<100 participants · 401(k) Retirement Plan Benchmarks

Plan-size benchmark across all industries and states. Sourced from 570,649 Form 5500 filings for plan year 2024.

Headline numbers (2024)

Plans: 570,649
Total assets: $895.5B
Total participants: 9,066,049
Median expense ratio: 1.47%
Median employer contribution per active participant: $2,047
Median account balance: $49,734
3-year asset growth (2022–2024): +35.0%

Expense ratio distribution

25th percentile: 0.29%
Median: 1.47%
75th percentile: 7.71%

Where the fees go (average mix)

Admin / Recordkeeping: 20.8%
Investment Management: 7.3%
Audit: 0.9%
Legal: 0.0%

Employer contribution generosity

Median per active participant: $2,047
Plans with $0 employer match: 108,449 (19.0%)

3-year trend

Year	Plans	Assets	Participants	Median fee	Median employer $
2022	487,530	$663.4B	7,500,515	1.11%	$2,049
2023	546,500	$808.4B	8,734,523	1.25%	$2,027
2024	570,649	$895.5B	9,066,049	1.47%	$2,047

Methodology

All metrics are calculated from U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 annual filings. The slice "<100 participants · 401(k)" includes 570,649 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/cohort/lt_100-401k.