Powerball jackpot soars to $856 million for Saturday’s drawing: That’s 13,000 years of the average American salary

(Gray News) – The Powerball jackpot has skyrocketed to $856 million after no one matched all six numbers in Wednesday’s drawing.

To put it in perspective, $856 million is enough to pay the average American’s salary over 13,000 years, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

This is now the biggest lottery prize of 2026 so far.

The $856 million jackpot equates to a cash prize of $372 million if the winner takes the one-time payment option before taxes.

The Powerball jackpot has been building for months. The grand prize was last won on May 2, when two tickets in Florida and Texas split a $20 million prize.

The next Powerball drawing is set for Saturday at 11 p.m. ET.

Powerball officials say jackpots can grow faster with lottery players in the U.K. now included.

Powerball tickets cost $2 per play and are sold in 45 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom.

The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.