Texas › Transportation and warehousing › 25,000 or more participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
BNSF Railway Company Non-Salaried Employees 401(k) Retirement Plan
Sponsored by BNSF Railway Company, Fort Worth, TX
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. Form 5500 contains no individual account balances. Look up the original filing at EFAST2.
BNSF Railway Company of Fort Worth, Texas sponsors BNSF Railway Company Non-Salaried Employees 401(k) Retirement Plan, an ESOP with a 401(k) feature. Its Form 5500 for the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024 shows 33,118 participants (27,379 active) and $4.79B in net assets.
Net assets came to $144,509 per participant, well above the $62,774 median for defined contribution plans with 25,000 or more participants and well above the $32,883 median for defined contribution plans in transportation and warehousing. The figure is an average across everyone in the plan, including former employees with small balances; Form 5500 holds no individual account data.
The employer contributed $12.5M during the year, or $456 per active participant against a same-size median of $2,417; participants contributed $202M and $99.1M arrived as rollovers and other contributions. Benefits paid out totalled $312M.
Schedule C lists 2 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $332K: $10.01 per participant, well below the same-size median of $36.41. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $38K. Schedule C does not capture every cost: fees netted from fund returns and fees the employer pays directly are outside it.
Across the filings on record, net assets went from $1.55B in 2009 to $4.79B in 2024 (up 209%), and participants from 38,392 to 33,118 (down 14%).
The independent accountant's opinion on the financial statements was unmodified (unqualified).
Compared with similar plans
| Measure | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DC plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $144,509 | $62,774 | $32,883 | $53,102 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $456 | $2,417 | $1,396 | $2,175 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $10.01 | $36.41 | $113 | $123 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.01% | 0.07% | 0.33% | 0.26% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $1.13 | $38.81 | $97.79 | $116 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined contribution plans with 100 or more participants: 25,000 or more participants (608 plans), transportation and warehousing (1,909) and all US plans (63,460). Fee medians cover plans that report an amount.
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Schedule C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 33,118 | $4.79B | $144,509 | $12.5M | $202M | $332K |
| 2023 | 32,807 | $4.14B | $126,113 | $11.7M | $199M | $339K |
| 2022 | 31,796 | $3.58B | $112,492 | $9.4M | $166M | $476K |
| 2021 | 33,091 | $4.21B | $127,183 | $9.3M | $165M | $444K |
| 2020 | 33,731 | $3.71B | $110,083 | $9.5M | $160M | $308K |
| 2019 | 33,457 | $3.47B | $103,683 | $9.8M | $167M | $362K |
| 2018 | 32,728 | $2.93B | $89,569 | $9.9M | $167M | $340K |
| 2017 | 40,642 | $3.05B | $75,041 | $9.0M | $147M | $370K |
| 2016 | 42,299 | $2.68B | $63,290 | $9.0M | $141M | $350K |
| 2015 | 43,436 | $2.49B | $57,295 | $9.3M | $151M | $351K |
| 2014 | 39,775 | $2.53B | $63,639 | $8.5M | $142M | $309K |
| 2013 | 38,246 | $2.34B | $61,110 | $7.7M | $130M | $558K |
| 2012 | 38,091 | $1.99B | $52,342 | $7.4M | $124M | $534K |
| 2011 | 35,513 | $1.79B | $50,489 | $7.0M | $122M | $515K |
| 2010 | 37,636 | $1.72B | $45,711 | $5.3M | $116M | $514K |
| 2009 | 38,392 | $1.55B | $40,349 | $5.1M | $110M | $502K |
Years in which the plan filed the full Form 5500 with 100 or more participants, from 2009. Plan year is the year in which the plan year began.
Statement for the year
- Net assets, beginning of year$4,137,377,113
- Employer contributions$12,485,759
- Participant contributions$202,389,892
- Rollovers and other contributions$99,053,323
- Total contributions$313,928,974
- Total income, including investment results$957,440,232
- Benefits paid$312,363,373
- Administrative expenses$37,500
- Total expenses$314,103,508
- Net income$643,336,724
- Net transfers$5,142,141
- Net assets, end of year$4,785,855,978
Participants
- Active participants27,379
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits984
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits4,310
- Participants with account balances31,563
- Total participants, end of year33,118
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | Recordkeeping and information management; Trustee (directed); Participant loan processing | $294,050 | $0 |
| Qdro Consultants Company | Consulting (general) | $37,500 | $0 |
Schedule C, Part I line 2: providers that received $5,000 or more, with the form's own service codes. Individuals named on Schedule C (plan employees, individual trustees) are never shown and their compensation is excluded. Eligible indirect compensation disclosed by formula carries no dollar amount. See how to read Schedule C fees.
Administrative expenses on Schedule H
- Other administrative expenses$37,500
- Total administrative expenses$37,500
Investment structure
Assets at year end by Schedule H category. The form shows the kind of vehicle holding the money, not the funds on the menu.
- Master trust investment accounts$4.64B · 97.0%
- Participant loans$141M · 3.0%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)No
- Accounting firmWhitley Penn LLP
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $5,000,000
- Blackout period during the yearNo
These are the plan administrator's own answers on Schedule H, Part IV. A reported late transmittal is the filer's disclosure of a timing lapse, usually corrected through the Department of Labor's voluntary program; the amount is the total involved, not a loss.
Plan characteristics
2EProfit-sharing plan2FERISA section 404(c) plan2GTotal participant-directed account plan2IStock bonus2JCode section 401(k) feature2KCode section 401(m) arrangement2OESOP other than a leveraged ESOP2TTotal or partial participant-directed account plan with a default investment account3FPlan sponsor(s) received services of leased employees3HPlan sponsor(s) is (are) a member(s) of a controlled group
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 482110: Rail Transportation.
Similar plans in Texas
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines Co. Retirement Savings Plan | Southwest Airlines Co. | 87,150 | $18.9B | $216,487 |
| Envoy Air Inc. 401(k) Plan | Envoy Air Inc. | 27,975 | $744M | $26,598 |
| American Airlines, Inc. 401(k) Plan | American Airlines, Inc. - Retirement | 114,149 | $16.2B | $141,842 |
| American Airlines, Inc. 401(k) Plan for Pilots | American Airlines, Inc. - Retirement | 18,671 | $11.7B | $624,467 |
| Worldwide Flight Services, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Worldwide Flight Services, Inc. | 16,245 | $83.3M | $5,130 |
| Loomis 401(k) Pre-Tax Savings Plan | Loomis Armored US, LLC | 13,100 | $258M | $19,722 |
Defined contribution plans in transportation and warehousing closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is BNSF Railway Company Non-Salaried Employees 401(k) Retirement Plan?
33,118 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 27,379 were active employees, with net assets of $4,785,855,978. Among defined contribution plans that places it in the 25,000 or more participants band, which held 608 plans in plan year 2024.
What does BNSF Railway Company contribute per participant?
The filing reports $12,485,759 in employer contributions for the year, which is $456 per active participant; the median for plans of the same type and size was $2,417 in plan year 2024. Form 5500 reports the total only. It does not state the match formula, and the per-participant figure is an average, not any one person's contribution.
What fees does the plan pay and how do they compare?
Schedule C reports $331,550 in compensation to service provider organisations, $10.01 per participant or 0.01% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $36.41 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $37,500. Investment costs deducted inside mutual funds and other pooled vehicles are not itemised on Form 5500, so these figures are a floor rather than a full cost.
Who runs the plan?
The sponsor is BNSF Railway Company. Recordkeeping or administration: The Vanguard Group, Inc.. Trustee or custodian: The Vanguard Group, Inc.. The financial statements were audited by Whitley Penn LLP. Form 5500 also names the plan administrator's signer and other individuals; this site publishes organisations only.
Was the audit opinion unqualified?
The filing reports an unmodified (unqualified) opinion. Unmodified (formerly "unqualified") is the standard clean opinion.
How current is this, and does it show my balance?
This is the Form 5500 for the plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024, received by the Department of Labor on 13 Oct 2025. Filings are due seven months after the plan year ends, or nine and a half with an extension, so the public record always runs a year or more behind. It contains plan-level totals only: no individual balances, contributions or names of participants exist in the data.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files (Form 5500, Schedule H, Schedule C) for plan years 2009 to 2025, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. This page shows the latest filing on record for EIN 41-6034000, plan 006, received 13 Oct 2025; an amended filing replaces it at the next build. Medians and percentiles are computed by this site; see the methodology. Report an error through corrections.