Table 4. Defined contribution retirement plans: Selected attributes, civilian
workers,1 National Compensation Survey, March 2008

(All workers participating in defined contribution plans = 100 percent)

Characteristics

Employee contribution

Employee contribution
option

Required

Not
required

Pretax

Not pretax

All workers

65

35

78

22

Worker characteristics

Management, professional, and related

68

32

81

19

    Management, business, and financial

72

28

83

17

    Professional and related

66

34

80

20

        Teachers

56

44

75

25

            Primary, secondary, and special education
             school teachers

50

50

72

28

        Registered nurses

66

34

81

19

Service

63

37

82

18

Sales and office

62

38

74

26

    Sales and related

57

43

64

36

    Office and administrative support

65

35

79

21

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

68

32

80

20

    Construction, extraction, farming, fishing, and
     forestry

57

43

74

26

    Installation, maintenance, and repair

77

23

86

14

Production, transportation, and material moving

65

35

78

22

    Production

68

32

81

19

    Transportation and material moving

60

40

74

26

Full time

66

34

79

21

Part time

58

42

77

23

Union

57

43

77

23

Nonunion

66

34

79

21

Average wage within the following percentiles:2

    Less than 10

63

37

84

16

    10 to under 25

56

44

68

32

    25 to under 50

63

37

77

23

    50 to under 75

68

32

81

19

    75 to under 90

68

32

81

19

    90 or greater

66

34

79

21

Establishment characteristics

Goods-producing industries

68

32

80

20

Service-providing industries

64

36

78

22

    Education and health services

59

41

78

22

        Educational services

56

44

75

25

            Elementary and secondary schools

46

54

65

35

            Junior colleges, colleges, and universities

60

40

79

21

        Health care and social assistance

61

39

80

20

            Hospitals

71

29

81

19

    Public administration

59

41

80

20

1 to 99 workers

66

34

81

19

    1 to 49 workers

67

33

81

19

    50 to 99 workers

64

36

81

19

100 workers or more

65

35

77

23

    100 to 499 workers

60

40

75

25

    500 workers or more

69

31

79

21

Geographic areas

New England

68

32

77

23

Middle Atlantic

62

38

80

20

East North Central

59

41

76

24

West North Central

65

35

80

20

South Atlantic

66

34

78

22

East South Central

71

29

80

20

West South Central

67

33

76

24

Mountain

66

34

77

23

Pacific

70

30

82

18

1Includes workers in the private nonfarm economy except those in private households, and workers in the public sector, except the federal government. See "Technical note" for further explanation.

2The percentile groupings are based on the average wage for each occupation surveyed, which may include workers both above and below the threshold. The percentile values are based on the estimates published in the "National Compensation Survey: Occupational Earnings in the United States, 2007." See Technical Note for more details.