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Employee benefits for domestic partners in March 2013

October 18, 2013

Nearly half of private industry employees with access to a defined benefit retirement plan in March 2013 had a plan that provides survivor benefits to same‐sex domestic partners. Among state and local government workers with access to a defined benefit retirement plan, three-fifths had a plan that provides survivor benefits to same‐sex domestic partners.

 

Percent of workers in private industry and state and local government with access to defined-benefit retirement plans by provision of survivor benefits for domestic partners, March 2013
CharacteristicSurvivor benefits availableSurvivor benefits not available

Private industry

  

  Same-sex domestic partners

910

  Opposite-sex domestic partners

811

State and local government

  

  Same-sex domestic partners

5033

  Opposite-sex domestic partners

4835

 

Nineteen percent of employees in private industry had access to a defined benefit retirement plan in March 2013. Nine percent were in plans that provide survivor benefits for same-sex partners and 8 percent for opposite-sex partners.

Among state and local government employees, 83 percent had access to a defined benefit retirement plan in March 2013. Fifty percent were in plans that provide survivor benefits for same-sex partners and 48 percent for opposite-sex partners.

In private industry, 70 percent of workers had access to healthcare benefits in March 2013. Thirty-one percent of workers had access to plans that provide healthcare benefits to same-sex partners, and 26 percent had access to plans that provide healthcare benefits to opposite-sex partners.

 

Percent of workers in private industry and state and local government with access to healthcare benefits by availability of benefits for domestic partners, March 2013
CharacteristicPartner benefits availablePartner benefits not available

Private industry

  

  Same-sex domestic partners

3139

  Opposite-sex domestic partners

2644

State and local government

  

  Same-sex domestic partners

3354

  Opposite-sex domestic partners

2859

 

In state and local government, 87 percent of workers had access to healthcare benefits in March 2013. Thirty-three percent of workers had access to plans that provide healthcare benefits to same-sex partners, and 28 percent had access to plans that provide healthcare benefits to opposite-sex partners.

These data are from the National Compensation Survey – Benefits program. To learn more, see "Unmarried Domestic Partners Benefit Fact Sheet, March 2013" (PDF) and Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2013, Bulletin 2776. Employees are considered to have access to a benefit plan if it is available for their use, regardless of whether they choose to enroll. A defined benefit retirement plan provides employees with guaranteed retirement benefits based on a benefit formula. A participant’s retirement age, length of service, and preretirement earnings may affect the benefits received.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Employee benefits for domestic partners in March 2013 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2013/ted_20131018.htm (visited March 19, 2024).

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