--- title: These Companies Have the Best 401(k) Plans, According to an Analysis of 14 Major Industries description: MONEY gathered the best 401(k) plans across various industries, using data from BrightScope, an investment research firm. authors: - name: Alix Langone url: https://money.com/author/alix-langone/ at_money_since: 2018 articles: 187 covers: - Retirement - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Education - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Personal Finance - Pets - Shopping - Taxes - Technology former_staff: true published: '2019-06-10T15:13:50.000Z' modified: '2024-05-08T05:20:10.000Z' section: Retirement tags: - looking forward - Retirement - lookingforward word_count: 924 canonical: https://money.com/these-companies-have-the-best-401k-plans-according-to-an-analysis-of-14-major-industries/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![190606-The-Top-10-401(k)-Plans](https://img.money.com/2019/06/401k_ranking.jpg) All 401(k)s are not created equal. Retirement plans vary, and the design of your particular plan can have a big impact on your future financial security. Here at Money, we wanted to find the 401(k) superstars, those companies that are offering their workers top-rated plans. So we gathered the best plans across various industries, including some of the fastest-growing categories as defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. We used data from investment research firm BrightScope that focused on bigger plans with $100 million or more in assets. "A good 401(k) plan shows that the employer is invested in its employees," says Gregg Levinson, senior director, retirement at Willis Tower Watson, a risk management firm. What makes a high-quality plan? Low fees, of course. And a good company match. While BrightScope doesn't break out fees or the company match (the percentage of your income that your employer contributes to your account, provided you contribute the same), it's likely their top-rated companies are competitive in these areas. The average employer match is 4.7%, according to Fidelity. BrightScope also calculates the number of extra years you would need to work at a job with an average plan to end up with the same amount of retirement savings that the top plan in your industry would afford you. Their math is based on a hypothetical, average 401(k) participant earning an income of $44,000 a year with a starting account balance of $40,000, and they forecast how quickly each plan gets this participant to retirement. The upshot? The difference between a high-quality 401(k) plan and a low-quality one can add up to tens of thousands of dollars over the course of your career. When you get a job offer, ask about the company's retirement plan. If there's no match or a low match, consider asking for a higher salary to compensate, career experts advise. Here are the top 401(k) plans across various industries -- including some, like health care and technology, that have above-average job growth. Industries listed in alphabetical order: ## 1\. Accommodation and Food Services **Winner:** Chick-fil-A **Winner average account balance:** $158,188 **Industry average account balance:** $47,788 **Additional years needed to work if you only have an average plan:** 11 years **Average dollars lost by average plans to winning plan:** $142, 414 ## **2\.** Airlines **Winner:** United Airlines **Winner average account balance:** $641, 218 **Industry average account balance:** $190,092 **Additional years needed to work if you only have an average plan:** 11 years **Average dollars lost by average plans to winning plan:** $123,474 ## 3\. Business and Finance **Winner:** Lone Pine Capital **Winner average account balance:** $1,037,787 **Industry average account balance:** $148,684 **Additional years needed to work if you only have an average plan:** 12 years **Average dollars lost by average plans to winning plan:** $43,964 ## 4\. Educational Services **Winner:** California Teachers Association **Winner average account balance:** $239,091 **Industry average account balance:** $93,636 **Additional years needed to work if you only have an average plan:** 9 years **Average dollars lost by average plans to winning plan:** $128,114 ## 5\. Health Care and Social Assistance **Winner:** Sutter Medical Group **Winner average account balance:** $497, 124 **Industry average account balance:** $114,168 **Additional years needed to work if you only have an average plan:** 14 years **Average dollars lost by average plans to winning plan:** $105,613 ## 6\. Information **Winner:** SES Americom **Winner average account balance:** $290,142 **Industry average account balance:** $106,066 **Additional years needed to work if you only have an average plan:** 9 years **Average dollars lost by average plans to winning plan:** $76,686 ## 7\. Law **Winner:** Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett **Winner average account balance:** $667,815 **Industry average account balance:** $314,958 **Additional years needed to work if you only have an average plan:** 6 years **Average dollars lost by average plans to winning plan:** $25,372 ## 8\. Management of Companies and Enterprises **Industry average account balance:** $141,463 **Winner:** BHP USA **Winner average account balance:** $255,240 **Additional years needed to work if you only have an average plan:** 11 years **Average dollars lost by average plans to winning plan:** $95,371 ## 9\. Manufacturing **Winner:** Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A. **Winner average account balance:** $229,297 **Industry average account balance:** $134, 895 **Additional years needed to work if you only have an average plan: 11** years **Average dollars lost by average plans to winning plan:** $107,800 ## 10\. Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction **Winner:** CNX Resources **Winner average account balance:** $177, 565 **Industry average account balance:** $138,278 **Additional years needed to work if you only have an average plan:** 9 years **Average dollars lost by average plans to winning plan:** $68,111 ## 11\. Professional, Scientific and Technical Services **Winner:** Zeta Associates **Winner average account balance:** $589,469 **Industry average account balance:** $137, 698 **Additional years needed to work if you only have an average plan:** 12 years **Average dollars lost by average plans to winning plan:** $72,005 ## 12\. Retail Trade **Winner:** SAP America **Winner average account balance:** $211,199 **Industry average account balance:** $56,758 **Additional years needed to work if you only have an average plan:** 11 years **Average dollars lost by average plans to winning plan:** $183,772 ## 13\. Technology **Winner:** The Valve Corporation **Winner average account balance:** $249,261 **Industry average account balance:** $123,271 **Additional years needed to work if you only have an average plan:** 9 years **Average dollars lost by average plans to winning plan:** $122,324 ## 14\. Utilities **Winner:** Oglethorpe Power **Winner average account balance:** $367, 770 **Industry average account balance:** $201, 211 **Additional years needed to work if you only have an average plan:** 6 years **Average dollars lost by average plans to winning plan:** $28, 211 ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/these-companies-have-the-best-401k-plans-according-to-an-analysis-of-14-major-industries/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Retirement", "item": "https://money.com/retirement/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "401(k)", "item": "https://money.com/401k/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "These Companies Have the Best 401(k) Plans, According to an Analysis of 14 Major Industries" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/these-companies-have-the-best-401k-plans-according-to-an-analysis-of-14-major-industries/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/these-companies-have-the-best-401k-plans-according-to-an-analysis-of-14-major-industries/", "name": "These Companies Have the Best 401(k) Plans, According to an Analysis of 14 Major Industries", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2019-06-10T15:13:50.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/these-companies-have-the-best-401k-plans-according-to-an-analysis-of-14-major-industries/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/these-companies-have-the-best-401k-plans-according-to-an-analysis-of-14-major-industries/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2024-05-08T05:20:10.000Z" }, { "@type": "Article", "headline": "These Companies Have the Best 401(k) Plans, According to an Analysis of 14 Major Industries", "articleSection": "Retirement", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2019/06/401k_ranking.jpg", "width": 2880, "height": 1920, "caption": "190606-The-Top-10-401(k)-Plans" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alix Langone", "url": "https://money.com/author/alix-langone/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/alix-langone/#author" } ], "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization", "datePublished": "2019-06-10T15:13:50.000Z", "description": "MONEY gathered the best 401(k) plans across various industries, using data from BrightScope, an investment research firm.", "abstract": "MONEY gathered the best 401(k) plans across various industries, using data from BrightScope, an investment research firm.", "@id": "https://money.com/these-companies-have-the-best-401k-plans-according-to-an-analysis-of-14-major-industries/", "inLanguage": "en-US", "dateModified": "2024-05-08T05:20:10.000Z", "wordCount": 924, "keywords": [ "looking forward", "Retirement", "lookingforward" ], "about": [ { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Retirement", "sameAs": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retirement" ] }, { "@type": "Thing", "name": "401(k)", "sameAs": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/401(k)" ] } ] } ] } ```