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Employee Benefits Survey
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Retirement benefits: Access, participation, and take-up rates

Table 2. Retirement benefits: Access, participation, and take-up rates,1 State and local government workers, National
Compensation Survey, March 2015

(All workers = 100 percent)

Characteristics

All retirement benefits2

Defined benefit

Defined contribution

Access

Participation3

Take-up
rate3

Access

Participation3

Take-up
rate3

Access

Participation

Take-up
rate

All workers

90

81

90

84

75

89

33

15

45

Worker characteristics

                  

Management, professional, and related

92

82

89

87

76

87

34

15

44

    Professional and related

92

81

89

87

76

87

33

14

41

        Teachers

91

81

89

88

76

87

32

12

37

            Primary, secondary, and special education
             school teachers

99

89

90

98

88

89

27

8

28

Service

85

77

91

79

71

90

28

12

42

    Protective service

92

84

92

86

79

92

32

13

42

Sales and office

89

81

91

83

74

90

35

18

50

    Office and administrative support

90

82

91

84

75

90

35

17

48

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

96

88

92

90

81

90

35

18

53

Production, transportation, and material moving

85

78

91

79

71

91

26

12

45

Full time

99

89

90

93

82

89

37

17

45

Part time

39

33

85

36

31

87

9

4

38

Union

97

88

90

95

85

89

34

12

35

Nonunion

84

75

90

75

66

88

32

17

54

Average wage within the following categories:4

                  

    Lowest 25 percent

75

67

90

68

61

90

26

12

45

        Lowest 10 percent

61

54

89

53

47

89

19

9

49

    Second 25 percent

93

83

89

87

76

88

34

16

48

    Third 25 percent

94

84

89

89

78

87

34

16

47

    Highest 25 percent

98

89

91

94

84

89

37

15

41

        Highest 10 percent

98

89

91

92

81

89

43

17

39

Establishment characteristics

                  

Service-providing industries

90

81

90

84

74

88

33

15

45

    Education and health services

91

80

88

85

74

87

32

13

42

        Educational services

91

81

89

88

77

87

29

11

37

            Elementary and secondary schools

92

82

89

91

81

89

23

6

27

            Junior colleges, colleges, and universities

87

76

87

77

61

79

48

25

52

        Health care and social assistance

89

77

87

68

58

86

53

31

59

            Hospitals

95

81

85

71

60

84

57

32

57

    Public administration

91

84

92

87

79

91

34

16

46

1 to 99 workers

78

70

89

68

60

88

28

18

63

    1 to 49 workers

70

63

90

60

52

88

23

14

59

    50 to 99 workers

91

80

89

81

71

88

35

24

67

100 workers or more

91

82

90

86

77

89

33

14

43

    100 to 499 workers

88

80

91

81

73

90

31

15

48

    500 workers or more

93

83

89

88

78

88

34

14

41

State government

93

84

90

87

75

86

42

20

47

Local government

89

80

90

83

74

89

29

13

44

Geographic areas

                  

Northeast

91

81

89

87

76

88

30

8

27

    New England

86

78

91

82

74

89

–

9

–

    Middle Atlantic

93

82

89

88

77

87

37

8

22

South

91

81

89

86

75

88

36

15

42

    South Atlantic

91

80

88

88

76

86

50

17

34

    East South Central

93

81

87

85

73

87

26

13

49

    West South Central

90

83

92

82

75

92

21

13

65

Midwest

87

78

90

79

69

87

40

17

42

    East North Central

85

78

92

78

71

91

44

15

34

    West North Central

91

79

87

79

65

82

33

20

60

West

90

82

91

85

78

91

22

18

81

    Mountain

88

76

86

83

71

85

22

14

62

    Pacific

91

85

93

86

80

93

21

19

89

1The take-up rate is an estimate of the percentage of workers with access to a plan who participate in the plan, rounded for presentation. See Technical Note for more details.

2Includes defined benefit pension plans and defined contribution retirement plans. Workers are considered as having access or as participating if they have access to or are participating in
at least one of these plan types.

3The 2014 estimates are not strictly comparable to corresponding estimates in previous years. See technical note for more information.

4Surveyed 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 wage data for March 2015.


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/glossary20142015.htm.