Industry sector · Form 5500 business code 42xxxx
Wholesale trade: retirement plans
Plans whose sponsor entered a business code in this sector 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.
3,900 retirement plans in wholesale trade with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500 for plan year 2024 (3,743 defined contribution, 157 defined benefit). All Form 5500 pension filers in the group reported 4,110,895 participant records and $347.1B in net assets.
The median defined contribution plan held $65,536 per participant, above the national median of $53,031, and its employer put in $2,099 per active participant (national: $2,174). Among plans reporting Schedule C compensation the median was $153 per participant against $123 nationally.
Employers contributed $8.87B and participants $14.1B during the year, and the plans paid out $35.6B in benefits.
In 2009 the same group numbered 4,245 plans with $122.9B; by 2024 it was 3,900 plans (down 8%) and $347.1B (up 182%). 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 | $65,536 | $53,031 | $61,809 | $86,234 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $2,099 | $2,174 | $8,409 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $153 | $123 | $346 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.27% | 0.26% | 0.54% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $147 | $116 | $540 | $527 |
Medians across plans with 100 or more participants (3,542 DC and 157 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 | $39,073 | $65,536 | $102,492 | 3,542 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $1,195 | $2,099 | $3,487 | 3,425 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $74.90 | $153 | $268 | 3,275 |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $61.18 | $147 | $255 | 3,385 |
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 | 577 | 661,878 | $67.2B | $1.71B | $2.70B | $75,828 | $194 |
| 2024 | 3,900 | 4,110,895 | $347.1B | $8.87B | $14.1B | $65,536 | $153 |
| 2023 | 3,985 | 4,112,112 | $318.0B | $8.35B | $13.3B | $59,125 | $134 |
| 2022 | 4,389 | 4,006,413 | $278.0B | $7.95B | $12.3B | $49,074 | $132 |
| 2021 | 4,330 | 3,816,485 | $325.7B | $7.21B | $11.1B | $60,151 | $144 |
| 2020 | 4,354 | 3,746,264 | $299.1B | $6.56B | $9.92B | $55,742 | $124 |
| 2019 | 4,373 | 3,762,081 | $262.8B | $6.73B | $9.54B | $48,491 | $109 |
| 2018 | 4,296 | 3,644,018 | $215.4B | $6.28B | $8.56B | $42,276 | $98.23 |
| 2017 | 4,258 | 3,619,751 | $228.0B | $6.60B | $7.84B | $45,886 | $82.25 |
| 2016 | 4,227 | 3,645,743 | $206.5B | $6.64B | $7.55B | $41,667 | $68.72 |
| 2015 | 4,169 | 3,477,371 | $187.6B | $6.17B | $6.90B | $39,349 | $61.86 |
| 2014 | 4,144 | 3,537,699 | $194.9B | $5.91B | $6.29B | $40,788 | $53.99 |
| 2013 | 4,108 | 3,473,553 | $180.9B | $5.53B | $5.63B | $39,835 | $45.37 |
| 2012 | 4,041 | 3,374,165 | $154.3B | $5.44B | $5.31B | $34,885 | $45.68 |
| 2011 | 4,005 | 3,340,019 | $140.8B | $5.50B | $5.01B | $31,434 | $46.48 |
| 2010 | 4,066 | 3,357,166 | $136.5B | $5.51B | $4.70B | $31,338 | $43.77 |
| 2009 | 4,245 | 3,546,443 | $122.9B | $4.37B | $4.65B | $27,040 | $36.93 |
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 3,917 plans on this page's list, by number of plans. A plan usually names several providers.
Largest plans
The 50 largest by participants of 3,917 plans with a page on this site.
| Plan | Sponsor | State | Type | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer / active | Sch. C / participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 401(k) Retirement Plan | Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | PA | DC | 70,443 | $11.7B | $165,850 | $5,575 | $31.93 |
| Sysco Corporation Employees' 401(k) Plan | Sysco Corporation | TX | DC | 58,747 | $5.25B | $89,362 | $4,169 | $45.13 |
| Acosta, Inc. 401(k) Retirement Plan | Acosta, Inc. | FL | DC | 54,936 | $839M | $15,270 | $252 | $13.21 |
| Toyota Motor North America, Inc. Retirement Savings Plan | Toyota Motor North America, Inc. | TX | DC | 52,440 | $13.3B | $254,461 | $8,679 | $32.59 |
| 401(k) Savings and Profit Sharing Plan for Employees of Nike, Inc. | Nike, Inc. | OR | DC | 48,256 | $5.89B | $122,133 | $3,849 | $45.31 |
| Essilorluxottica Retirement Savings Plan 1 | Essilorluxottica USA Inc. | NY | DC | 47,990 | $1.50B | $31,300 | $1,458 | $20.18 |
| Unfi 401(k) Plan | United Natural Foods, Inc. | RI | DC | 47,810 | $2.76B | $57,809 | $1,211 | — |
| Brightspring Health Services Retirement Savings Plan | Brightspring Health Services | KY | DC | 47,721 | $794M | $16,643 | $175 | $16.13 |
| Cardinal Health 401(k) Savings Plan | Cardinal Health, Inc. | OH | DC | 44,500 | $5.55B | $124,753 | $2,470 | $45.34 |
| The Cargill Partnership Plan | Cargill, Incorporated | MN | DC | 43,508 | $8.92B | $205,035 | $3,337 | $83.49 |
| Genuine Parts Company 401(k) Savings Plan | Genuine Parts Company | GA | DC | 42,220 | $2.88B | $68,313 | $2,613 | $94.98 |
| McKesson Corporation 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan | McKesson Corporation | TX | DC | 42,176 | $5.68B | $134,701 | $3,796 | $21.39 |
| Ferguson Enterprises, LLC, 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan | Ferguson Enterprises, LLC | VA | DC | 38,897 | $3.58B | $92,164 | $2,479 | $70.12 |
| Performance Food Group Employee Savings Plan | Performance Food Group, Inc. | VA | DC | 38,825 | $1.90B | $48,863 | $1,631 | $49.18 |
| Builders Firstsource 401(k) Savings Plan | Builders Firstsource, Inc. | TX | DC | 35,070 | $1.98B | $56,358 | $1,208 | $42.81 |
| US Foods 401(k) Plan | US Foods, Inc. | IL | DC | 33,662 | $2.48B | $73,669 | $3,051 | $35.09 |
| Cargill Employee Retirement Account Plan | Cargill, Incorporated | MN | DC | 32,006 | $613M | $19,144 | $2,963 | $10.57 |
| W. W. Grainger, Inc. Retirement Savings Plan | W.W. Grainger, Inc. | IL | DC | 31,194 | $3.78B | $121,121 | $4,879 | $44.82 |
| Sysco Corporation Retirement Plan | Sysco Corporation | TX | DB | 30,257 | $2.47B | $81,794 | $1,549 | $147 |
| McLane Company, Inc. Profit Sharing Plan | McLane Company, Inc. | TX | DC | 29,196 | $1.51B | $51,639 | $1,872 | $58.30 |
| Medline Industries, LP Retirement Plan | Medline Industries,lp | IL | DC | 28,470 | $1.64B | $57,496 | $1,821 | $61.30 |
| Supervalu Inc. Retirement Plan | Supervalu Inc. | MN | DB | 23,581 | $1.51B | $63,833 | — | — |
| Southern Glazer's 401(k) Plan | Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, LLC | FL | DC | 22,224 | $2.07B | $93,189 | $2,463 | $60.18 |
| Cencora Employee Investment Plan | Cencora, Inc. | PA | DC | 21,967 | $2.44B | $111,218 | $3,952 | $44.87 |
| ABC Supply Company Employees' Savings & Retirement Plan | American Builders & Contractors Supply Co. Inc. | WI | DC | 20,980 | $1.56B | $74,421 | $5,953 | $71.98 |
| Spartannash Company Savings Plus Plan | Spartannash Company | MI | DC | 20,246 | $745M | $36,807 | $705 | $33.46 |
| Bosch Savings Incentive Plan | Robert Bosch LLC | IL | DC | 19,703 | $4.59B | $232,768 | $9,530 | $179 |
| Gordon Food Service, Inc. Profit Sharing Plan | Gordon Food Service, Inc. | MI | DC | 18,591 | $2.76B | $148,373 | $8,016 | $127 |
| Bosch Pension Plan | Robert Bosch LLC | MI | DB | 18,276 | $1.46B | $80,101 | — | $5.63 |
| US LBM Holdings, LLC 401(k) Plan | US LBM, LLC | GA | DC | 17,809 | $620M | $34,835 | $1,092 | $65.64 |
| Owens & Minor 401(k) Savings and Retirement Plan | Owens & Minor, Inc. | VA | DC | 17,272 | $994M | $57,521 | $2,856 | $65.22 |
| Wesco Distribution, Inc. Retirement Savings Plan | Wesco Distribution, Inc. | PA | DC | 16,991 | $1.92B | $112,732 | $3,921 | $73.76 |
| Cargill, Inc. and Associated Companies Salaried Employees Pension Plan | Cargill, Incorporated | MN | DB | 16,751 | $2.00B | $119,254 | $4,568 | $340 |
| Ricoh USA, Inc. Retirement Savings Plan | Ricoh USA, Inc. | PA | DC | 16,405 | $2.17B | $132,038 | $2,377 | $39.59 |
| FJ Management Inc. 401(k) Plan | FJ Management Inc. | UT | DC | 15,777 | $279M | $17,661 | $1,769 | $52.42 |
| Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Retirement Plan | Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | PA | DB | 15,595 | $893M | $57,292 | — | $189 |
| Genuine Parts Company Pension Plan | Genuine Parts Company | GA | DB | 15,587 | $1.96B | $125,878 | — | $369 |
| Employee 401(k) Savings Plan | Consolidated Electrical Distributors | TX | DC | 15,402 | $1.18B | $76,372 | $4,411 | $61.30 |
| Ralph Lauren Corporation 401(k) Plan | Ralph Lauren Corporation | NJ | DC | 15,021 | $827M | $55,027 | $1,401 | $36.96 |
| Republic National 401(k) Plan | Republic National Distributing Company | GA | DC | 14,821 | $1.50B | $100,883 | $2,415 | $94.28 |
| BMW Savings Plan | BMW of North America, LLC | NJ | DC | 14,552 | $2.34B | $160,881 | $7,599 | $114 |
| Sonepar USA 401 (K) Plan | Sonepar Management US, Inc. | SC | DC | 14,502 | $1.56B | $107,725 | $1,928 | $67.04 |
| HD Supply 401(k) Retirement Plan | HD Supply | GA | DC | 14,491 | $556M | $38,390 | $1,836 | $50.64 |
| Reliance, Inc. Master 401(k) Plan | Reliance, Inc. | AZ | DC | 14,445 | $1.65B | $114,450 | $2,611 | $19.02 |
| Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Pension Plan | Toyota Motor North America, Inc. | TX | DB | 14,281 | $4.47B | $312,860 | — | $727 |
| Cargill Investment Plan | Cargill, Incorporated | MN | DC | 13,535 | $574M | $42,434 | $1,571 | $48.28 |
| Cargill, Inc. and Assoc. Co's Pension Plan for Production Employees | Cargill, Incorporated | MN | DB | 13,465 | $598M | $44,381 | — | $28.85 |
| CHS Inc. 401(k) Plan | CHS, Inc. | MN | DC | 13,421 | $1.78B | $132,855 | $5,055 | $74.42 |
| Panasonic Retirement Savings and Investment Plan | Panasonic Corporation of North America | NJ | DC | 13,075 | $1.65B | $126,212 | $3,761 | $46.87 |
| Alex Lee, Inc. and Affiliates Retirement Savings Plan | Alex Lee, Inc. | NC | DC | 12,714 | $323M | $25,417 | $245 | $59.19 |
By plan size
By state
Business codes in this sector
Codes with 20 or more plans of 100+ participants in plan year 2024. Labels are from the official Form 5500 instructions.
Questions and answers
How many retirement plans are there in wholesale trade?
3,900 plans with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500 for plan year 2024, out of 6,255 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 wholesale trade?
The median defined contribution plan reported $65,536 in net assets per participant (middle half of plans: $39,073 to $102,492); 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 wholesale trade?
The median defined contribution plan received $2,099 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 wholesale trade?
Among defined contribution plans that report any Schedule C compensation, the median was $153 per participant and 0.27% 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.