Standard Errors
Defined benefit frozen retirement plans: Benefits accrual

Table 5. Standard errors for defined benefit frozen retirement plans:1
Benefits accrual, civilian workers,2 National Compensation Survey,
March 2011

Characteristics

Retirement benefit accrual3

All existing
participants
continue to
accrue
benefits

Some
existing
participants
continue to
accrue
benefits

No existing
participants
continue to
accrue
benefits

All workers

1.4

1.0

1.3

Worker characteristics

      

Management, professional, and related

2.1

1.7

1.6

    Management, business, and financial

2.7

1.6

2.4

    Professional and related

2.3

1.8

1.6

        Teachers

0.2

–

–

            Primary, secondary, and special education
             school teachers

0.2

–

–

        Registered nurses

3.2

0.9

3.1

Service

4.4

–

–

    Protective service

1.4

–

1.4

Sales and office

2.6

1.2

2.5

    Office and administrative support

2.5

1.0

2.4

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

2.9

0.8

2.8

    Construction, extraction, farming, fishing, and
     forestry

4.4

–

–

    Installation, maintenance, and repair

3.9

1.3

3.7

Production, transportation, and material moving

3.8

1.8

3.8

    Production

4.2

1.7

4.1

    Transportation and material moving

5.5

3.1

5.9

Full time

1.4

1.0

1.3

Part time

3.5

–

–

Union

1.7

0.8

1.5

Nonunion

2.0

1.4

1.8

Average wage within the following categories:4

      

    Lowest 25 percent

5.0

–

–

        Lowest 10 percent

10.2

–

–

    Second 25 percent

2.9

1.1

2.9

    Third 25 percent

2.5

1.2

2.3

    Highest 25 percent

1.8

1.4

1.4

        Highest 10 percent

2.5

2.0

1.9

Establishment characteristics

      

Goods-producing industries

3.0

1.9

2.8

Service-providing industries

1.5

1.1

1.5

    Education and health services

1.1

0.6

0.9

        Educational services

0.6

–

–

            Elementary and secondary schools

0.0

–

–

            Junior colleges, colleges, and universities

2.8

–

–

        Health care and social assistance

2.5

1.3

2.0

            Hospitals

2.7

1.7

2.1

    Public administration

0.2

–

–

1 to 99 workers

4.3

1.1

4.3

    1 to 49 workers

5.8

1.8

5.6

    50 to 99 workers

7.2

0.7

7.2

100 workers or more

1.6

1.1

1.2

    100 to 499 workers

2.8

1.4

2.6

    500 workers or more

2.0

1.5

1.6

Geographic areas

      

New England

6.4

0.6

6.3

Middle Atlantic

1.5

0.8

1.6

East North Central

3.5

–

–

West North Central

9.7

–

–

South Atlantic

3.4

1.3

3.1

East South Central

7.9

–

–

West South Central

3.7

1.5

3.2

Mountain

11.6

–

–

Pacific

4.2

2.7

2.4

1Plans closed to new workers or plans that cease accruals for some or all plan participants.

2Includes workers in the private nonfarm economy except those in private households, and workers in the
public sector, except the federal government. See Technical Note for further explanation.

3Benefit accruals are for existing participants since the plan was closed to new workers or stopped
accruing benefits.

4The categories are based on the average wage for each occupation surveyed, which may include
workers with earnings both above and below the threshold. The average wages are based on the estimates
published in the "National Compensation Survey: Occupational Earnings in the United States, 2010." See
Technical Note for more details.


NOTE: Dash indicates no workers in this category or data did not meet publication criteria. For definitions of
major plans, key provisions, and related terms, see the "Glossary of Employee Benefit Terms" at
www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/glossary20102011.htm.