity’s second-quarter 2026 retirement analysis, published September 3, defines the group as women who have been continuously participating in a 401(k) plan for at least five years. The balance is as of June 30, 2026. Fidelity calls that quarter Q2, and midyear here means that June 30 date.
The test is time in a plan. A woman who has contributed without a break since mid-2021 or earlier is counted, and a woman who joined last spring is not. Fidelity does not publish a figure for women with less tenure in the release.
The data behind it is large. Fidelity says its quarterly figures draw on 25.8 million 401(k) participants across 27,300 plans. It also counted a record 769,000 401(k) millionaires, which shows how far the top of the distribution reaches and why an average can run well above what a typical saver holds.
Fidelity’s overall average 401(k) balance for the quarter was $155,800. The women’s long-tenure figure is $117,600 higher, or about 1.75 times the overall number. Fidelity’s definition favors people who have kept saving without a break, and those years of contributions and market gains compound.
Anyone who has paid into a 401(k) without a break for five years can place a balance against these two numbers. A woman above $273,400 is ahead of the long-tenure average, and one between $155,800 and $273,400 is above the all-saver average but behind her own group. Neither number says what is enough for a given household.
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Fidelity’s release does not include a matching figure for men with five years of continuous participation. Fidelity did not report a median for the group either. The $273,400 stands as a cohort average only.
Where that balance sits among Fidelity’s other numbers
Fidelity says women’s IRA balances averaged $130,231 in the second quarter, up 12% from a year earlier. Women directed 72% of their contributions to Roth IRAs, a share up 3.4% from the second quarter of 2025. Those are separate account types and are not added to the 401(k) figure.
The savings behind the 401(k) average also rose. Fidelity reports a record total savings rate of 14.4% for 401(k) savers, made up of a record 9.6% employee contribution and a 4.8% average employer contribution. Its recommended benchmark is 15%, so the typical saver is close but not there.
Sharon Brovelli, president of Workplace Investing at Fidelity Investments, said workers “continue to prioritize their financial future, saving at record levels,” in comments carried by the PSCA. The same report says 81.2% of 401(k) participants saved enough to get the full employer match.
Fidelity says 12.1% of 401(k) participants raised their contribution rate in the quarter. It credits the record balances partly to a strong stock market, so the gains in a balance like $273,400 are not all new saving.
Fidelity put the average IRA across all investors at $144,523 and the average 403(b) at $145,000, so the 401(k) women’s figure is nearly double either. Those are different pools of savers with different tenure, and a woman holding several account types has to add her own totals.
What $273,400 turns into each month
A balance is not an income, and the step between them is where retirement plans go wrong. Spread evenly over 20 years with no growth and no taxes, $273,400 would pay about $1,139 a month. Real withdrawals depend on investment returns, taxes on the withdrawals and how long retirement lasts.
The same $155,800 overall average would pay about $649 a month under that 20-year arithmetic. These are illustrations of scale, not forecasts or withdrawal advice. The point is that a six-figure balance can fall well short of replacing a paycheck without other income such as Social Security.
That makes the monthly figure more useful than the headline balance. A woman nearing 60 with a balance near Fidelity’s average can set the 20-year illustration against her actual bills before deciding when to stop working.
The contribution limits still open for catching up
For 2026 the IRS lets employees defer up to $24,500 into a 401(k). People 50 and older can add an $8,000 catch-up contribution, for $32,500 in all. The IRS announced a higher catch-up of $11,250 for ages 60 through 63, in place of the standard $8,000.
A woman aged 60 or 61 can put away $35,750 in a year if her plan allows the full catch-up. Few will reach that, but the room exists. Each added year also adds an employer contribution, which Fidelity puts at 4.8% on average.
What would $273,400 pay a month in retirement?
A headline balance can feel like security until the monthly math is done. A woman with a long-tenure balance near the Fidelity average, with no figure for what it pays each month, can claim Social Security or retire without knowing how long the savings last.
A balance answers how much has been saved, and the Retirement Money Spreadsheets pick up the next question, what it pays. The Retirement Paycheck workbook shows what savings can pay each month, and the Retirement Budget lists every bill, monthly and yearly. The yellow boxes take a reader’s own numbers and the math is already done.
Turn a 401(k) balance into a monthly figure with the retirement spreadsheets →
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
