State of Benefits Report
National trends in employer-sponsored welfare and health benefit plans, sourced directly from DOL Form 5500 filings (EFAST2). Covering 2009–2025.
2023 National Summary — Welfare / Health Plans
Total Plans Filed
177.7K
Welfare & health plans
Total Participants
268.4M
Active + retired
Total Premiums
$325.1B
Schedule A (9a/10a)
Avg Cost Per Employee
$1,211
Annual premiums ÷ participants
Total Broker Comm/Fees
$11.3B
3.5% of premiums
Plan count and participant data span 2009–2024. Premium and broker fee data sourced from Schedule A; coverage varies by year.
- Plan Count
- Premiums ($B)
- Broker Fees ($B)
Based on NAICS sector code from Form 5500 business code field. Top 12 sectors shown.
| Industry Sector | Plans | Participants |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care & Social Assistance | 25,420 | 28.3M |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical | 21,915 | 25.1M |
| Manufacturing (Metal/Machinery) | 19,638 | 34.8M |
| Finance & Insurance | 13,008 | 29.5M |
| Construction | 11,903 | 9.2M |
| Manufacturing (Paper/Chemical) | 9,420 | 12.3M |
| Wholesale Trade | 9,040 | 6.9M |
| Retail Trade (Motor/Furniture) | 8,552 | 14.8M |
| Other Services | 6,419 | 18.8M |
| Educational Services | 6,363 | 6.2M |
| Transportation (Air/Rail/Water) | 5,248 | 14.1M |
| Administrative & Support Services | 4,963 | 7.6M |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 4,708 | 5.9M |
| Information | 4,650 | 10.4M |
| Manufacturing (Food/Textile) | 4,590 | 5.6M |
Data Source & Methodology
All data is sourced from the U.S. Department of Labor EFAST2 electronic filing system (Form 5500 Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan). Plan count and participant data cover 2009–2024. Premium and broker fee data are sourced from Schedule A (Insurance Information) — specifically lines 9a(1) and 10a for premiums, and lines 2a and 3a for broker commissions and fees. Per-row sanity caps are applied to exclude data entry errors (premiums capped at $10B per carrier row; broker fees capped at 20% of charges paid). Data is updated as new filings become available from EFAST2.
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