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Employee Benefits Survey
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Defined benefit frozen retirement plans: Plan alternatives

Table 7. Defined benefit frozen retirement plans:1 Plan alternatives, private industry workers, 
National Compensation Survey, March 2015

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

Characteristics

No
alternative to
frozen plans

Alternatives
to frozen
plans

Alternatives to frozen plans2

Modified
existing
defined
benefit plan

New defined
benefit plan

Enhanced
existing
defined
contribution
plan

New defined
contribution
plan

All workers

12

88

5

27

32

31

Worker characteristics

            

Management, professional, and related

10

90

4

30

35

31

    Management, business, and financial

10

90

4

30

35

27

    Professional and related

9

91

4

30

35

33

Service

18

82

–

9

23

50

Sales and office

18

82

6

19

33

26

    Sales and related

23

77

4

–

35

35

    Office and administrative support

17

83

7

23

33

24

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

4

96

6

38

43

13

    Installation, maintenance, and repair

4

96

–

40

43

13

Production, transportation, and material moving

11

89

4

28

21

42

    Transportation and material moving

10

90

5

32

17

44

Full time

11

89

4

28

33

31

Part time

24

76

7

17

18

37

Union

3

97

4

45

28

24

Nonunion

15

85

5

21

33

33

Average wage within the following categories:3

            

    Lowest 25 percent

34

66

3

–

20

34

        Lowest 10 percent

54

46

–

–

–

–

    Second 25 percent

16

84

8

15

28

36

    Third 25 percent

13

87

4

26

26

36

    Highest 25 percent

8

92

4

33

38

26

        Highest 10 percent

7

93

3

34

42

27

Establishment characteristics

            

Goods-producing industries

6

94

–

29

35

36

    Construction

–

100

–

–

–

–

    Manufacturing

7

93

–

26

36

38

Service-providing industries

14

86

5

26

31

29

    Trade, transportation, and utilities

23

77

8

25

19

33

        Retail trade

42

58

3

8

17

35

    Information

11

89

5

43

36

3

    Financial activities

9

91

4

15

46

26

        Finance and insurance

10

90

4

15

45

27

            Credit intermediation and related activities

8

92

7

11

40

34

            Insurance carriers and related activities

12

88

–

26

45

16

        Real estate and rental and leasing

–

100

–

–

–

–

        Professional and technical services

–

100

–

60

–

64

    Education and health services

15

85

4

–

24

43

        Health care and social assistance

15

85

–

–

26

44

1 to 99 workers

10

90

8

22

34

28

    1 to 49 workers

9

91

6

21

38

26

100 workers or more

13

87

4

28

32

32

    100 to 499 workers

17

83

4

34

27

30

    500 workers or more

9

91

3

24

35

33

Geographic areas

            

Northeast

13

87

4

15

38

33

    Middle Atlantic

12

88

3

16

31

38

South

14

86

6

30

26

30

    South Atlantic

14

86

6

23

30

34

Midwest

13

87

3

31

25

33

    East North Central

11

89

–

34

21

34

West

8

92

4

29

43

28

    Pacific

7

93

3

33

47

25

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

2The sum of the individual components may be greater than the total because some employers offer more than one alternative.

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. 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.