Wealth is one of the primary bellwethers of household financial security and prospects in the United States. Wealth tends to increase in times of economic prosperity when households are able to grow their assets and fall when households draw on accumulated financial resources in times of economic hardship. Median household net worth in the United Sates has followed this pattern over the past decade, increasing from $73,874 [+/- $1,455] in 2000 to $106,585 [+/- $1,642] in 2005 (an increase of $32,711 or 44 percent) and then decreasing to $68,828 [+/- $1,235 ] by 2011 (a decrease of $37,757 or 35 percent) 1 (see Figure 1). Overall, median household net worth decreased by $5,046, or 7 percent, between 2000 and 2011. Median household net worth showed no statistically significant change between 2010 and 2011.