Industry · Form 5500 business code 511130
Book Publishers: 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, 55 retirement plans in book publishers with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500: 49 defined contribution and 6 defined benefit. They reported 86,627 participant records and $10.1B in net assets, counting every plan on the form.
The median defined contribution plan held $101,372 per participant, well above the national median of $53,031, and its employer put in $3,661 per active participant (national: $2,174). Among plans reporting Schedule C compensation the median was $95.79 per participant against $123 nationally.
Employers contributed $198M and participants $383M during the year, and the plans paid out $917M in benefits.
In 2009 the same group numbered 74 plans with $6.24B; by 2024 it was 55 plans (down 26%) and $10.1B (up 61%). 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 | $101,372 | $53,031 | $46,392 | $86,234 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $3,661 | $2,174 | $16,966 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $95.79 | $123 | $294 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.14% | 0.26% | 0.64% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $95.05 | $116 | $632 | $527 |
Medians across plans with 100 or more participants (48 DC and 6 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 | $59,572 | $101,372 | $146,797 | 48 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $1,769 | $3,661 | $5,410 | 45 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $49.09 | $95.79 | $258 | 43 |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $48.93 | $95.05 | $243 | 45 |
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Plans 100+ | Participants | Net assets | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Median DC assets / participant | Median DC Sch. C / participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 55 | 86,627 | $10.1B | $198M | $383M | $101,372 | $95.79 |
| 2023 | 59 | 86,693 | $8.99B | $206M | $353M | $89,587 | $132 |
| 2022 | 64 | 87,373 | $7.76B | $173M | $328M | $70,069 | $126 |
| 2021 | 64 | 84,037 | $9.26B | $163M | $292M | $84,889 | $149 |
| 2020 | 64 | 81,458 | $8.38B | $160M | $271M | $76,889 | $132 |
| 2019 | 66 | 89,177 | $8.12B | $168M | $291M | $61,481 | $117 |
| 2018 | 65 | 91,971 | $6.88B | $178M | $282M | $58,567 | $105 |
| 2017 | 70 | 91,402 | $7.20B | $185M | $261M | $61,810 | $96.52 |
| 2016 | 69 | 94,003 | $6.21B | $173M | $247M | $49,814 | $67.37 |
| 2015 | 68 | 96,296 | $5.89B | $180M | $239M | $47,169 | $61.12 |
| 2014 | 66 | 96,577 | $5.94B | $169M | $223M | $53,430 | $53.18 |
| 2013 | 66 | 140,400 | $9.44B | $213M | $269M | $52,820 | $44.09 |
| 2012 | 65 | 138,409 | $8.04B | $359M | $260M | $48,350 | $25.79 |
| 2011 | 69 | 143,314 | $7.13B | $249M | $253M | $35,790 | $24.26 |
| 2010 | 69 | 153,127 | $7.35B | $359M | $255M | $37,278 | $11.09 |
| 2009 | 74 | 142,164 | $6.24B | $254M | $239M | $30,750 | $12.72 |
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 53 plans on this page's list, by number of plans. A plan usually names several providers.
Largest plans
The 40 largest by participants of 53 plans with a page on this site.
| Plan | Sponsor | State | Type | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer / active | Sch. C / participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bertelsmann 401(k) Savings Plan | Bertelsmann, Inc. | NY | DC | 14,913 | $1.96B | $131,361 | $4,358 | $50.62 |
| Wolters Kluwer 401(k) Plan | Wolters Kluwer United States, Inc. | IL | DC | 12,710 | $2.38B | $187,529 | $6,912 | $114 |
| Scholastic Corporation 401(k) Savings and Retirement Plan | Scholastic Corporation | NY | DC | 6,798 | $688M | $101,275 | $1,629 | $63.77 |
| Houghton Mifflin 401(k) Savings Plan | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company | MA | DC | 4,879 | $644M | $132,034 | $2,901 | $94.97 |
| CJK Group 401(k) Retirement Plan | CJK Group, Inc. | MN | DC | 4,828 | $257M | $53,214 | $700 | $74.17 |
| John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Employees' Savings Plan | John Wiley & Sons, Inc. | NJ | DC | 4,568 | $670M | $146,748 | $5,427 | $33.52 |
| Curriculum Associates 401(k) Plan | Curriculum Associates, LLC | MA | DC | 3,035 | $331M | $108,987 | $3,688 | $23.11 |
| Macmillan Retirement Savings Plan | Macmillan Holdings, LLC | NY | DC | 3,034 | $592M | $195,280 | $5,781 | $65.20 |
| Bertelsmann Pension Account Plan | Bertelsmann, Inc. | NY | DB | 2,980 | $115M | $38,707 | — | $278 |
| Employees' Retirement Plan of John Wiley & Sons,inc. | John Wiley & Sons,inc. | NJ | DB | 2,712 | $174M | $64,220 | — | $238 |
| Houghton Mifflin Retirement Plan | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company | MA | DB | 2,573 | $112M | $43,586 | $16,966 | $299 |
| Hachette Book Group, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Hachette Book Group, Inc. | NY | DC | 2,140 | $283M | $132,309 | $2,336 | $95.79 |
| Pearson Inc. Pension Plan | Pearson Education, Inc. | NJ | DB | 1,821 | $65.3M | $35,879 | — | $887 |
| Simon & Schuster 401(k) Retirement Plan | Simon & Schuster, LLC | NY | DC | 1,561 | $181M | $115,806 | $4,482 | $48.81 |
| Wolters Kluwer CCH, Springhouse and Waverly Pension Plan | Wolters Kluwer United States, Inc. | IL | DB | 1,425 | $70.1M | $49,197 | — | $288 |
| Springer Nature 401(k) Plan | Springer Nature | NY | DC | 1,295 | $225M | $174,065 | $5,838 | $90.62 |
| Oup USA Tax Deferred Annuity Plan | Oup USA | NY | DC | 1,103 | $61.2M | $55,475 | $7,495 | $68.19 |
| Oup USA Defined Contribution Retirement Plan | Oup USA | NY | DC | 1,048 | $72.6M | $69,305 | — | $68.38 |
| Icc Employees 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan | International Code Council | IL | DC | 960 | $120M | $124,828 | $4,394 | $219 |
| W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. Profit Sharing & 401(k) Plan | W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. | NY | DC | 929 | $187M | $201,447 | $4,402 | $34.59 |
| Fpi Retirement Plan | Bertelsmann Inc. | NY | DC | 926 | $12.2M | $13,217 | $0 | $11.49 |
| Benchmark Education Company Profit Sharing 401(k) Plan | Benchmark Education Company LLC | NY | DC | 799 | $43.4M | $54,353 | $1,323 | $137 |
| Cambridge University Press Tax Deferred Annuity Plan | Cambridge University Press | NY | DC | 638 | $53.3M | $83,614 | $730 | $30.10 |
| Retirement Plan for Employees of Walsworth Publishing Company, Inc. | Walsworth Publishing Company, Inc. | MO | DB | 598 | $42.7M | $71,324 | — | $338 |
| Kendall Hunt Retirement Plan | Kendall Hunt Publishing Company | IA | DC | 449 | $81.3M | $180,963 | $8,352 | $331 |
| Chronicle Books Retirement Plan | Chronicle Books, LLC | CA | DC | 408 | $60.7M | $148,680 | $3,792 | $204 |
| Princeton University Press DC Retirement Plan | Princeton University Press | NJ | DC | 408 | $61.9M | $151,808 | $7,983 | $70.17 |
| Bloomsbury Publishing Inc. 401(k) Plan | Bloomsbury Publishing Inc. | NY | DC | 354 | $25.3M | $71,556 | $2,730 | $285 |
| Tyndale House Ministries 401(k) Plan | Tyndale House Ministries | IL | DC | 334 | $62.9M | $188,414 | $5,666 | $274 |
| Viz Media, LLC 401(k) Plan | Viz Media, LLC | CA | DC | 294 | $37.5M | $127,664 | $3,718 | $648 |
| Teacher Created Materials, Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan | Teacher Created Materials, Inc. | CA | DC | 286 | $31.7M | $110,870 | $3,661 | $638 |
| The Quarto Group, Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan | The Quarto Group, Inc. | MA | DC | 267 | $24.3M | $90,829 | $3,859 | $252 |
| Vista Higher Learning, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Vista Higher Learning, Inc. | MA | DC | 258 | $27.5M | $106,684 | $4,873 | $230 |
| Baker Book House Employees' Profit Sharing Plan | Baker Book House Company | MI | DC | 250 | $21.9M | $87,605 | $1,179 | $22.11 |
| O'Neil & Associates, Inc. Profit Sharing and Savings Plan | O'Neil & Associates, Inc. | OH | DC | 243 | $17.4M | $71,761 | $2,140 | $360 |
| O'Neil & Associates, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan | O Neil & Associates, Inc. | OH | DC | 235 | $1.2M | $4,991 | $9,983 | — |
| Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 401(k) Savings Plan | Harry N. Abrams, Inc. | NY | DC | 222 | $23.3M | $105,036 | $3,582 | $158 |
| Dark Horse 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan | Dark Horse Comics, LLC | OR | DC | 213 | $8.9M | $41,552 | $2,465 | $185 |
| Jana, Inc. Retirement Plan | Jana, Inc. | TX | DC | 208 | $9.0M | $43,301 | $986 | $17.33 |
| Chicago Review Press Retirement Savings Plan | Chicago Review Press, Inc. | IL | DC | 208 | $12.2M | $58,606 | $1,876 | $243 |
By plan size
By state
Questions and answers
How many retirement plans are there in book publishers?
55 plans with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500 for plan year 2024, out of 82 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 book publishers?
The median defined contribution plan reported $101,372 in net assets per participant (middle half of plans: $59,572 to $146,797); 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 book publishers?
The median defined contribution plan received $3,661 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 book publishers?
Among defined contribution plans that report any Schedule C compensation, the median was $95.79 per participant and 0.14% 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.