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Industry · Form 5500 business code 541800
Advertising & Related Services: 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.
393 retirement plans in advertising & related services with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500 for plan year 2024 (385 defined contribution, 8 defined benefit). All Form 5500 pension filers in the group reported 416,582 participant records and $35.1B in net assets.
The median defined contribution plan held $67,850 per participant, well above the national median of $53,031, and its employer put in $2,731 per active participant (national: $2,174). Among plans reporting Schedule C compensation the median was $161 per participant against $123 nationally.
Employers contributed $645M and participants $1.98B during the year, and the plans paid out $3.69B in benefits.
In 2009 the same group numbered 323 plans with $9.55B; by 2024 it was 393 plans (up 22%) and $35.1B (up 268%). 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 | $67,850 | $53,031 | $60,054 | $86,234 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $2,731 | $2,174 | $26,718 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $161 | $123 | $456 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.25% | 0.26% | 0.89% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $161 | $116 | $813 | $527 |
Medians across plans with 100 or more participants (364 DC and 8 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 | $49,137 | $67,850 | $100,385 | 364 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $1,640 | $2,731 | $4,051 | 358 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $71.73 | $161 | $278 | 346 |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $68.67 | $161 | $281 | 356 |
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 | 52 | 27,703 | $2.07B | $34.9M | $127M | $75,569 | $223 |
| 2024 | 393 | 416,582 | $35.1B | $645M | $1.98B | $67,850 | $161 |
| 2023 | 405 | 425,451 | $31.0B | $678M | $1.94B | $57,003 | $137 |
| 2022 | 457 | 444,889 | $26.1B | $674M | $1.84B | $43,538 | $121 |
| 2021 | 416 | 423,276 | $30.8B | $520M | $1.55B | $55,658 | $137 |
| 2020 | 410 | 398,449 | $27.3B | $462M | $1.39B | $51,863 | $122 |
| 2019 | 393 | 412,330 | $23.9B | $476M | $1.32B | $42,640 | $98.33 |
| 2018 | 375 | 350,004 | $19.0B | $435M | $1.16B | $36,192 | $91.83 |
| 2017 | 367 | 345,899 | $19.7B | $436M | $1.10B | $40,437 | $79.63 |
| 2016 | 362 | 357,552 | $17.0B | $406M | $1.03B | $35,299 | $62.68 |
| 2015 | 350 | 337,228 | $15.0B | $367M | $938M | $34,996 | $66.74 |
| 2014 | 336 | 341,192 | $15.4B | $410M | $890M | $36,616 | $54.16 |
| 2013 | 327 | 325,932 | $14.6B | $412M | $819M | $36,444 | $45.74 |
| 2012 | 307 | 320,454 | $12.1B | $350M | $740M | $31,041 | $38.79 |
| 2011 | 304 | 311,813 | $10.7B | $343M | $706M | $28,850 | $29.73 |
| 2010 | 290 | 315,753 | $10.8B | $345M | $660M | $29,526 | $28.18 |
| 2009 | 323 | 326,025 | $9.55B | $319M | $648M | $26,263 | $24.46 |
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 396 plans on this page's list, by number of plans. A plan usually names several providers.
Largest plans
The 40 largest by participants of 396 plans with a page on this site.
| Plan | Sponsor | State | Type | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer / active | Sch. C / participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publicis Benefits Connection 401(k) Plan | MMS USA Holdings, Inc. | IL | DC | 53,568 | $5.23B | $97,587 | $4,188 | $32.81 |
| Omnicom Group Retirement Savings Plan | Omnicom Group Inc. | NY | DC | 42,833 | $4.47B | $104,358 | $164 | $44.93 |
| The Savings and Investment Plan | WPP Group USA, Inc. | NY | DC | 41,591 | $4.71B | $113,260 | $3,906 | $37.91 |
| Advantage 401(k) Savings Plan | Advantage Sales & Marketing, LLC | MO | DC | 38,285 | $765M | $19,970 | $346 | $36.93 |
| The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. Savings Plan | The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. | NY | DC | 37,524 | $4.07B | $108,565 | $3,183 | $108 |
| Benefitsplus 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan | Dentsu International Americas, LLC | NY | DC | 14,475 | $1.22B | $84,348 | $3,066 | $56.92 |
| Havas North America 401(k) Retirement Plan | Havas North America, Inc. | NY | DC | 6,363 | $777M | $122,176 | $1,932 | $38.50 |
| The Lamar Savings and Profit Sharing Plan | Lamar Media Corp. | LA | DC | 4,286 | $517M | $120,689 | $2,079 | $73.66 |
| Horizon Media, LLC 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan | Horizon Media Holdings, LLC | NY | DC | 3,587 | $232M | $64,743 | $1,981 | $71.64 |
| Hibu Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan Trust | Hibu Inc. | IA | DC | 2,945 | $352M | $119,416 | $1,584 | $98.16 |
| Ipsos America , Inc. 401(k) Plan | Ipsos America, Inc. | CT | DC | 2,926 | $399M | $136,306 | $2,368 | $92.60 |
| S4 Capital 401(k) Plan | Mightyhive Inc. | CA | DC | 2,887 | $160M | $55,344 | $4,572 | $46.47 |
| The Real Chemistry 401(k) Savings Plan | Real Chemistry, Inc. | CA | DC | 2,799 | $223M | $79,769 | $3,501 | $69.03 |
| The Trade Desk 401(k) Plan | The Trade Desk, Inc. | CA | DC | 2,713 | $298M | $110,012 | $7,479 | $45.87 |
| Outfront Media 401(k) Plan | Outfront Media LLC | NY | DC | 2,601 | $364M | $140,067 | $3,716 | $176 |
| Cars.com, LLC 401(k) Retirement Plan | Cars.com, LLC | IL | DC | 2,557 | $241M | $94,297 | $4,187 | $57.77 |
| CB Neptune Holdings LLC 401(k) Plan | CB Neptune Holdings LLC | NJ | DC | 2,530 | $32.7M | $12,937 | $67 | $13.65 |
| Vox Media 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan and Trust | Vox Media, LLC | DC | DC | 2,299 | $179M | $77,991 | $3,782 | $101 |
| Kantar 401(k) Plan | Kantar, LLC | NY | DC | 2,277 | $373M | $163,926 | $3,535 | $54.91 |
| BCOM3 Cash Balance Plan | MMS USA Holdings, Inc. | IL | DB | 2,252 | $135M | $59,731 | — | $534 |
| Halo Branded Solutions, Inc. 401(k) Savings Plan | Halo Branded Solutions, Inc. | IL | DC | 2,239 | $151M | $67,572 | $422 | $117 |
| Ogilvy & Mather Account Balance Defined Benefit Continuation Pension Plan | The Ogilvy Group, LLC | NY | DB | 2,229 | $171M | $76,500 | — | $326 |
| Young & Rubicam LLC Career Cash Balance Continuation Plan | Young & Rubicam LLC | NY | DB | 2,078 | $60.5M | $29,119 | — | $343 |
| Squarespace, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Squarespace, Inc. | NY | DC | 2,071 | $187M | $90,379 | $6,135 | $70.59 |
| Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings 401(K)SAVINGS Plan | Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. | TX | DC | 1,917 | $204M | $106,323 | $2,057 | $133 |
| Inizio USA 401(k) Plan | Huntsworth Group, Inc. | PA | DC | 1,888 | $133M | $70,413 | $2,235 | $79.47 |
| Project Worldwide, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan | Project Worldwide, Inc. | MI | DC | 1,880 | $439M | $233,583 | $834 | $41.07 |
| 4IMPRINT, Inc. 401(k) Plan | 4IMPRINT, Inc. | WI | DC | 1,820 | $135M | $74,056 | $2,185 | — |
| Media Holdings 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan | V P Holdings LLC | FL | DC | 1,702 | $122M | $71,579 | $685 | $103 |
| Wieden & Kennedy, Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan | Wieden & Kennedy, Inc. | OR | DC | 1,685 | $253M | $150,302 | $3,844 | $94.16 |
| Monster Worldwide Inc. 401(k) Savings Plan | Monster Worldwide, LLC. | MA | DC | 1,517 | $223M | $147,188 | $2,312 | $162 |
| Harte Hanks Investment Plus | Harte-Hanks, Inc. | MA | DC | 1,405 | $149M | $106,083 | $1,259 | $24.71 |
| Criteo Corporation 401(k) Retirement Plan | Criteo Corporation | NY | DC | 1,333 | $133M | $100,098 | $7,319 | $139 |
| J. Knipper and Company, Inc. Profit Sharing Plan | J. Knipper and Company, Inc. | NJ | DC | 1,223 | $33.2M | $27,108 | $285 | $43.89 |
| Grand View Administrative Serv 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan & Trust | Grand View Administrative Serv | CA | DC | 1,219 | $5.9M | $4,841 | $0 | $42.09 |
| Ibotta, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Ibotta, Inc. | CO | DC | 1,204 | $64.9M | $53,901 | $3,860 | $112 |
| Fingerpaint Marketing, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Fingerpaint Marketing, Inc. | NY | DC | 1,160 | $67.2M | $57,901 | $4,052 | $185 |
| Finn Partners, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Finn Partners, Inc. | NY | DC | 1,132 | $115M | $101,958 | $901 | $103 |
| Ansira Partners, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Ansira Partners II, LLC | MO | DC | 1,110 | $75.7M | $68,177 | $2,821 | $277 |
| Applovin Corporation 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan and Trust | Applovin Corporation | CA | DC | 1,106 | $95.9M | $86,689 | $7,013 | $17.82 |
By plan size
By state
Questions and answers
How many retirement plans are there in advertising & related services?
393 plans with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500 for plan year 2024, out of 741 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 advertising & related services?
The median defined contribution plan reported $67,850 in net assets per participant (middle half of plans: $49,137 to $100,385); 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 advertising & related services?
The median defined contribution plan received $2,731 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 advertising & related services?
Among defined contribution plans that report any Schedule C compensation, the median was $161 per participant and 0.25% 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.