Very large plans with more than 5,000 participants reported average account balances of $55,000.

“My guess is that with the very small plans and the very large plans you’re looking at less turnover,” Ryles says. “These are employees who are sticking around longer and have more opportunity to accrue assets within their plan.”

Savings behaviors were radically different across industry groupings. Employees in more profitable industries were not only more likely to participate in their defined contribution plan, if offered, but also socked away more money.

For example, lawyers in large plans with more than 5,000 participants participated at an 89 percent rate, while agricultural workers in similarly sized plans reported a 59 percent participation rate.

“Some of these professions have companies that are offering plans, but the workers can’t afford to pay for retirement,” Ryles says. “Their participation rate suffers, they don’t contribute as much, and the retirement picture becomes less secure as a result.”

While Certified Public Accountants in plans with between 51 to 100 participants reported average account balances of $108,000, while retail employees in similarly sized plans reported average account balances of $40,000.

Parks argues that the discrepancy in participation and account balance shows that retirement planning is being taken seriously, even among high-income professionals who may already be affluent.

“The people who can save, do save,” Parks says. “It shows that they’re aware that in the modern retirement system, this is one of the best options available to them for saving. In a roundabout way, that discrepancy shows that the modern retirement system is working, people are starting to pay closer attention to what they’re saving and they’re starting to plan — but we still have a long way to go.”

Larger plans tended to have more ‘red flags,’ which Judy Diamond loosely defined as flaws in the plans’ design, administration or performance. Plans with more than 5,000 participants average 2.3 red flags per plan, while those with 51 to 100 participants averaged 1.4 red flags per plan.

“Larger plans are more complicated,” Ryles says. “There’s more opportunity for something to go wrong and there’s more regulatory scrutiny there.”