If you’ve already achieved these 11 things, you’re doing better than average

A lot of people are doing way better than they actually realize, and it’s mostly because of the things that separate them from the rest of the pack.

The diploma on the wall

College can feel pretty normal if you live around people who all went. But it turns out that, nationally, it really isn’t normal. Only 40.1% of women and 37.1% of men age 25 and older in America have a bachelor’s degree or higher. 

That means that anyone who has earned one is part of a group that still makes up well under half of American adults. You’ve been through three or four years of classes and deadlines, yet managed to survive. That’s quite an achievement.

Then you kept studying

That’s not all for studying. Graduate school is where the numbers really start thinning out, and the Census Bureau data found that only 14.3% of Americans age 25 and older have an advanced degree. The figure covers master’s degrees, doctorates, law degrees, medical degrees, and any other similar qualifications. 

Put it this way. Around six out of seven adults haven’t reached that level, so anyone with these qualifications is ahead. Finishing another degree after college is definitely not a common experience.

Your work anniversary keeps coming around

Four years in one workplace sure doesn’t seem like a lot. It is. Working at the same company for over four years is longer than most Americans stay with one employer. The average American wage-and-salary worker has been with their current employer for 3.9 years. 

The figure is lower among private-sector workers at just 3.5 years. It’s slightly different if you’re older because those employees usually stay much longer. But still, crossing that four-year mark puts you past the middle overall, and it’s something to be proud of.

Some of your money owns something

Having money in a checking account is one thing. Having money invested somewhere that can grow is something else entirely. Just 37% of American adults own some kind of investment outside their home, whether that’s stocks or bonds. Mutual funds count too. 

You’re doing better than most Americans if you own shares or funds separately from a 401(k) or IRA. It could be $500, it could be $50,000. It doesn’t really matter because having started an investment at all is an achievement.

Another language actually works for you

Ordering coffee in another language matters way more than you realize. It’s proof that you can use another language when you need it, whether that’s to follow a conversation or explain something. Over 78% of Americans age five and above speak only English at home.

A mere 21.7% regularly used another language there. That’s not to say home language is a perfect measure of bilingual ability, because it’s really not. But it does give you an idea of how much it matters that you can speak in another tongue.

Your credit score starts with an eight

An 800 on your FICO report matters. It really matters. A score of over 800 is what FICO calls ‘exceptional,’ and that’s mostly because the average U.S. score is much lower. The average score was around 718 in 2023. 

Only 22.3% of people were at 800 or above. It’s not a range you can stumble into by accident, either, because it usually takes years of on-time payments. You’ve got to have good control over your debt.

You made it all 26.2 miles

There comes a point during a marathon when you start wondering why you voluntarily signed up for it. It’s a natural feeling. But finishing one is really uncommon, and less than 1% of Americans finish one each year. 

Running the full 26.2 miles means doing something that very few Americans do in any given year. It doesn’t make it any easier to complete, however.

You passed the test that came after school

Graduation isn’t the end of your educational journey. Plenty of professionals, like teachers and accountants, have to pass another exam before they can officially do the job. But the pool of people who’ve done so is small.

Less than a quarter of employed Americans held a professional certification or license. That means three-quarters of workers had neither. Having to sit an official exam and passing it for your job puts you in a fairly selective club.

Your retirement account crossed six figures

Having $100,000 in retirement savings sometimes feels like nowhere near enough. Retirement is pretty expensive, after all, yet the data shows that it’s a unique kind of balance. The average family with a retirement account has a balance of $86,900. 

That’s if they’re lucky enough to have an account at all. Many families don’t even have one. As soon as your total crosses $100,000, you’ve already moved beyond the midpoint among those who are saving. It’s not private-island money. But six figures is six figures, either way.

The business made it past year five

The first year of owning a business is all photographs and excited announcements. It’s when you get to year five that you have a lot of tax documents and customers you have to deal with. But that’s a good thing.

Only around half of new businesses are still operating after five years. Opening a company isn’t the benchmark here, it’s being able to keep the doors open through five whole years that counts. You should feel proud of yourself if you’ve managed to do that.

The mortgage payment disappeared

The majority of homeowners haven’t got to the point where they’ve paid off their mortgage. Current statistics say only 39.4% of owner-occupied homes were owned free and clear. Most of them still have a mortgage attached. 

That figure only counts homeowners, and renters aren’t even in the calculation. The bad news is that you’ll still have to pay things like property tax bills and home insurance. Houses never become completely free.

Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.