State · sponsors with a District of Columbia filing address
Retirement plans in District of Columbia
Form 5500 filings for plan years 2009 to 2025; medians for plan year 2024.
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. A plan is counted in the state of its sponsor's address, not where its participants live.
For plan year 2024, 666 retirement plans based in District of Columbia with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500: 604 defined contribution and 62 defined benefit. They reported 2,338,657 participant records and $152.1B in net assets, counting every plan on the form.
The median defined contribution plan held $85,860 per participant, well above the national median of $53,031, and its employer put in $4,637 per active participant (national: $2,174). Among plans reporting Schedule C compensation the median was $137 per participant against $123 nationally.
Employers contributed $4.85B and participants $2.94B during the year, and the plans paid out $11.7B in benefits.
In 2009 the same group numbered 545 plans with $65.0B; by 2024 it was 666 plans (up 22%) and $152.1B (up 134%). From plan year 2023 the 100-participant line counts participants with account balances, which moved many plans to the short form.
Beyond the full-form filers, 4,579 small plans based in District of Columbia filed the short Form 5500-SF for 2024, with 126,367 participants and $11.5B in net assets. Small plans are counted here and nowhere else on this site.
Medians compared with all US plans
| Median plan, plan year 2024 | DC: DC | US: DC | DC: DB | US: DB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $85,860 | $53,031 | $146,852 | $86,234 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $4,637 | $2,174 | $21,427 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $137 | $123 | $474 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.18% | 0.26% | 0.32% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $121 | $116 | $627 | $527 |
Medians across plans with 100 or more participants (579 DC and 62 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 | $46,682 | $85,860 | $150,310 | 579 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $2,467 | $4,637 | $8,512 | 538 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $52.81 | $137 | $252 | 535 |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $45.33 | $121 | $234 | 555 |
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 | 74 | 207,894 | $10.8B | $459M | $153M | $104,296 | $193 |
| 2024 | 666 | 2,338,657 | $152.1B | $4.85B | $2.94B | $85,860 | $137 |
| 2023 | 647 | 2,294,077 | $137.4B | $4.62B | $2.72B | $79,669 | $108 |
| 2022 | 669 | 2,245,481 | $124.5B | $4.20B | $2.49B | $65,482 | $105 |
| 2021 | 645 | 2,220,435 | $140.4B | $3.98B | $2.19B | $79,210 | $110 |
| 2020 | 629 | 2,146,809 | $129.5B | $3.84B | $2.02B | $72,878 | $94.50 |
| 2019 | 621 | 2,167,047 | $116.2B | $4.34B | $1.94B | $63,667 | $75.04 |
| 2018 | 593 | 2,078,242 | $97.8B | $3.69B | $1.71B | $56,038 | $69.30 |
| 2017 | 592 | 2,069,946 | $103.8B | $3.81B | $1.54B | $59,535 | $58.74 |
| 2016 | 574 | 1,796,920 | $75.0B | $2.92B | $1.39B | $51,761 | $47.48 |
| 2015 | 572 | 2,163,189 | $90.2B | $3.41B | $1.47B | $49,797 | $41.03 |
| 2014 | 559 | 2,161,717 | $95.1B | $3.50B | $1.43B | $52,231 | $35.63 |
| 2013 | 556 | 2,064,305 | $91.4B | $3.27B | $1.32B | $50,104 | $22.39 |
| 2012 | 557 | 2,227,953 | $83.6B | $3.80B | $1.30B | $43,354 | $23.42 |
| 2011 | 560 | 2,128,487 | $75.7B | $3.60B | $1.23B | $37,516 | $24.48 |
| 2010 | 554 | 2,083,539 | $74.7B | $3.35B | $1.17B | $38,625 | $23.62 |
| 2009 | 545 | 2,079,680 | $65.0B | $2.92B | $1.08B | $34,986 | $21.45 |
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 650 plans on this page's list, by number of plans. A plan usually names several providers.
Largest plans
The 60 largest by participants of 650 plans with a page on this site.
| Plan | Sponsor | Type | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer / active | Sch. C / participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Int'l Brotherhood of Electrical Workers' Pension Benefit Fund | International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers' Pension Benefit Fund | DC | 603,067 | $2.71B | $4,494 | — | $17.32 |
| IAM National Pension Fund | Board of Trustees of the I.A.M. National Pension Fund | DB | 311,750 | $14.7B | $47,179 | $6,224 | $189 |
| Central Pension Fund of the IUOE & Participating Employers | Board of Trustees of the CPF of the IUOE and Participating Employers | DB | 233,478 | $27.4B | $117,266 | $11,930 | $133 |
| S.E.I.U. National Industry Pension Fund | Board of Trustees of the S.E.I.U. National Industry Pension Fund | DB | 168,072 | $1.70B | $10,133 | $1,002 | $31.76 |
| Bricklayers & Trowel Trades International Pension Fund | Bricklayers & Trowel Trades Intl Pension FD BD of Trustee | DB | 77,108 | $2.07B | $26,836 | $4,413 | $94.79 |
| United Mine Workers of America 1974 Pension Plan | Umwa 1974 Pension Trust Board of Trustees | DB | 71,051 | $3.71B | $52,158 | $10,701 | $114 |
| Liuna National (Industrial) Pension Fund | Board of Trustees of the Liuna National (Industrial) Pension Fund | DB | 63,303 | $1.65B | $26,051 | $4,478 | $144 |
| GEICO 401(k) Savings Plan | GEICO Corporation | DC | 47,131 | $6.23B | $132,136 | $4,468 | $47.21 |
| I.A.M. National Plan | Board of Trustees I.A.M. 401(k) Fund | DC | 45,058 | $971M | $21,553 | $1,075 | $11.01 |
| Danaher Corporation & Subsidiaries Savings Plan | Danaher Corporation | DC | 37,514 | $6.46B | $172,260 | $7,167 | $54.46 |
| American Red Cross Savings Plan | American National Red Cross | DC | 24,260 | $1.74B | $71,764 | $2,721 | $106 |
| Bricklayers and Trowel Trades Int'l Retirement Savings Plan | Bricklayers and Trowel Trades International Pension Fund | DC | 23,493 | $303M | $12,890 | $874 | $46.38 |
| Amtrak's Retirement Savings Plan for Agreement Employees | National Railroad Passenger Corporation | DC | 21,445 | $974M | $45,408 | $0 | $42.94 |
| Danaher Corporation & Subsidiaries Pension Plan | Danaher Corporation | DB | 21,071 | $1.90B | $90,114 | — | $426 |
| Georgetown University Voluntary Contribution Retirement Plan | Georgetown University | DC | 18,822 | $979M | $52,021 | — | $3.29 |
| SEIU Affiliates Officers and Employees Pension Plan | BD of Trustees SEIU Affiliates Officers and Employees Pension Plan | DB | 17,491 | $1.64B | $93,687 | $9,265 | $213 |
| Georgetown University Defined Contribution Retirement Plan | Georgetown University | DC | 13,202 | $2.45B | $185,583 | $10,786 | $9.63 |
| Retirement System of the American National Red Cross | The American National Red Cross | DB | 12,367 | $1.07B | $86,192 | $2,532 | $86.69 |
| Federal National Mortgage Association Retirement Savings Plan for Employees | Federal National Mortgage Association | DC | 12,017 | $4.60B | $382,987 | $14,311 | $129 |
| Howard University Savings Plan | Howard University | DC | 11,681 | $1.20B | $102,690 | $4,141 | $56.48 |
| Communications Workers of America Savings and Retirement Trust | The Board of Trustees of the Communications Workers of America - | DC | 11,628 | $453M | $38,941 | $983 | $28.24 |
| Liuna Staff and Affiliates Pension Fund | Board of Trustees of Liuna Staff and Affiliates Pension Fund | DB | 11,547 | $2.18B | $188,617 | $33,853 | $473 |
| CNMC Affiliates' 401(k) Retirement Plan | Children's National Hospital | DC | 11,428 | $1.33B | $116,053 | $3,453 | $43.54 |
| Cava Group, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Cava Holding Company, a Delaware Corporation | DC | 10,750 | $18.0M | $1,676 | $31 | $20.74 |
| Teamsters Local 639 - Employers Pension Trust Fund | Joint Board of Trustees Teamsters Local 639 - Employers Pension Trust | DB | 9,501 | $1.72B | $181,375 | $26,244 | $678 |
| Stagwell Global 401(k) Plan | Stagwell Global LLC | DC | 9,342 | $678M | $72,578 | $2,237 | $290 |
| Smiths Group Incentive Savings Plan | Smiths Group Services Corporation | DC | 9,037 | $1.00B | $110,933 | $2,546 | $31.08 |
| American University Defined Contribution Retirement Plan | American University | DC | 8,748 | $1.35B | $154,564 | $3,972 | $22.45 |
| UFCW Intl Union Pension Plan for Employees | Executive Committee of the U.F.C.W Intl Union | DB | 7,935 | $1.15B | $145,411 | $21,957 | $633 |
| Howard University Employees' Retirement Plan | Howard University | DB | 7,845 | $556M | $70,906 | — | $235 |
| Consilio 401(k) Plan | Consilio, LLC | DC | 6,978 | $276M | $39,546 | $2,064 | — |
| The General Pension Plan of the International Union of Operating Engineers | Pension BD of the General Pension Plan of the Int'l Union of Operating | DB | 6,844 | $1.21B | $176,457 | $22,522 | $423 |
| Fti Consulting, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Fti Consulting, Inc. | DC | 6,284 | $1.22B | $193,720 | $7,955 | $85.67 |
| Finra Savings Plus Plan | Finra | DC | 6,201 | $2.49B | $401,128 | $16,320 | $127 |
| Retirement Income Plan for the Employees of National Railroad Passenger Corporation | National Railroad Passenger Corporation | DB | 5,854 | $340M | $58,094 | — | $137 |
| Aarp Employees' Pension Plan | Aarp | DB | 5,813 | $1.57B | $270,431 | $9,174 | $1,426 |
| United Mine Workers of America Cash Deferred Savings Plan of 1988 | Board of Trustees - Umwa Cash Deferred Savings Plan of 1988 | DC | 5,551 | $234M | $42,125 | $4,962 | $53.44 |
| National Railroad Passenger Corporation Savings Plan | National Railroad Passenger Corporation | DC | 5,478 | $916M | $167,157 | $8,281 | $49.09 |
| The Newspaper Guild International Pension Plan | TNG International Pension Fund | DB | 4,996 | $159M | $31,854 | $1,698 | $148 |
| Afscme Employees Pension Plan | American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees | DB | 4,659 | $1.64B | $350,946 | $21,219 | $738 |
| Pension Plan for Employees of the Service Employee Int'l Union | Service Employees Intl Union | DB | 4,654 | $371M | $79,631 | $3,684 | $234 |
| AFL-CIO Staff Retirement Plan | AFL-CIO Staff Retirement Plan Congress of Industrial Organizations | DB | 4,555 | $775M | $170,105 | $41,300 | $547 |
| Chemonics International, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan | Chemonics Holdings, Inc. | DC | 4,305 | $88.4M | $20,539 | $12,907 | — |
| Teamster Affiliates Pension Plan | Board of Trustees Teamster Affiliates Pension Plan | DB | 4,170 | $267M | $63,949 | $41,322 | $164 |
| Medical Faculty Associates 403(b) Plan | Medical Faculty Associates, Inc. | DC | 4,038 | $345M | $85,466 | $5,003 | $36.73 |
| Govcio LLC 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan | Govcio LLC | DC | 4,006 | $282M | $70,398 | $2,831 | $91.59 |
| Aarp Employees 401(k) Plan | Aarp | DC | 3,949 | $999M | $252,855 | $6,032 | $77.46 |
| The Catholic University of America Retirement Plan | The Catholic University of America | DC | 3,854 | $606M | $157,193 | $4,638 | $22.84 |
| Thinkfoodgroup, LLC 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan & Trust | Thinkfoodgroup, LLC | DC | 3,753 | $9.5M | $2,540 | $38 | $27.79 |
| Smiths Group Pension Plan | Smiths Group Services Corporation | DB | 3,455 | $236M | $68,418 | — | $333 |
| Hogan Lovells US LLP Retirement Savings Plan | Hogan Lovells US LLP | DC | 3,434 | $1.91B | $555,012 | $14,303 | — |
| Washington Gas Light Company Employees' Pension Plan | Washington Gas Light Company | DB | 3,400 | $763M | $224,491 | — | $599 |
| Covington & Burling Retirement Savings Plan | Covington & Burling LLP | DC | 3,400 | $1.71B | $501,741 | $13,782 | $180 |
| Nas Primary Retirement Plan | National Academy of Sciences | DC | 3,209 | $398M | $124,101 | $13,069 | $84.67 |
| Arnold & Porter Profit-Sharing and 401(k) Plan and Trust | Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP | DC | 3,061 | $1.58B | $516,020 | $12,944 | $193 |
| Nas Salary Reduction Contribution Retirement Plan | National Academy of Sciences | DC | 3,049 | $360M | $118,045 | — | $90.90 |
| Employees' Retirement Plan of the National Education Association | The National Education Association | DB | 2,972 | $901M | $303,217 | $37,843 | $1,204 |
| Sibley Memorial Hospital 401(k) Plan | Sibley Memorial Hospital | DC | 2,948 | $228M | $77,504 | $2,639 | $98.52 |
| Sibley Memorial Hospital 403(b) Plan | Sibley Memorial Hospital | DC | 2,912 | $10.2M | $3,492 | — | $11.94 |
| SEIU Affiliates' Officers and Employees Supplemental Retirement Savings 401(k) Plan | Service Employees International Union | DC | 2,806 | $108M | $38,582 | $1,034 | $126 |
By plan size
By industry
By plan year
Questions and answers
How many retirement plans are there in District of Columbia?
666 plans with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500 for plan year 2024, out of 867 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 District of Columbia?
The median defined contribution plan reported $85,860 in net assets per participant (middle half of plans: $46,682 to $150,310); 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 District of Columbia?
The median defined contribution plan received $4,637 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 District of Columbia?
Among defined contribution plans that report any Schedule C compensation, the median was $137 per participant and 0.18% 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 and Form 5500-SF 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.