Estate Planning Statistics (2026)
Most Americans say estate planning matters, yet only a minority have a will, a trust or an advance directive. This page collects sourced statistics from Gallup, AARP Research, Trust & Will, Caring.com, Health Affairs, the IRS and the CDC.
Each figure below names its year and source, and links to the original page so you can check the number yourself. Survey results differ because each source asks different questions of different groups.
40 statistics, each linked to its source. Updated .
Key statistics
- In 2026, 26% of US adults had a will, according to the Trust & Will 2026 Estate Planning Report.
- 26%
- Trust & Will, Trust & Will 2026 Estate Planning Report
- In 2026, 56% of US adults had none of five core estate planning documents (will, trust, medical POA, financial POA or HIPAA authorization), according to Trust & Will.
- 56%
- Trust & Will, Trust & Will 2026 Estate Planning Report
- In 2021, 46% of US adults had a will, according to Gallup.
- 46%
- Gallup, How Many Americans Have a Will?
- In 2021, 20% of US adults under age 30 had a will, according to Gallup.
- 20%
- Gallup, How Many Americans Have a Will?
- In 2024, 61% of adults aged 50 and older without a will said they "haven't gotten around to it," the most common reason, according to AARP Research.
- 61%
- AARP Research, Only Half of Adults 50-Plus Have a Legal Will
How many Americans have a will?
In 2026, 26% of US adults had a will, according to the Trust & Will 2026 Estate Planning Report.
In 2026, 56% of US adults had none of five core estate planning documents (will, trust, medical POA, financial POA or HIPAA authorization), according to Trust & Will.
In 2025, 24% of respondents to the Caring.com wills survey said they have a will.
In 2022, 33% of respondents to the Caring.com wills survey had a will.
In 2021, 46% of US adults had a will, according to Gallup.
In 2024, 51% of US adults aged 50 and older said they had a legal will, according to AARP Research.
AARP Research, Only Half of Adults 50-Plus Have a Legal Will
How many Americans have a living trust, living will or health care directive?
In 2026, 14% of US adults had a trust, according to Trust & Will.
In 2026, 19% of US adults had a medical power of attorney or advance directive, according to Trust & Will.
In 2025, 13% of Caring.com wills survey respondents reported having a living trust.
In 2020, 45% of US adults said they had a living will, according to Gallup.
In studies published from 2011 to 2016, 36.7% of the US adults studied had completed an advance directive, according to a systematic review of 150 studies in Health Affairs.
Who has a will? Estate planning by age
In 2021, 76% of US adults aged 65 and older had a will, according to Gallup.
In 2021, 53% of US adults aged 50 to 64 had a will, according to Gallup.
In 2021, 20% of US adults under age 30 had a will, according to Gallup.
In 2024, 66% of US adults aged 65 and older said they had a legal will, according to AARP Research.
AARP Research, Only Half of Adults 50-Plus Have a Legal Will
In 2025, 15% of Gen Z respondents had a will, according to Trust & Will.
Trust & Will, Trust & Will's 2025 Estate Planning Report: Demographic Breakdown
In 2026, 62% of Gen X adults had no estate planning documents, according to Trust & Will.
In 2020, 72% of US adults aged 65 and older had a living will, according to Gallup.
How does estate planning differ by race, income and household?
In 2021, 55% of White US adults had a will, according to Gallup.
In 2021, 28% of nonwhite US adults had a will, according to Gallup.
In 2025, 64% of Black respondents reported having no estate planning documents, according to Trust & Will.
Trust & Will, Trust & Will's 2025 Estate Planning Report: Demographic Breakdown
In 2025, 62% of Hispanic respondents reported having no estate planning documents, according to Trust & Will.
Trust & Will, Trust & Will's 2025 Estate Planning Report: Demographic Breakdown
In 2021, 61% of US adults with household income of $100,000 or more had a will, according to Gallup.
In 2021, 30% of US adults with household income under $40,000 had a will, according to Gallup.
In 2020, 28% of lower-income US adults had a living will, according to Gallup.
In 2026, 40% of homeowners had a will, according to Trust & Will.
In 2026, 16% of renters had a will, according to Trust & Will.
In 2026, 50% of parents reported having no estate planning documents, according to Trust & Will.
Why don't people have a will?
In 2024, 61% of adults aged 50 and older without a will said they "haven't gotten around to it," the most common reason, according to AARP Research.
AARP Research, Only Half of Adults 50-Plus Have a Legal Will
In 2024, 21% of adults aged 50 and older without a will said they did not have enough assets to make one worth it, according to AARP Research.
AARP Research, Only Half of Adults 50-Plus Have a Legal Will
In 2024, 15% of adults aged 50 and older without a will said they could not afford to legally create one, according to AARP Research.
AARP Research, Only Half of Adults 50-Plus Have a Legal Will
In 2026, 27% of US adults without a will or trust said they did not think they had enough assets to need one, the top reason given, according to Trust & Will.
In 2025, 43% of Caring.com wills survey respondents without a will said they "just haven't gotten around to it."
In 2024, 93% of US adults aged 50 and older said it is important to them to have an updated legal document such as a will, according to AARP Research.
AARP Research, Only Half of Adults 50-Plus Have a Legal Will
What happens at death: probate, inheritance and estate tax facts
In 2024, 3,072,666 people died in the United States, according to the CDC National Center for Health Statistics.
CDC National Center for Health Statistics, FastStats: Deaths and Mortality
In 2024, 37% of US adults aged 50 and older who expect to leave an inheritance did not yet have a will, according to AARP Research.
AARP Research, Only Half of Adults 50-Plus Have a Legal Will
In 2024, 65% of US adults aged 50 and older with financial accounts had designated a beneficiary for all of them, according to AARP Research.
AARP Research, Only Half of Adults 50-Plus Have a Legal Will
In 2026, 42% of US adults said they would not know what to do if a family member died today, according to Trust & Will.
For deaths in 2026, the federal estate tax basic exclusion amount is $15,000,000, according to the IRS.
For gifts made in 2026, the federal gift tax annual exclusion is $19,000 per recipient, according to the IRS.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of Americans have a will?
In 2026, 26% of US adults had a will, according to Trust & Will. Other surveys measure higher shares: Gallup found 46% of US adults had a will in 2021, and AARP Research found 51% of adults aged 50 and older had one in 2024.
How many Americans have no estate plan at all?
In 2026, 56% of US adults had none of five core estate planning documents (will, trust, medical POA, financial POA or HIPAA authorization), according to Trust & Will.
Why don't people make a will?
Procrastination and assets are the most common reasons. In 2024, 61% of adults aged 50 and older without a will said they "haven't gotten around to it," according to AARP Research. In 2026, 27% of US adults without a will or trust said they did not think they had enough assets to need one, according to Trust & Will.
How many Americans have a living will or advance directive?
In 2020, 45% of US adults said they had a living will, according to Gallup. A Health Affairs systematic review of studies published from 2011 to 2016 found that 36.7% of the US adults studied had completed an advance directive.
Does having a will depend on age?
Yes. In 2021, 76% of US adults aged 65 and older had a will, compared with 20% of adults under age 30, according to Gallup.
Cite this page
You are welcome to use these statistics. Please cite the original source of each number and link to this page:
Oakclause. "Estate Planning Statistics (2026)." Updated October 2026. https://www.oakclause.com/statistics/estate-planning-statistics
How we compiled these statistics
Every number comes from a published source that we opened and checked, mostly government agencies, academic research and established surveys. Each statement names the year the data refers to, and we keep the newest edition we could find. We do not combine numbers from different sources into new figures. Read our editorial policy.
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