5,000+ participants · Defined Benefit Retirement Plan Benchmarks

Plan-size benchmark across all industries and states. Sourced from 374 Form 5500 filings for plan year 2024.

Headline numbers (2024)

Plans: 374
Total assets: $1792.8B
Total participants: —
Median expense ratio: 0.46%
Median employer contribution per active participant: $6,103
Median account balance: $195,498
3-year asset growth (2022–2024): +26.7%

Expense ratio distribution

25th percentile: 0.32%
Median: 0.46%
75th percentile: 0.71%

Where the fees go (average mix)

Admin / Recordkeeping: 6.8%
Investment Management: 35.1%
Audit: 1.1%
Legal: 1.7%

Employer contribution generosity

Median per active participant: $6,103
Plans with $0 employer match: 189 (50.5%)

3-year trend

Year	Plans	Assets	Participants	Median fee	Median employer $
2022	294	$1414.5B	—	0.49%	$6,266
2023	372	$1791.8B	—	0.53%	$5,278
2024	374	$1792.8B	—	0.46%	$6,103

Methodology

All metrics are calculated from U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 annual filings. The slice "5,000+ participants · Defined Benefit" includes 374 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/s_5000_plus-db.