Industry · Form 5500 business code 325410
Pharmaceutical & Medicine Mfg: retirement plans
Plans whose sponsor entered this principal business activity code on Form 5500.
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances. The business code is chosen by the filer from the list in the Form 5500 instructions.
For plan year 2024, 367 retirement plans in pharmaceutical & medicine mfg with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500: 331 defined contribution and 36 defined benefit. They reported 1,236,364 participant records and $279.4B in net assets, counting every plan on the form.
The median defined contribution plan held $80,572 per participant, well above the national median of $53,031, and its employer put in $4,698 per active participant (national: $2,174). Among plans reporting Schedule C compensation the median was $113 per participant against $123 nationally.
Employers contributed $6.64B and participants $7.59B during the year, and the plans paid out $23.7B in benefits.
In 2009 the same group numbered 309 plans with $110.8B; by 2024 it was 367 plans (up 19%) and $279.4B (up 152%). From plan year 2023 the 100-participant line counts participants with account balances, which moved many plans to the short form.
Medians compared with all US plans
| Median plan, plan year 2024 | Industry: DC | US: DC | Industry: DB | US: DB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $80,572 | $53,031 | $116,779 | $86,234 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $4,698 | $2,174 | $17,902 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $113 | $123 | $251 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.16% | 0.26% | 0.27% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $109 | $116 | $332 | $527 |
Medians across plans with 100 or more participants (324 DC and 36 DB plans with a Schedule H here). Fee medians cover plans reporting an amount. DC: defined contribution, such as 401(k) and 403(b). DB: defined benefit pension.
Distribution of DC plans
| Measure | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile | Plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $50,116 | $80,572 | $138,460 | 324 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $2,567 | $4,698 | $8,621 | 317 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $47.81 | $113 | $225 | 303 |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $46.04 | $109 | $222 | 307 |
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Plans 100+ | Participants | Net assets | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Median DC assets / participant | Median DC Sch. C / participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025partial | 61 | 281,061 | $80.1B | $1.91B | $2.44B | $100,701 | $105 |
| 2024 | 367 | 1,236,364 | $279.4B | $6.64B | $7.59B | $80,572 | $113 |
| 2023 | 358 | 1,259,656 | $257.9B | $6.12B | $7.23B | $77,206 | $98.43 |
| 2022 | 382 | 1,251,508 | $225.9B | $5.97B | $6.53B | $57,740 | $96.01 |
| 2021 | 371 | 1,209,673 | $271.8B | $5.15B | $6.06B | $70,638 | $98.54 |
| 2020 | 356 | 1,196,054 | $244.4B | $5.06B | $5.55B | $65,167 | $85.30 |
| 2019 | 339 | 1,183,315 | $217.5B | $6.31B | $5.34B | $58,717 | $73.37 |
| 2018 | 326 | 1,203,761 | $187.4B | $4.66B | $4.91B | $51,176 | $64.21 |
| 2017 | 317 | 1,164,400 | $198.2B | $5.93B | $4.50B | $57,115 | $51.33 |
| 2016 | 298 | 1,185,437 | $173.0B | $5.57B | $4.40B | $53,892 | $48.24 |
| 2015 | 281 | 1,194,867 | $164.1B | $5.26B | $4.30B | $52,463 | $35.66 |
| 2014 | 281 | 1,188,936 | $166.9B | $5.14B | $4.06B | $58,414 | $33.86 |
| 2013 | 282 | 1,232,759 | $159.8B | $4.12B | $3.91B | $55,054 | $24.81 |
| 2012 | 278 | 1,246,578 | $137.5B | $5.82B | $3.65B | $45,968 | $21.56 |
| 2011 | 283 | 1,168,124 | $114.2B | $4.45B | $3.54B | $45,067 | $21.24 |
| 2010 | 288 | 1,338,829 | $124.0B | $5.49B | $3.64B | $46,181 | $23.91 |
| 2009 | 309 | 1,399,205 | $110.8B | $5.75B | $3.48B | $36,274 | $23.24 |
Plan year is the year in which the plan year began. The drop in large plans from 2023 follows a rule change: the 100-participant line now counts participants with account balances, so many plans moved to the short form.
Provider share
Service provider organisations named most often on the Schedule C of the 370 plans on this page's list, by number of plans. A plan usually names several providers.
Largest plans
The 40 largest by participants of 370 plans with a page on this site.
| Plan | Sponsor | State | Type | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer / active | Sch. C / participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merck US Pension Plan | Merck & Co., Inc. | NJ | DB | 71,380 | $10.1B | $141,357 | $5,707 | — |
| Abbott Laboratories Stock Retirement Plan | Abbott Laboratories | IL | DC | 61,408 | $17.8B | $290,532 | $7,613 | — |
| Pfizer Savings Plan | Pfizer Inc. | NY | DC | 57,113 | $22.0B | $384,730 | $18,743 | $171 |
| Pfizer Consolidated Pension Plan | Pfizer Inc. | NY | DB | 52,666 | $9.96B | $189,103 | — | — |
| The Lilly Retirement Plan | Eli Lilly and Company | IN | DB | 49,943 | $11.8B | $236,128 | — | $60.10 |
| Merck US Savings Plan | Merck & Co., Inc. | NJ | DC | 41,241 | $15.0B | $363,011 | $7,169 | $3.01 |
| Abbvie Savings Plan | Abbvie Inc. | IL | DC | 39,371 | $13.4B | $340,042 | $11,902 | $109 |
| U.S. Roche 401(k) Savings Plan | Genentech, Inc. | CA | DC | 36,458 | $14.3B | $393,535 | $18,226 | $38.79 |
| Glaxosmithkline Cash Balance Pension Plan | Glaxosmithkline LLC | PA | DB | 35,701 | $2.90B | $81,255 | $18,425 | $181 |
| Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Savings and Investment Program | Bristol-Myers Squibb Company | NJ | DC | 34,444 | $12.7B | $370,021 | $15,065 | — |
| The Lilly Employee 401(k) Plan | Eli Lilly and Company | IN | DC | 31,411 | $13.0B | $415,085 | $7,928 | $75.53 |
| Abbott Laboratories Annuity Retirement Plan | Abbott Laboratories | IL | DB | 30,365 | $8.59B | $282,820 | $17,945 | $140 |
| Bayer Corporation Savings and Retirement Plan | Bayer Corporation | MO | DC | 28,899 | $11.8B | $409,669 | $14,783 | $99.35 |
| Astrazeneca Savings and Security Plan | Astrazeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | DE | DC | 27,192 | $9.63B | $354,098 | $13,167 | $7.78 |
| Sanofi U.S. Group Savings Plan | Sanofi-Aventis US LLC | NJ | DC | 26,596 | $8.49B | $319,398 | $15,469 | $30.68 |
| Novartis Corporation Investment Savings Plan | Novartis Corporation | NJ | DC | 23,877 | $9.91B | $415,037 | $24,058 | $7.83 |
| Abbott - Abbvie Multiple Employer Pension Plan | Abbott Laboratories | IL | DB | 23,300 | $4.22B | $180,954 | — | $595 |
| Amgen Retirement and Savings Plan | Amgen Inc. | CA | DC | 22,645 | $7.72B | $340,712 | $17,909 | $444 |
| CSLB Holdings Inc. 401(k) Plan | CSLB Holdings Inc. | PA | DC | 22,017 | $1.21B | $54,877 | $3,582 | $36.27 |
| GSK 401(k) Plan | Glaxosmithkline LLC | PA | DC | 21,352 | $9.97B | $467,069 | $21,394 | $382 |
| Abbvie Pension Plan | Abbvie Inc. | IL | DB | 20,388 | $5.05B | $247,538 | $19,475 | — |
| Grifols Employee Retirement Savings Plan | Grifols Shared Services NA, Inc. | CA | DC | 19,489 | $980M | $50,297 | $2,007 | $75.59 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim USA Corporation & Its Affiliates Retirement Plan | Boehringer Ingelheim USA Corporation | CT | DB | 17,751 | $1.62B | $91,270 | — | — |
| Gilead Sciences 401(k) Plan | Gilead Sciences, Inc. | CA | DC | 15,358 | $5.31B | $345,936 | $14,362 | $9.25 |
| Pension Plan for Salaried Employees of Novartis Corporation | Novartis Corporation | NJ | DB | 14,555 | $1.77B | $121,666 | $21,459 | — |
| Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 401(k) Savings Plan | Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | NY | DC | 14,007 | $2.61B | $186,050 | $6,612 | $38.37 |
| Novo Nordisk Inc. 401(k) Savings Plan | Novo Nordisk Inc. | NJ | DC | 13,805 | $2.88B | $208,627 | $5,862 | $86.82 |
| Bayer Corporation Pension Plan | Bayer Corporation | MO | DB | 13,649 | $2.01B | $146,985 | — | — |
| Catalent Pharma Solutions, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Catalent Pharma Solutions, Inc. | NJ | DC | 13,098 | $871M | $66,484 | $3,586 | $26.57 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim USA Corporation & Its Affiliates Retirement Savings Plan | Boehringer Ingelheim USA Corporation | CT | DC | 12,809 | $3.10B | $242,318 | $6,816 | — |
| Procter & Gamble Master Retirement Plan | The Procter and Gamble Company | OH | DB | 10,655 | $1.14B | $106,677 | — | $227 |
| Teva Pharmaceuticals Retirement Savings Plan | Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. | NJ | DC | 9,752 | $2.33B | $239,341 | $12,933 | $92.67 |
| Zoetis Savings Plan | Zoetis Inc. | NJ | DC | 9,032 | $2.11B | $234,154 | $11,429 | $55.85 |
| Novo Nordisk Inc. Money Purchase Plan | Novo Nordisk Inc. | NJ | DB | 8,364 | $1.40B | $167,479 | $17,694 | $53.90 |
| Sanofi US Group Pension Plan | Sanofi-Aventis US LLC | NJ | DB | 8,198 | $665M | $81,078 | $50,872 | — |
| Pfizer Consolidated Pension Plan for Employees Resident in Puerto Rico | Viatris Pharmaceuticals LLC | PA | DB | 7,954 | $604M | $75,946 | $9,454 | $275 |
| Biogen 401(k) Savings Plan | Biogen Inc. | MA | DC | 7,813 | $2.16B | $276,359 | $10,760 | — |
| The Lonza US Savings Plan | Lonza USA Inc. | NJ | DC | 7,570 | $1.19B | $157,737 | $8,940 | $143 |
| Perrigo Company Profit-Sharing and Investment Plan | Perrigo Company | MI | DC | 6,679 | $1.15B | $172,115 | $5,249 | $41.63 |
| Retirement Plan for the Hourly Employees of MSD | Merck & Co., Inc. | NJ | DB | 6,342 | $660M | $104,097 | $17,902 | — |
By plan size
By state
Questions and answers
How many retirement plans are there in pharmaceutical & medicine mfg?
367 plans with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500 for plan year 2024, out of 435 pension plans on the full form. Smaller plans file Form 5500-SF and are counted separately where shown.
What is the typical 401(k) balance in pharmaceutical & medicine mfg?
The median defined contribution plan reported $80,572 in net assets per participant (middle half of plans: $50,116 to $138,460); nationally it was $53,031. This is a plan-level average that includes former employees, not a typical person's balance.
What do employers contribute in pharmaceutical & medicine mfg?
The median defined contribution plan received $4,698 in employer contributions per active participant, against $2,174 nationally. Plans with no employer contribution are included at zero.
What are average 401(k) fees in pharmaceutical & medicine mfg?
Among defined contribution plans that report any Schedule C compensation, the median was $113 per participant and 0.16% of net assets (nationally $123 and 0.26%). Schedule C leaves out fund expense ratios and fees the employer pays, so it understates total cost.
Where does this come from?
Form 5500 annual reports in the EBSA research files, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. Medians are computed by this site across plans with 100 or more participants.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. Totals count every pension plan on the full form; medians and the plan list cover plans with 100 or more participants. See the methodology.