NAICS 481 Retirement Plan Benchmarks

Industry benchmarks aggregated by NAICS classification. Sourced from 1,245 Form 5500 filings for plan year 2024.

Headline numbers (2024)

Plans: 1,245
Total assets: $251.4B
Total participants: 3,499,453
Median expense ratio: 0.13%
Median employer contribution per active participant: $2,664
Median account balance: $59,856
3-year asset growth (2022–2024): +20.6%

Expense ratio distribution

25th percentile: 0.03%
Median: 0.13%
75th percentile: 0.32%

Where the fees go (average mix)

Admin / Recordkeeping: 24.7%
Investment Management: 59.1%
Audit: 7.0%
Legal: 1.2%

Employer contribution generosity

Median per active participant: $2,664
Plans with $0 employer match: —

3-year trend

Year	Plans	Assets	Participants	Median fee	Median employer $
2022	1,278	$208.4B	3,816,036	0.26%	—
2023	1,295	$238.5B	3,945,352	0.13%	—
2024	1,245	$251.4B	3,499,453	0.13%	$2,664

Methodology

All metrics are calculated from U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 annual filings. The slice "NAICS 481" is served from the accepted-generation projection 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/industry/481.