NAICS 518 Retirement Plan Benchmarks

Industry benchmarks aggregated by NAICS classification. Sourced from 2,406 Form 5500 filings for plan year 2024.

Headline numbers (2024)

Plans: 2,406
Total assets: $44.2B
Total participants: 40,302
Median expense ratio: 0.25%
Median employer contribution per active participant: $3,290
Median account balance: $48,453
3-year asset growth (2022–2024): +43.3%

Expense ratio distribution

25th percentile: 0.09%
Median: 0.25%
75th percentile: 0.50%

Where the fees go (average mix)

Admin / Recordkeeping: 17.8%
Investment Management: 28.2%
Audit: 1.4%
Legal: 0.0%

Employer contribution generosity

Median per active participant: $3,290
Plans with $0 employer match: 750 (31.2%)

3-year trend

Year	Plans	Assets	Participants	Median fee	Median employer $
2022	2,232	$30.8B	38,496	0.30%	$2,901
2023	2,376	$37.9B	39,498	0.25%	$3,053
2024	2,406	$44.2B	40,302	0.25%	$3,290

Methodology

All metrics are calculated from U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 annual filings. The slice "NAICS 518" includes 2,406 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/industry/518.