$2,251 — based on 885,810 U.S. retirement plans (2024 DOL Form 5500 filings).
Average employer 401(k) contribution measures the dollars contributed by sponsoring employers — match plus profit-sharing — per active plan year. Median values from DOL Form 5500 filings strip out outliers from a small number of unusually generous plans.
| State | Avg Employer Contribution | vs National |
|---|---|---|
| DC | $4,719 | +109.6% |
| HI | $3,143 | +39.6% |
| NY | $2,972 | +32.0% |
| AK | $2,837 | +26.0% |
| MA | $2,807 | +24.7% |
| CT | $2,797 | +24.2% |
| CA | $2,692 | +19.6% |
| NJ | $2,648 | +17.6% |
| VA | $2,607 | +15.8% |
| MD | $2,578 | +14.5% |
| IL | $2,541 | +12.9% |
| DE | $2,525 | +12.1% |
| WA | $2,512 | +11.6% |
| ND | $2,450 | +8.8% |
| NH | $2,428 | +7.9% |
| MT | $2,420 | +7.5% |
| MN | $2,400 | +6.6% |
| RI | $2,385 | +6.0% |
| VT | $2,337 | +3.8% |
| PA | $2,322 | +3.1% |
| WY | $2,321 | +3.1% |
| SD | $2,316 | +2.9% |
| IA | $2,301 | +2.2% |
| TX | $2,301 | +2.2% |
| CO | $2,287 | +1.6% |
| OR | $2,277 | +1.2% |
| OH | $2,269 | +0.8% |
| MO | $2,251 | 0.0% |
| WI | $2,248 | -0.2% |
| KS | $2,237 | -0.6% |
| NM | $2,230 | -1.0% |
| NV | $2,230 | -1.0% |
| GA | $2,225 | -1.2% |
| NE | $2,214 | -1.7% |
| MI | $2,182 | -3.1% |
| VI | $2,175 | -3.4% |
| TN | $2,173 | -3.5% |
| NC | $2,142 | -4.9% |
| FL | $2,132 | -5.3% |
| WV | $2,127 | -5.5% |
| AL | $2,094 | -7.0% |
| AZ | $2,072 | -8.0% |
| ME | $2,068 | -8.1% |
| LA | $2,058 | -8.6% |
| KY | $2,047 | -9.1% |
| IN | $2,046 | -9.1% |
| SC | $2,040 | -9.4% |
| MS | $2,013 | -10.6% |
| AR | $2,013 | -10.6% |
| PR | $2,004 | -11.0% |
| OK | $2,001 | -11.1% |
| ID | $1,990 | -11.6% |
| UT | $1,961 | -12.9% |
| GU | $1,280 | -43.1% |
| MP | $1,030 | -54.3% |
| Industry | Avg Employer Contribution | vs National |
|---|---|---|
| Pipeline Transportation | $6,503 | +188.9% |
| Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities | $6,360 | +182.5% |
| Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles | $5,000 | +122.1% |
| Oil and Gas Extraction | $4,539 | +101.6% |
| Water Transportation | $3,626 | +61.1% |
| Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries | $3,489 | +55.0% |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers | $3,430 | +52.4% |
| Utilities | $3,298 | +46.5% |
| Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services | $3,295 | +46.4% |
| Chemical Manufacturing | $3,219 | +43.0% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | $3,208 | +42.5% |
| Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries | $3,203 | +42.3% |
| Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations | $3,167 | +40.7% |
| Publishing Industries | $3,146 | +39.8% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | $3,000 | +33.3% |
| Credit Intermediation and Related Activities | $2,982 | +32.5% |
| Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services | $2,926 | +30.0% |
| Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support | $2,873 | +27.6% |
| Mining (except Oil and Gas) | $2,835 | +25.9% |
| Insurance Carriers and Related Activities | $2,806 | +24.6% |
| Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | $2,699 | +19.9% |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | $2,697 | +19.8% |
| Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing | $2,685 | +19.3% |
| Telecommunications | $2,678 | +19.0% |
| Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) | $2,632 | +16.9% |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods | $2,612 | +16.1% |
| Air Transportation | $2,603 | +15.6% |
| Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction | $2,561 | +13.7% |
| Support Activities for Mining | $2,551 | +13.3% |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods | $2,547 | +13.1% |
| Construction of Buildings | $2,476 | +10.0% |
| Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing | $2,379 | +5.7% |
| Real Estate | $2,351 | +4.4% |
| Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry | $2,325 | +3.3% |
| NAICS 515 | $2,236 | -0.7% |
| Rail Transportation | $2,206 | -2.0% |
| Machinery Manufacturing | $2,167 | -3.8% |
| Fishing, Hunting and Trapping | $2,105 | -6.5% |
| Specialty Trade Contractors | $2,081 | -7.6% |
| NAICS 454 | $2,078 | -7.7% |
| Miscellaneous Manufacturing | $2,078 | -7.7% |
| Hospitals | $2,053 | -8.8% |
| Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing | $2,023 | -10.2% |
| Primary Metal Manufacturing | $1,951 | -13.3% |
| Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | $1,950 | -13.4% |
| Support Activities for Transportation | $1,931 | -14.2% |
| Crop Production | $1,927 | -14.4% |
| Paper Manufacturing | $1,926 | -14.5% |
| Rental and Leasing Services | $1,914 | -15.0% |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | $1,875 | -16.7% |
| NAICS 442 | $1,874 | -16.7% |
| NAICS 443 | $1,871 | -16.9% |
| Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | $1,858 | -17.5% |
| Forestry and Logging | $1,803 | -19.9% |
| Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers | $1,803 | -19.9% |
| NAICS 446 | $1,789 | -20.5% |
| Waste Management and Remediation Services | $1,788 | -20.6% |
| Educational Services | $1,756 | -22.0% |
| Repair and Maintenance | $1,753 | -22.1% |
| Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing | $1,751 | -22.2% |
| Apparel Manufacturing | $1,739 | -22.8% |
| NAICS 448 | $1,730 | -23.2% |
| Food Manufacturing | $1,660 | -26.3% |
| Animal Production and Aquaculture | $1,652 | -26.6% |
| Textile Product Mills | $1,642 | -27.1% |
| Administrative and Support Services | $1,612 | -28.4% |
| Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions | $1,606 | -28.6% |
| Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing | $1,600 | -28.9% |
| Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing | $1,579 | -29.9% |
| Printing and Related Support Activities | $1,557 | -30.8% |
| Wood Product Manufacturing | $1,541 | -31.5% |
| Warehousing and Storage | $1,538 | -31.7% |
| Textile Mills | $1,494 | -33.6% |
| NAICS 453 | $1,467 | -34.8% |
| NAICS 451 | $1,418 | -37.0% |
| Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation | $1,417 | -37.1% |
| Truck Transportation | $1,299 | -42.3% |
| Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers | $1,256 | -44.2% |
| Personal and Laundry Services | $1,227 | -45.5% |
| NAICS 447 | $1,227 | -45.5% |
| Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries | $1,150 | -48.9% |
| NAICS 452 | $1,104 | -50.9% |
| Social Assistance | $1,092 | -51.5% |
| Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation | $929 | -58.7% |
| Food and Beverage Retailers | $921 | -59.1% |
| Accommodation | $818 | -63.7% |
| Nursing and Residential Care Facilities | $667 | -70.4% |
| Couriers and Messengers | $607 | -73.0% |
| Food Services and Drinking Places | $556 | -75.3% |
| Plan Size | Avg Employer Contribution | vs National |
|---|---|---|
| <100 participants · DB | $27K | +1092.7% |
| 100–499 participants · DB | $11K | +408.1% |
| 500–999 participants · DB | $10K | +352.3% |
| 1,000–4,999 participants · DB | $9,415 | +318.2% |
| 5,000+ participants · DB | $6,103 | +171.1% |
| <100 participants · DC | $4,000 | +77.7% |
| 100–499 participants · DC | $3,388 | +50.5% |
| 1,000–4,999 participants · DC | $2,866 | +27.3% |
| 5,000+ participants · 403(b) | $2,732 | +21.4% |
| 500–999 participants · DC | $2,614 | +16.1% |
| 5,000+ participants · DC | $2,278 | +1.2% |
| <100 participants · 403(b) | $2,230 | -0.9% |
| 100–499 participants · 403(b) | $2,156 | -4.2% |
| 1,000–4,999 participants · 403(b) | $2,121 | -5.8% |
| 100–499 participants · 401(k) | $2,097 | -6.8% |
| 5,000+ participants · 401(k) | $2,082 | -7.5% |
| <100 participants · 401(k) | $2,047 | -9.1% |
| 500–999 participants · 403(b) | $1,956 | -13.1% |
| 1,000–4,999 participants · 401(k) | $1,912 | -15.0% |
| 500–999 participants · 401(k) | $1,812 | -19.5% |
Source: U.S. Department of Labor — Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) Form 5500 dataset.
Why median, not arithmetic mean: Retirement plan data has extreme outliers; the median represents the middle plan in each cohort, giving a more accurate "typical" benchmark. We continue to use "average" in titles because that's the everyday term searchers use.