Their savings rate may have improved over the past two years,but more than half of American workers are still at risk of beingunprepared to completely cover essential living expenses inretirement—which includes such littleitems as housing, health care, and food.

According to Fidelity Investments’ biennial “Retirement SavingsAssessment,” 55 percent of Americans are still in that high-riskgroup—although the good news is that the number of Americans whosesavings have risen enough for them tolikely to afford at least their essential expenses duringretirement has grown.

Since the last assessment was taken in 2013, when just 38percent were adjudged capable of paying for the essentials, peopleare saving more and, according to Fidelity, investing moreappropriately for their age.

As a result, that 38 percent has risen to 45 percent.

But that still means more than half of Americans areill prepared to leave the workplacebehind.

The assessment uses a Fidelity-devised retirement preparednessmeasure (RPM) that evaluates just how well or badly preparedhouseholds are for retirement, and divides them into fourgroups:

1. On track, and able to cover more than 95 percent of retirementexpenses

2. Good, and on track to cover essentials—though not the nicetiesof life, such as travel and entertainment

3. Fair, not on track and likely to have to pare back theirlifestyles somewhat during retirement

4. Needs attention, not on track and likely to have to scale backconsiderably on living standards during retirement

In 2013, only 23 percent fit into the on-track category, butthat’s now risen to 27 percent.

In the good category, only 15 percent made it in 2013, butthat’s risen to 18 percent.

The fair group has also risen, from 2013’s 19 percent to 23percent today, while the needs-attention group has managed todecrease from 2013’s 43 percent to today’s 32 percent.

Of course, that still leaves quite a way to go to boost thecountry’s workers as a whole, despite improvements.

But progress did occur. Americans’ median savings rate improvedfrom 7.3 to 8.5 percent, with millennials showing the greatestimprovement—increasing from 5.8 to 7.5 percent.

Boomers saved the most, stashing away 9.7 percent of theirsalaries, up from 8.1 percent—but still below Fidelity’srecommended total savings rate of at least 15 percent.

People also made significant improvements in making smartinvesting strategy decisions and understanding how to allocateassets based on their age.

In 2015, 62 percent of respondents had allocated their assets ina manner Fidelity considers age appropriate, compared to 56 percentin 2013.