<100 participants · 401(k) Retirement Plan Benchmarks

Plan-size benchmark across all industries and states. Sourced from 695,554 Form 5500 filings for plan year 2024.

Headline numbers (2024)

Plans: 695,554
Total assets: $1081.3B
Total participants: 10,687,999
Median expense ratio: 1.51%
Median employer contribution per active participant: $2,189
Median account balance: $50,767
3-year asset growth (2022–2024): +34.7%

Expense ratio distribution

25th percentile: 0.31%
Median: 1.51%
75th percentile: 7.64%

Where the fees go (average mix)

Admin / Recordkeeping: 21.3%
Investment Management: 6.8%
Audit: 0.9%
Legal: 0.0%

Employer contribution generosity

Median per active participant: $2,189
Plans with $0 employer match: 154,732 (22.2%)

3-year trend

Year	Plans	Assets	Participants	Median fee	Median employer $
2022	597,189	$802.4B	8,878,254	1.19%	$2,204
2023	665,176	$975.9B	10,261,280	1.30%	$2,179
2024	695,554	$1081.3B	10,687,999	1.51%	$2,189

Methodology

All metrics are calculated from U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 annual filings. The slice "<100 participants · 401(k)" includes 695,554 plans for plan year 2024. Medians use percentile_cont over reported values; zero/null values are excluded from rate-style metrics.

Citation: PlanProvider.Pro, Form 5500 Benchmarks 2024. Free for editorial use with attribution + link to https://planprovider.pro/benchmarks/plan-size/lt_100-401k.