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Employee Benefits Survey
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Defined benefit retirement plans: Employee contribution requirement and method of contribution

Table 3. Defined benefit retirement plans: Employee contribution requirement and method
of contribution, State and local government workers, National Compensation Survey,
March 2013

(All workers participating in defined benefit plans = 100 percent)

Characteristics

Employee
contribution
required

Fixed percent of annual earnings1

Employee
contribution
not required

Total

Mean fixed
percent of
annual
earnings

Median fixed
percent of
annual
earnings

All workers

86

80

6.4

6.4

14

Worker characteristics

          

Management, professional, and related

86

81

6.5

6.4

14

    Professional and related

87

82

6.5

6.5

13

        Teachers

88

84

6.8

6.5

12

            Primary, secondary, and special education
             school teachers

88

83

6.8

6.5

12

Service

86

80

6.7

6.6

14

    Protective service

85

80

7.1

7.0

15

Sales and office

85

80

6.1

6.4

15

    Office and administrative support

85

80

6.2

6.4

15

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

81

77

5.8

6.0

19

Production, transportation, and material moving

84

75

6.3

6.4

16

Full time

86

80

6.4

6.4

14

Part time

87

79

6.6

7.0

13

Union

86

77

6.4

6.6

14

Nonunion

85

84

6.5

6.4

15

Average wage within the following categories:2

          

    Lowest 25 percent

86

83

6.3

6.4

14

        Lowest 10 percent

86

83

6.6

6.4

14

    Second 25 percent

86

79

6.3

6.4

14

    Third 25 percent

84

80

6.2

6.4

16

    Highest 25 percent

87

80

6.8

6.6

13

        Highest 10 percent

88

79

7.0

7.3

12

Establishment characteristics

          

Service-providing industries

86

80

6.5

6.4

14

    Education and health services

87

82

6.6

6.4

13

        Educational services

88

83

6.6

6.5

12

            Elementary and secondary schools

88

83

6.7

6.5

12

            Junior colleges, colleges, and universities

89

85

6.6

6.5

11

        Healthcare and social assistance

79

74

5.9

6.4

21

            Hospitals

76

73

6.1

6.4

24

    Public administration

83

77

6.3

6.4

17

1 to 99 workers

83

79

6.1

6.0

17

    1 to 49 workers

89

85

5.8

6.0

11

    50 to 99 workers

77

72

6.5

6.0

23

100 workers or more

86

80

6.5

6.4

14

    100 to 499 workers

82

77

6.6

6.5

18

    500 workers or more

87

82

6.4

6.4

13

State government

88

80

6.0

6.3

12

Local government

85

80

6.6

6.5

15

Geographic areas

          

Middle Atlantic

94

93

5.6

6.5

6

East North Central

74

66

7.7

9.4

26

West North Central

95

95

6.0

5.0

5

South Atlantic

87

87

4.9

5.0

13

Pacific

77

64

6.9

7.0

23

1The employee contributes a fixed percentage of his or her
earnings to the retirement plan.


NOTE: Because of rounding, sums of individual items may not
equal totals. 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/glossary20122013.htm.

2Surveyed occupations are classified into wage categories
based on the average wage for the occupation, which may include
workers with earnings both above and below the threshold.  The
categories were formed using percentile estimates generated
using data from the National Compensation Survey publication,
"Employer Costs for Employee Compensation - March&nbs p;2013."