RESEARCH |

2021
Defined Benefit Administration Survey

Reported by PLANSPONSOR | Art by Simone Virgini
Industry Snapshot
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Industry Snapshot

The overall defined benefit industry continues to mature …

Total DB admin clients
6,444
Total DB participants
27,711,258
Total DB plans
13,551
Estimated DB assets
>$2.57T

Cash Balance Plans

  • Traditional DB
  • Cash balance

Cash Balance Plans

<10 participants
30%
10 –99 participants
22%
100 –999 participants
23%
1,000 –4,999 participants
14%
≥5,000 participants
11%

Industries Offering Cash Balance Plans*

Utilities
34%
Oil & gas/Energy
20%
Telecom
14%
Law firms
12%
Chemicals
10%
All other industries
4%
*Data is from 2020 PLANSPONSOR Defined Contribution (DC) Survey.

Bundled DB Plan Stats

  • Multiple-plan DB clients
  • DB and DC clients
  • Other DB bundles
  • Single-plan DB clients

DB Plans, by Plan Status

Active/Open
42%
Frozen
42%
Closed
15%
Terminated
1%

DB Plan Participants, by Work Status

Active/Employed
35%
Retired
27%
Separated
38%