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Joint Economic Committee Democrats
Pension Charts
Chart 3.1
Last updated 7/25/06
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In 1980, the majority of workers who participated in any type of pension plan participated in a defined benefit (DB) plan. Since then, the number of participants in DB plans has steadily fallen, while the number of participants in defined contribution (DC) plans has more than doubled.
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By 2001 70 percent of all plan participants were in DC plans.
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Over the past 20 years, the number of active pension plan participants has increased by 25 million, with all of the growth in DC plans. The number of DC participants more than doubled from 19 million in 1980 to 52 million in 2001. In contrast, the number of DB participants fell from 30 million to 22 million over the same period.
Note: The number of participants excludes retirees but double counts employees in more than one plan.
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