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

Table 1. Retirement benefits(1): Access, participation, and take-up rates, March 2025 [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	53	73	92	81	88

Worker characteristics
Management, professional, and related occupations	87	75	86	85	73	86	94	82	88
Management, business, and financial occupations	91	80	88	90	79	88	-	-	-
Professional and related occupations	86	73	85	83	70	84	93	81	87
Teachers	84	72	85	-	-	-	94	83	88
Primary, secondary, and special education school teachers	93	81	86	-	-	-	99	88	89
Registered nurses	92	83	90	-	-	-	-	-	-
Service occupations	52	31	60	47	25	53	85	75	88
Protective service occupations	-	-	-	-	-	-	93	83	90
Sales and office occupations	79	56	72	77	54	69	91	82	90
Sales and related occupations	77	45	59	77	45	59	-	-	-
Office and administrative support occupations	80	64	80	78	61	78	92	83	90
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	73	55	75	71	52	73	98	91	93
Construction, extraction, farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	70	52	75	67	49	73	-	-	-
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	77	58	75	75	55	74	-	-	-
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	78	53	69	77	52	68	91	82	89
Production occupations	74	58	78	73	57	78	-	-	-
Transportation and material moving occupations	80	51	63	79	49	62	-	-	-

Full time	83	66	79	81	62	77	99	88	89
Part time	46	24	52	47	23	49	44	38	86

Union	94	82	88	91	80	88	97	85	87
Nonunion	72	53	73	71	50	71	87	78	90

Average wage within the following categories:(4)
Lowest 25 percent	52	27	51	49	23	47	78	68	87
Lowest 10 percent	40	17	43	38	15	40	70	60	86
Second 25 percent	74	52	71	71	47	66	95	84	89
Third 25 percent	86	71	82	83	66	80	98	87	89
Highest 25 percent	92	82	89	91	80	89	97	86	89
Highest 10 percent	94	84	89	93	83	89	96	84	87

Establishment characteristics
Goods-producing industries	80	63	80	79	63	79	-	-	-
Service-providing industries	74	55	75	71	51	71	91	81	88
Education and health services	80	65	82	74	58	79	93	81	87
Educational services	88	77	88	73	63	86	93	82	88
Elementary and secondary schools	92	81	88	84	69	82	93	82	89
Junior colleges, colleges, universities, and professional schools	91	79	87	88	78	89	92	79	86
Health care and social assistance	75	59	78	74	58	78	92	75	81
Hospitals	95	85	90	95	87	92	92	73	79
Public administration	92	84	91	-	-	-	92	84	91

1 to 99 workers	61	42	70	59	40	68	88	80	92
1 to 49 workers	56	40	71	55	38	70	85	78	91
50 to 99 workers	74	50	67	71	45	63	90	83	92
100 workers or more	89	70	79	88	67	77	93	81	88
100 to 499 workers	87	63	73	86	60	70	92	83	90
500 workers or more	91	77	85	90	76	84	93	81	87

Geographic areas
Northeast	75	62	82	73	59	82	92	79	87
New England	78	64	82	77	62	81	88	74	84
Middle Atlantic	74	62	83	71	58	82	93	81	87
South	74	53	72	71	49	68	94	83	89
South Atlantic	74	53	71	72	49	68	91	79	87
East South Central	75	53	71	71	48	67	94	84	90
West South Central	74	55	75	70	49	70	97	88	91
Midwest	77	57	75	75	54	73	90	78	87
East North Central	76	58	76	74	55	74	89	77	87
West North Central	77	56	73	75	52	70	92	81	88
West	74	56	75	71	51	72	90	81	91
Mountain	70	49	70	67	44	66	89	83	94
Pacific	76	59	78	73	55	75	90	81	89
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: National Compensation Measures at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/ncs/home.htm 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, 2025