Table 1. Retirement benefits: Access, participation, and take-up rates

Table 1. Retirement benefits(1): Access, participation, and take-up rates, March 2026 [All workers = 100 percent]
Characteristics	Civilian(2)			Private industry			State and local government
Characteristics	Access	Participation	Take-up rate(3)	Access	Participation	Take-up rate(3)	Access	Participation	Take-up rate(3)
All workers	75	56	75	72	52	72	92	81	89

Worker characteristics
Management, professional, and related occupations	88	75	85	86	73	85	94	82	88
Management, business, and financial occupations	91	79	86	91	78	86	-	-	-
Professional and related occupations	86	73	85	83	70	84	93	82	88
Teachers	83	72	87	-	-	-	94	83	88
Primary, secondary, and special education school teachers	94	84	89	-	-	-	99	89	89
Registered nurses	89	76	86	-	-	-	-	-	-
Service occupations	52	30	58	47	23	49	85	77	90
Protective service occupations	72	58	80	-	-	-	93	84	91
Sales and office occupations	76	55	72	75	53	70	91	82	90
Sales and related occupations	74	43	58	74	43	57	-	-	-
Office and administrative support occupations	78	64	82	75	60	80	92	82	90
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	74	57	78	72	55	76	98	93	95
Construction, extraction, farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	68	53	77	66	49	75	-	-	-
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	80	62	78	78	60	77	-	-	-
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	78	55	70	78	54	69	91	81	89
Production occupations	75	59	78	75	58	78	-	-	-
Transportation and material moving occupations	80	53	66	80	51	64	-	-	-

Full time	84	66	79	81	62	77	99	88	89
Part time	44	22	49	44	20	46	44	37	85

Union	94	85	91	91	85	93	97	86	88
Nonunion	72	52	72	70	49	70	87	77	89

Average wage within the following categories:(4)
Lowest 25 percent	50	26	51	48	22	47	78	69	88
Lowest 10 percent	39	16	41	-	-	-	69	61	87
Second 25 percent	74	53	71	72	48	67	94	85	90
Third 25 percent	86	71	82	82	66	80	97	86	88
Highest 25 percent	94	82	88	92	81	88	97	87	89
Highest 10 percent	95	84	89	94	84	89	97	84	87

Establishment characteristics
Goods-producing industries	81	64	80	81	64	79	-	-	-
Service-providing industries	74	55	74	70	50	71	92	81	89
Education and health services	79	63	81	72	55	77	93	81	87
Educational services	87	76	87	71	58	82	93	81	88
Elementary and secondary schools	92	81	88	82	65	79	93	83	89
Junior colleges, colleges, universities, and professional schools	91	78	86	89	79	89	92	77	84
Health care and social assistance	74	57	77	72	55	76	92	76	83
Hospitals	94	80	85	94	81	86	92	74	80
Public administration	92	84	91	-	-	-	92	84	91

1 to 99 workers	61	41	68	59	39	66	87	81	93
1 to 49 workers	56	39	69	55	37	67	85	79	92
50 to 99 workers	74	50	68	72	46	63	89	83	94
100 workers or more	89	71	80	87	68	77	93	82	88
100 to 499 workers	86	64	75	85	61	72	93	83	90
500 workers or more	91	77	85	91	76	84	93	81	87

Geographic areas
Northeast	76	62	82	73	59	80	92	81	88
New England	77	63	83	75	62	82	87	75	86
Middle Atlantic	76	62	81	73	58	80	93	83	89
South	73	53	72	70	48	69	94	83	89
South Atlantic	72	52	72	69	48	69	91	79	87
East South Central	75	53	71	72	48	66	94	83	89
West South Central	74	54	73	70	48	68	97	88	91
Midwest	77	58	76	75	56	74	90	78	86
East North Central	76	57	76	74	55	74	89	75	85
West North Central	81	61	75	79	57	73	92	82	89
West	74	55	74	71	50	71	90	83	92
Mountain	72	49	69	69	45	65	88	82	93
Pacific	75	58	77	72	53	74	91	83	92
Footnotes (1) Includes 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. (2) Includes workers in private industry and state and local government. See the Handbook of Methods: Employee Benefits at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/eb/ for further explanation. (3) The take-up rate is calculated from the unrounded percentage of workers with access to a plan and who participate in the plan. (4) Surveyed 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.
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/ebs/publications/national-compensation-survey-glossary-of-employee-benefit-terms.htm. SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey.

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Last Modified Date: September 25, 2026