You might be surprised to know that seven out of 10 workers 55 or older report that they've been good about saving for their retirement. Just over half--53%--say that they've got $100,000 or more banked for their post-career life stage, and the number slopes down to 35% in that age group who've amassed $250,000 or more in retirement savings.

Or, it could be more eye-popping to recognize that 45% of current workers in that age range admit to having less than $100,000 saved, with almost 30% of the group saying they've got a retirement "nest egg" of less than $10,000.

This data comes from the latest Employee Benefit Research Institute's 2017 Retirement Confidence Survey, and covers savings and investments, not counting home equity or defined-benefit pensions.

But it's a pretty helpful resource to understand what the present and future demand for 55+ new home communities might look like, and some of the financial needs that builders and developers face trying to meet as they plan new communities.

Among workers who participated in the EBRI retirement survey, a strong undertone of stress and anxiety accompanies many of their thoughts related to the time-period after their primary occupational lives wind down.

Between 42% and 46% of people feel less than confident about the lifestage, and while the vast majority say they've got some sort of retirement savings, it's miniscule in many many cases, which accounts for the jitters looking ahead to that time. The EBRI report notes:

A sizable percentage of workers say they have no or very little money in savings and investments. Among RCS workers providing this type of information, 47 percent report that the total value of their household’s savings and investments, excluding the value of their primary home and any DB plans, is less than $25,000. This includes 24% who say they have less than $1,000 in savings. Approximately 1 in 10 each report totals of $25,000–$49,999 (8%), $50,000–$99,999 (10%), $100,000–$249,999 (15%), and 2 in 10 report having $250,000 or more (20%). Similar shares of retirees estimate their total household savings at under $1,000, but retirees are more likely to claim savings and investments of $250,000 or more.

Why does this matter?

Well, hopefully the data might challenge preconceptions on the size and wherewithal of the market for 55+ new-homes and communities so that builders and developers don't get stuck investing into a myth.

55+ in many peoples' minds conjures an image of well-deserved and long-awaited entitlement to that dream home in a highly amenitized community.

This data may serve as a reality check. Maybe the unmet need that home builders and developers are going to find their best and biggest opportunities in are homes priced and configured not so differently than starter homes, but designed and engineered for people who've entered the fixed income stage of their lives.

Among volume builders, ones that offer "maintenance free" living, like Epcon Communities and D.R. Horton's new Freedom 55+ brand have zeroed in on the massive opportunity in the less well-heeled aging population, with compelling communities that make people want to move from aging-in-place in their longtime dwellings into new homes.

A question is, will more builders' strategies and business models gravitate toward meeting unmet needs--by innovating--as the majority of other players compete with one another for share of business among those whose needs are already being met?