What is an average savings account balance?

In 2011, the average savings account balance in the United States was $5,923 ‒ a 3 percent increase from the previous year ‒ according to a 2012 report by document-management services company Pitney Bowes. The same report indicates the average consumer carries $3,100 in their checking account.

Twenty-eight percent of American families have no savings of any kind, reports Bankrate.com. An emergency savings covering at least three to six months of expenses is a good way to boost savings, according to Zacks Investment Research.

A savings account balance equal to one, three and five times an individual's annual salary by the ages of 35, 45 and 55, respectively, is a good benchmark for healthy retirement, according to a report by Time Magazine.