North Carolina Retirement Plan Benchmarks

Statewide benchmarks across every Form 5500 filer headquartered in the state. Sourced from 21,786 Form 5500 filings for plan year 2024.

Headline numbers (2024)

Plans: 21,786
Total assets: $384.0B
Total participants: 331,086
Median expense ratio: 0.35%
Median employer contribution per active participant: $2,142
Median account balance: $51,951
3-year asset growth (2022–2024): +27.0%

Expense ratio distribution

25th percentile: 0.13%
Median: 0.35%
75th percentile: 0.82%

Where the fees go (average mix)

Admin / Recordkeeping: 28.4%
Investment Management: 16.9%
Audit: 1.2%
Legal: 0.1%

Employer contribution generosity

Median per active participant: $2,142
Plans with $0 employer match: 4,230 (19.4%)

3-year trend

Year	Plans	Assets	Participants	Median fee	Median employer $
2022	19,001	$302.3B	266,149	0.42%	$2,143
2023	20,844	$352.7B	316,046	0.34%	$2,150
2024	21,786	$384.0B	331,086	0.35%	$2,142

Methodology

All metrics are calculated from U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 annual filings. The slice "North Carolina" includes 21,786 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/north-carolina.