1,000–4,999 participants · Defined Benefit Retirement Plan Benchmarks

Plan-size benchmark across all industries and states. Sourced from 789 Form 5500 filings for plan year 2024.

Headline numbers (2024)

Plans: 789
Total assets: $640.6B
Total participants: —
Median expense ratio: 0.52%
Median employer contribution per active participant: $9,415
Median account balance: $276,060
3-year asset growth (2022–2024): +27.0%

Expense ratio distribution

25th percentile: 0.34%
Median: 0.52%
75th percentile: 0.80%

Where the fees go (average mix)

Admin / Recordkeeping: 7.4%
Investment Management: 36.1%
Audit: 1.7%
Legal: 2.3%

Employer contribution generosity

Median per active participant: $9,415
Plans with $0 employer match: 413 (52.3%)

3-year trend

Year	Plans	Assets	Participants	Median fee	Median employer $
2022	670	$504.4B	—	0.55%	$9,082
2023	836	$651.0B	3,294	0.57%	$7,573
2024	789	$640.6B	—	0.52%	$9,415

Methodology

All metrics are calculated from U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 annual filings. The slice "1,000–4,999 participants · Defined Benefit" includes 789 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/s_1000_4999-db.