California Retirement Plan Benchmarks

Statewide benchmarks across every Form 5500 filer headquartered in the state. Sourced from 153,301 Form 5500 filings for plan year 2024.

Headline numbers (2024)

Plans: 153,301
Total assets: $1478.3B
Total participants: 1,995,379
Median expense ratio: 0.40%
Median employer contribution per active participant: $2,692
Median account balance: $47,867
3-year asset growth (2022–2024): +45.7%

Expense ratio distribution

25th percentile: 0.12%
Median: 0.40%
75th percentile: 1.38%

Where the fees go (average mix)

Admin / Recordkeeping: 24.5%
Investment Management: 23.1%
Audit: 1.9%
Legal: 0.2%

Employer contribution generosity

Median per active participant: $2,692
Plans with $0 employer match: 49,431 (32.2%)

3-year trend

Year	Plans	Assets	Participants	Median fee	Median employer $
2022	130,930	$1014.7B	1,593,185	0.46%	$2,779
2023	146,244	$1303.7B	1,893,946	0.39%	$2,719
2024	153,301	$1478.3B	1,995,379	0.40%	$2,692

Methodology

All metrics are calculated from U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 annual filings. The slice "California" includes 153,301 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/state/california.