500–999 participants · Defined Benefit Retirement Plan Benchmarks

Plan-size benchmark across all industries and states. Sourced from 585 Form 5500 filings for plan year 2024.

Headline numbers (2024)

Plans: 585
Total assets: $172.2B
Total participants: —
Median expense ratio: 0.58%
Median employer contribution per active participant: $10,181
Median account balance: $261,755
3-year asset growth (2022–2024): +39.7%

Expense ratio distribution

25th percentile: 0.35%
Median: 0.58%
75th percentile: 0.85%

Where the fees go (average mix)

Admin / Recordkeeping: 8.5%
Investment Management: 31.7%
Audit: 2.5%
Legal: 2.4%

Employer contribution generosity

Median per active participant: $10,181
Plans with $0 employer match: 323 (55.2%)

3-year trend

Year	Plans	Assets	Participants	Median fee	Median employer $
2022	477	$123.3B	—	0.60%	$10,022
2023	612	$165.5B	—	0.64%	$9,661
2024	585	$172.2B	—	0.58%	$10,181

Methodology

All metrics are calculated from U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 annual filings. The slice "500–999 participants · Defined Benefit" includes 585 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_500_999-db.