As Stock Market Soars, So Do TSP Millionaires

As the stock market continues to set new record highs, federal employees who have invested consistently in the TSP for the long run are reaping the rewards.

The long running bull market continues to reward federal employees who are long-term investors in the Thrift Savings Plan.

The latest report on the total number of TSP millionaires shows that federal employees and retirees with a balance in the TSP of $1 million or more rose nearly 17% over Q1 2021.

As of the end of the second quarter 2021 (June 30, 2021), there are now almost 100,000 TSP millionaires (98,879 total). At the end of March, there were 84,808.

The largest account balance in the TSP is now $10,019,916.

So what is a key to success for the federal employees who have reached this significant milestone?

One important trait is that they are invested for the long haul. The data from the TSP show that plan participants who have hit the $1 million mark have been contributing to the TSP for an average of 28.28 years. For most federal employees, that would be the bulk of one’s career.

As these successful TSP investors have proven, slow and steady wins the race; making regular contributions from each paycheck into the TSP stock funds for the duration of a federal career will make a federal employee a millionaire at retirement.

Congratulations to the federal employees and retirees who have had this wonderful success with their TSP investments!

TSP Millionaires as of June 30, 2021

Account BalanceNumber of ParticipantsAverage Years of Contributions
<$50k3,663,9735.77
$50k-$249k1,529,07815.08
$250k-$499k530,35720.36
$500k-$749k212,11023.12
$750k-$999k99,70825.23
≥ $1 million98,87928.28
Total6,134,10510.68
Bar graph showing the total number of TSP millionaires as of June 30, 2021 along with a breakdown of a range of total account balances among TSP investors

Historical Growth of TSP Millionaires

This table shows the growth in the number of millionaires in the TSP since 2011:

YearNumber of Millionaires
202075,420
201949,620
201821,432
201723,962
20169,599
20153,272
20144,167
20131,695
2012562
2011208

About the Author

Ian Smith is one of the co-founders of FedSmith.com. He has over 20 years of combined experience in media and government services, having worked at two government contracting firms and an online news and web development company prior to his current role at FedSmith.