macro
U.S. Defined-Contribution Plan Assets
Latest
14,275.82$ billions
Methodology
## What this measures
Assets held in defined-contribution plans, where the worker owns an account: private-sector plans such as 401(k)s, the federal Thrift Savings Plan, and state and local government defined-contribution plans.
## Why it matters
Defined-contribution plans are where most U.S. workers now save for retirement, so their value tracks the retirement security of the working-age population.
## How to read it
Higher means more retirement wealth. It was $14,276 billion in the second quarter of 2026.
## What it does not say
Z.1 values are end-of-quarter levels in nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation, and they move with stock and bond prices as much as with saving. The Fed revises past quarters with each release.
## Source
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Financial Accounts of the United States (Z.1), series FL594090055 (FRED series BOGZ1FL594090055Q). Palanor pulls it from the FRED API (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis) nightly.
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