If you want to take a glass-half-full view of the savings habits of younger Americans, a new report from BlackRock offers this: Gen Z workers on average have a higher savings rate than all other generational cohorts.

                By                    Vance Cariaga

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The glass-half-empty version is this: Gen Z’s savings rate isn’t that much higher than others’ — even though Gen Zers have some pretty lofty financial goals.

The “2022 BlackRock Read on Retirement” report found that Gen Z workers — those between the ages of 18 and 25 — are saving an average of 14% of each paycheck for retirement. That’s slightly higher than the 12% of income being put toward savings by millennials, Gen Xers and baby boomers.

The report is based on a March/April 2022 survey of 305 plan sponsors, 1,308 workplace savers, 1,300 independent savers and 300 retirees. Roughly seven in 10 (69%) of Gen Z workers said they are on track for retirement. Nearly three-quarters (72%) said they would save less for retirement if faced with other big-ticket goals.

One of the highlights of the survey is that on average, Gen Z respondents have an expected retirement age of 63.6 years — nearly two years younger than the boomer average of 65.9 years.

Gen Z respondents also figure they can get by on a lot less money in retirement than other generations. More than one-third said they would need less than $250,000 to retire comfortably. In contrast, nearly half of boomers said they would need $1 million to $3 million.

Median earnings in the United States are $1,041 a week, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, released on July 19. That translates into about $54,000 a year.

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Based on Synchrony’s formula, people in their 60s who earn the median salary should have anywhere from $432,000 to $540,000 saved up for retirement — roughly twice as much as many Gen Zers think they’ll need. And Synchrony’s savings formula is much more conservative than other formulas.

One thing most everyone can agree on is that saving for retirement has become much more challenging because of the impact of COVID-19 and skyrocketing inflation. In the BlackRock survey, the vast majority of respondents said the pandemic and current inflation have affected their attitude towards retirement saving, including 90% of Gen Z, 82% of millennials, 79% of Gen X and 75% of boomers.

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“As we experience new market headwinds that could impact the retirement security of millions of Americans, it’s a critical time for our industry to ensure people are planning for retirement with confidence and clarity,” Anne Ackerly, BlackRock’s head of retirement, said in a statement. 

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