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

Table 4. Defined benefit retirement plans:1 Employee contribution requirement and
method of contribution, State and local government workers, National Compensation
Survey, March 2015

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

Characteristics

Employee
contribution
required

Fixed percent of annual earnings2

Employee
contribution
not required

Total

Mean fixed
percent of
annual
earnings

Median fixed
percent of
annual
earnings

All workers

89

78

6.9

6.9

11

Worker characteristics

          

Management, professional, and related

90

80

7.0

6.9

10

    Professional and related

91

81

7.1

6.9

9

        Teachers

92

85

7.3

7.0

8

            Primary, secondary, and special education
             school teachers

92

85

7.4

7.0

8

Service

90

76

7.2

7.0

10

    Protective service

90

77

7.5

7.4

10

Sales and office

88

74

6.6

6.8

12

    Office and administrative support

87

74

6.7

6.8

13

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

89

74

6.2

6.0

11

Production, transportation, and material moving

84

66

6.7

6.8

16

Full time

89

78

6.9

6.9

11

Part time

88

71

7.3

7.0

12

Union

90

70

7.0

7.0

10

Nonunion

89

86

6.8

6.7

11

Average wage within the following categories:3

          

    Lowest 25 percent

88

82

6.7

6.7

12

        Lowest 10 percent

90

84

7.1

6.7

10

    Second 25 percent

88

75

6.7

6.9

12

    Third 25 percent

90

78

6.8

6.7

10

    Highest 25 percent

91

76

7.4

7.0

9

        Highest 10 percent

93

74

7.7

7.5

7

Establishment characteristics

          

Service-providing industries

89

78

6.9

6.9

11

    Education and health services

91

82

7.1

6.9

9

        Educational services

92

84

7.1

7.0

8

            Elementary and secondary schools

92

84

7.1

7.0

8

            Junior colleges, colleges, and universities

94

85

7.1

7.0

6

        Health care and social assistance

78

63

6.5

6.7

22

            Hospitals

76

61

6.7

6.7

24

    Public administration

87

71

6.8

6.9

13

1 to 99 workers

86

77

7.0

6.4

14

    1 to 49 workers

94

80

6.7

6.4

6

100 workers or more

90

78

6.9

6.9

10

    100 to 499 workers

87

78

7.2

6.9

13

    500 workers or more

91

78

6.8

6.9

9

State government

90

75

6.6

6.8

10

Local government

89

79

7.0

6.9

11

Geographic areas

          

Northeast

97

56

6.8

6.9

3

    New England

98

59

7.2

7.0

2

    Middle Atlantic

96

56

6.6

6.9

4

South

92

91

6.1

6.4

8

    South Atlantic

93

92

5.1

5.3

7

Midwest

88

80

7.7

7.0

12

    East North Central

85

72

8.4

9.4

15

    West North Central

95

94

6.9

6.0

5

West

80

69

8.0

8.0

20

    Pacific

79

65

7.2

7.7

21

1The 2014 estimates are not strictly comparable to corresponding estimates in previous years. See technical note for more
information.

2The employee contributes a fixed percentage of his or her earnings to the retirement plan.

3Surveyed 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: Because of rounding, sums of individual items may not equal totals. 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.