2026
DC Survey: Plan Benchmarking
By studying trends in DC retirement program design and governance, sponsors can benchmark and potentially improve their own plans. This year’s report includes a new section on financial wellness programs.
Survey
Respondent Profile
Plan Sizes
The 2026 DC Survey: Plan Benchmarking report shows that plans on the small end of the spectrum generally pay the largest investment fees—45.9% of plans with less than $5 million in assets had an average asset-weighted expense ratio of greater than 50 basis points, compared with 7.4% of plans with greater than $1 billion in assets, for example. Plan size not only affects cost, but influences plan design. The survey showed less than one-quarter (24.9%) of the smallest plans use automatic enrollment, as compared with nearly three-quarters (74.9%) of the largest plans. —RM
Plan Types
Given the history of 403(b)s as annuity-based plans and 457 plans often being sponsored by government entities accustomed to providing retirement income via defined benefit plans, these plan types are ahead of the game when it comes to offering retirement income help to participants, according to the 2026 DC Survey: Plan Benchmarking report. Nearly half (46.7%) of 457 plans and nearly one-quarter (24.4%) of 403(b)s offered in-plan retirement income products, compared with only 6.4% of 401(k)s. Additionally, 403(b) plan sponsors were the most likely among plan types to use measures of retirement income or income replacement goals to evaluate their DC plan’s success. —RM
Contributions
According to the 2026 PLANSPONSOR DC Survey: Plan Benchmarking report, two-thirds of plan sponsors (66.6%) responded that they match employee deferrals, while nearly half (49.6%) said they make a nonelective or profit-sharing contribution. As for employee deferrals, the biggest percentage of DC plan sponsors (33.7%) reported still using a default deferral rate with automatic enrollment of about 3%, although the percentage of plan sponsors using a rate of about 6%, as is more recommended, grew to 23.3%, up from 18.7% in the prior survey. —RM
Offers Nonelective or Profit-Sharing Contributions
- Yes
- No
- Unsure
Offers Matching Contributions
- Yes
- No
- Unsure
Employer Match
Offering an employer matching contribution in defined contribution plans can incentivize employee participation. Match eligibility periods and vesting schedules that favor plan participants can be further incentives and can be used for employee attraction, depending on plan sponsor goals. The 2026 DC Survey: Plan Benchmarking report shows that 59.1% of DC plan sponsors tie match eligibility to plan eligibility, and 25.4% of DC Survey respondents reported that participants are immediately 100% vested. —RM
Highest and Lowest, by Industry
Below, we showcase the highest and lowest responses for some metrics from the 51 industries represented in the 2025 DC Survey. Highest and lowest are not always accurate measures of plan success, as there can be several reasonable factors that go into the numbers. Higher participation rates and average account balances can be expected from industries that pay higher salaries. High employee turnover likely explains low participation rates in the restaurant and food services industry, while the availability of defined benefit plans contributes to the low DC plan participation rate for the government/public works sector. —RM
Participation Rate
| 1 | Biotech | 86.9% |
| 2 | Telecommunications | 86.5% |
| 3 | Pharmaceuticals | 85.4% |
| 4 | Accounting, CPA firms and financial planning | 83.4% |
| 5 | Chemicals and mining | 80.5% |
| 46 | Government/Public works – County, state and federal | 61.0% |
| 47 | Social services | 60.9% |
| 48 | Consumer services | 58.8% |
| 49 | Restaurants and food service | 57.5% |
| 50 | Religious organizations | 55.1% |
Average Account Balance
| 1 | Law firms | $338,622 |
| 2 | Airlines and travel | $232,440 |
| 3 | Financial services | $214,992 |
| 4 | Health care organizations (for-profit) | $197,693 |
| 5 | Accounting, CPA firms and financial planning | $195,248 |
| 46 | Hotels, gaming, entertainment and hospitality | $75,690 |
| 47 | Health care organizations (not-for-profit) | $74,412 |
| 48 | Social services | $68,702 |
| 49 | Government/Public works – County, state and federal | $61,322 |
| 50 | Government/Public works – City and municipal | $54,002 |
Average Deferral Rate
| 1 | Government/Public works – City and municipal | 15.5% |
| 2 | Government/Public works – County, state and federal | 11.0% |
| 3 | Aerospace and defense | 9.9% |
| 4 | Printing | 9.6% |
| 5 | Utilities | 9.3% |
| 46 | Retail | 5.4% |
| 47 | Equipment – Sales, leasing and service | 5.3% |
| 48 | Agriculture | 4.8% |
| 49 | Consumer services | 4.5% |
| 50 | E-Commerce | 3.4% |
Immediate Eligibility
| 1 | Religious organizations | 78.9% |
| 2 | Aerospace and defense | 65.1% |
| 3 | Education – Higher ed | 64.4% |
| 4 | Biotech | 59.1% |
| 5 | Chemicals and mining | 57.1% |
| 46 | Printing | 23.1% |
| 47 | Consumer services | 22.6% |
| 48 | Real estate | 22.4% |
| 49 | Restaurants and food service | 21.3% |
| 50 | Wholesale | 17.7% |
Immediate Vesting
| 1 | Manufacturing – Industrial products | 70.9% |
| 2 | Religious organizations | 64.3% |
| 3 | Education – Higher ed | 61.5% |
| 4 | Pharmaceuticals | 57.1% |
| 5 | Membership organizations, industry associations and labor unions | 43.3% |
| 46 | Government/Public works – County, state and federal | 16.0% |
| 47 | E-Commerce | 12.9% |
| 48 | Architecture | 12.1% |
| 49 | Government/Public works – City and municipal | 10.3% |
| 50 | Advertising and marketing | 8.7% |
Financial Wellness
A major new component of the 2025 DC Survey explored financial wellness offerings. Historically considered optional, these benefits are increasingly integrated into retirement programs—and even reflected in federal law. In the 2026 DC Survey: Plan Benchmarking report, we note that a little more than one-third (34.8%) of plan sponsors reported offering an integrated financial wellness program. Respondents reported that the primary benefit of converging financial, physical and mental wellness programs is improved employee satisfaction, reported by 66.0%.
The survey also asked about obstacles to offering a financial wellness program, the most valuable resources within a program and measuring program success, among other things. These findings and more will be available for purchase soon. —RM
Use an Integrated Financial Wellness Program
- Yes
- No
Primary Benefit Seen From Converging Financial, Physical and Mental Wellness Programs
- Improved employee satisfaction
- Better employee retention
- Increased productivity
- Cost savings
- Other
Powerful DC Benchmarking at Your Fingertips —
2026 PLANSPONSOR Industry Reports Now Available
Tap into 125+ pages of PLANSPONSOR’s proprietary DC Survey data, including comprehensive benchmarking tables across 9 plan types and 51 industries. These reports deliver clarity and comparison points that professionals need to evaluate and improve plan design.
Purchase the reports to:- Compare plans by industry and asset size
- Equip advisers and internal teams with reliable data
- Strengthen strategic planning with industry specific insights
- Identify design improvements that enhance participant outcomes
AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NOW!
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