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The Averages & Benchmarks

The headline U.S. averages and reference values behind NumberBench — each labeled with what kind of benchmark it is and the public source. These are the flagships: 46 calculators score your number live on a “How you compare” bar, and 370+ more cite a reference benchmark for context. Click any card to run your own number.

370+calculators benchmarked

40headline references

10+data sources

100%sourced

Benchmark types

Official a published authority (CDC, EPA, Federal Reserve, BLS) Market avg a current measured average that moves over time Rule of thumb a widely-used industry guideline Break-even computed from your own inputs

The averages over time

Three headline benchmarks in context — where today’s number sits against decades of history.

30-yr mortgage rate

Freddie Mac PMMS, annual averages; 2026 = current weekly rate.

Credit-card APR (all accounts)

Federal Reserve G.19; 2026 = Q1.

Median household income

Census CPS ASEC, current dollars.

Money — 16 benchmarks

Roth IRA contribution

2026 limit $7,500 ($8,600 at 50+)

IRS, 2026 IRA contribution limits (Notice 2025-67)

12-month CD yield

Nat. avg 1.65%; top ~4%

FDIC national deposit rates, July 2026

Savings APY

Nat. avg 0.38%; top ~4%

FDIC national deposit rates, July 2026

Personal-loan APR

~11.4% bank average

Federal Reserve G.19, 24-month loans, early 2026

Net worth vs your age group

US median by age (SCF)

Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances, 2022

Debt-to-income (back-end)

≤36% strong; 43% QM line

28/36 lender rule; CFPB qualified-mortgage threshold

Life-insurance coverage

10–12× income (DIME)

Industry needs-analysis convention (DIME method)

Investment return

Stocks ~10% nominal (~7% real)

Long-run US stocks ~10% nominal (~7% real); bonds/savings far less

Retirement withdrawal

~3.9% safe starting rate

Morningstar 2026: ~3.9% safe starting rate (30-yr, 90% success); classic “4% rule”

401(k) savings rate

12–15% incl. employer match

Fidelity ~15% incl. match; Vanguard 12–15% incl. employer contributions

Credit-card APR

22.15% (accounts assessed interest)

Federal Reserve G.19, Q2 2026: 22.15% (accounts assessed interest); 20.94% all accounts

Auto-loan rate

60-mo 7.52% · 72-mo 7.55%

Federal Reserve G.19 new-car average, Q1 2026 (finance-company avg 6.1%)

Dividend yield

S&P 500 ≈ 1.07%

S&P 500 dividend yield ≈ 1.07% (Jun 2026, SlickCharts / GuruFocus)

Emergency fund

3–6 months of expenses

Standard guidance: 3–6 months of essential expenses

Personal saving rate

US avg ~3%; target 15–20%

BEA personal saving rate, May 2026

Credit utilization

Under 30% (ideal <10%)

FICO/credit-scoring guidance: under 30%, ideally under 10%

Real Estate — 10 benchmarks

Cap rate

4–8% typical band

Investor convention; varies by market and asset class

Down payment

Median 19% (first-time 10%)

NAR 2025 Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers

PMI removal (LTV)

Request at 80%; auto at 78%

Homeowners Protection Act

Rent affordability

≤30% of income

HUD cost-burden definition

Mortgage rate

Freddie Mac PMMS 30-yr fixed average, Jul 9 2026

Refinance rate

Freddie Mac PMMS 30-yr fixed average, Jul 9 2026

Home affordability (DTI)

≤28% of gross income

Conservative 28/36 rule of thumb

Rental cap rate

Cap rates commonly 4–10% (market-dependent)

BRRRR cash-on-cash

Common investor target ~8%+ cash-on-cash

Closing costs

~2–5% of price

Typical buyer closing costs 2–5% of the loan amount

Business & Pricing — 9 benchmarks

Markup → margin

vs your industry’s gross margin

NYU Stern margin dataset, Jan 2026

Profit margin (by industry)

Per-industry sector average (24 industries; see Industry Margins sheet)

Damodaran (NYU Stern) gross margins by industry, Jan 2026

ROAS

Your computed break-even ROAS

Break-even ROAS computed from your own margins

Amazon FBA margin

~20%+ healthy (category-dependent)

General guidance; margins vary widely by category

Marketplace margin

General guidance; ecommerce margins vary by category

Restaurant food cost %

28–35% of menu price

Industry rule of thumb: 28–35% food cost

Contractor margin

Common target ~8–15% net profit

Cost per hire

≈ $4,700 average

SHRM-reported average cost per hire ≈ $4,700 (secondary-cited)

PTO accrual

11 days at 1 yr · 15 at 5 yr · 18 at 10 yr · 20 at 20 yr

BLS National Compensation Survey, private-industry avg paid vacation by tenure

Pay & Taxes — 7 benchmarks

Overtime multiplier

FLSA minimum 1.5×

U.S. Department of Labor, FLSA

Paycheck income percentile

Median $53,010 · top 10% $155k · top 1% $450k

US individual income distribution, 2025 (Census CPS via DQYDJ)

Take-home income percentile

Median $53,010 · top 10% $155k · top 1% $450k

US individual income distribution, 2025 (Census CPS via DQYDJ)

Salary income percentile

Median $53,010 · top 10% $155k · top 1% $450k

US individual income distribution, 2025 (Census CPS via DQYDJ)

Sales tax (combined avg)

~7.5% (0%–9.5%)

U.S. average combined state+local sales tax ~7.5% (Tax Foundation, 2025)

Property tax (effective)

~0.90% (0.3%–2.2%)

U.S. average effective property-tax rate ~0.90% (Tax Foundation, 2025)

Self-employment tax

15.3% (12.4% SS + 2.9% Medicare)

IRS SE tax rate; Social Security portion up to the annual wage base

Health — 4 benchmarks

BMI

Healthy 18.5–<25

CDC adult BMI categories

Body fat %

Men: overweight ≥25, obesity ≥30 · Women: overweight ≥36, obesity ≥42

Clinical body-fat thresholds (NHANES DXA / metabolic-risk study)

Daily calorie needs

~2,000 (women) · ~2,500 (men)

NHS / USDA Dietary Guidelines average adult needs

Protein intake

~0.7–1 g per lb bodyweight

Common athletic guidance; RDA 0.36 g/lb minimum

Everyday — 5 benchmarks

Tip %

Full-service 19.3 · Quick-service 15.8 · Takeout 13.7

Toast restaurant tipping data, Q1 2026 (card tips)

Fuel economy

27.2 mpg new-vehicle average (MY2024)

EPA Automotive Trends Report: MY2024 new vehicles avg 27.2 mpg

GPA

≥2.0 good standing

~2.0 is a common good-standing minimum

Electricity price

~16.5¢/kWh residential

U.S. average residential electricity price (EIA, 2025)

Reading speed

~238 words per minute

Average adult silent reading speed (Brysbaert meta-analysis, 2019)

Manufacturing — 2 benchmarks

OEE

World-class >85% · ~55–60% typical

Nakajima/TPM: world-class >85%; ~55–60% typical (Evocon)

Machine-shop rate

$75–$150/hr typical

Common shop rates ~$75–$150/hr

Household, Home & Employer Costs — 25 new benchmarks

Water use per person

82 gal/person/day

Miles driven per year

True cost of an employee

$46.60/hr total

BLS ECEC, Mar 2026

Benefits % of compensation

30.1% of total comp

BLS ECEC, Mar 2026

Grocery cost by age & sex

~$336/mo (1 adult)

Average child care cost

Average household spending

Avg monthly household expenses

Household budget percentages

Housing 33% / Transp 17%

Average housing expenses

Average transportation expenses

Average food cost per month

Average grocery cost per month

Household spending by age

Peaks age 45–54

Average new home size

Average lot size

8,855 sq ft (0.20 ac)

Average home energy cost

Electricity bill by state

~$140/mo (varies)

Electricity usage by state

Employer health insurance cost

BLS ECEC, Mar 2026

Employer payroll tax cost

7.65% FICA + more

BLS ECEC, Mar 2026

Average job tenure

3.9 years (median)

Employee turnover rate

2.2% monthly quits

Salary by education level

$1,543/wk (bachelor's)

Child care % of income

Official rates & percentile lookups

Primary-source reference pages — IRS rates, wage law, tax history, and “is my number good?” percentile tools.

IRS Mileage Rate (2026)

72.5¢/mile — every rate back to 1997

Minimum Wage by State

All 50 states + D.C., with scheduled increases

Tax Brackets by Year

2000–2026 archive, every filing status

Income Percentile

Where your income ranks — median household $83,730

Good SAT Score?

Official percentiles for every score

Good PSAT Score?

Percentiles + National Merit cutoffs

Good ACT Score?

National ranks, 9–36

Good GPA?

HS & college averages vs. admissions reality

Average Height (Men)

CDC percentiles — where you rank

Average Typing Speed

WPM benchmarks from 136M keystrokes

Average Marathon Time

Percentile for your finish time

Average Mile Time

Average WNBA Salary

New CBA: $584K average

Good Batting Average?

.245 league avg — the real scale

Good ERA?

League 4.15; ace ≤2.50

Good WHIP?

League 1.29; elite <1.00

Good Slugging %?

.404 league avg

Average Cat Weight

8–12 lb healthy range

The full data library

Every benchmark we compare against — the value, what kind it is, when it’s from, and the public source. Search or filter by category, and download the whole set.