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Here's how much money Americans have in their savings accounts

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Here's how much you should save at every age
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Here's how much you should save at every age

If your savings account balance is hovering at or below $1,000, you're not alone.

According to a 2017 GOBankingRates survey, more than half of Americans (57 percent) have less than $1,000 in their savings accounts.

While that's an improvement from last year, when 69 percent of Americans reported having less than $1,000 in savings, a higher percentage have no savings at all: 39 percent, up from 34 percent in 2016.

Here's the percentage of the 8,000 survey respondents who have:

$0 saved: 39 percent
Less than $1,000 saved: 18 percent
$1,000 to $4,999 saved: 12 percent
$5,000 to $9,999 saved: 6 percent
$10,000 or more saved: 25 percent

How much should you have tucked away?

While the amount you need in savings is highly personal, and specific dollar amounts can be arbitrary, Intuit's Kimmie Greene offers a simple formula to help you figure out if you're setting aside enough money.

In your 20s: Aim to save 25 percent of your overall gross pay, Greene tells CNBC Make It. That includes any retirement account contributions, matching funds from your company, cash savings or money you have invested elsewhere, like in index funds or with robo-advisers.

By age 30: Have the equivalent of your annual salary saved. So, if you earn $50,000 a year, aim to have $50,000 in savings when you hit 30.

By age 35: Have twice your annual salary saved.

By age 40: Have three times your annual salary saved.

By age 45: Have four times your annual salary saved.

By age 50: Have five times your annual salary saved.

By age 55: Have six times your annual salary saved.

By age 60: Have seven times your annual salary saved.

By age 65: Have eight times your annual salary saved.

Greene's timeline is similar to the one recommended by retirement-plan provider Fidelity Investments, which says a good rule of thumb is to have the equivalent of your salary saved by age 30 and to have 10 times your final salary in savings if you want to retire by age 67.

"While this can sound super daunting today, if you're putting that money to work starting in your 20s, it's not as difficult as it sounds," says Greene.

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