Now for our next chapter. And yours.
Over 25 years, How America Saves has grown to become the most respected, anticipated, and widely cited research publication in the industry. And all it did, year after year, was deliver the deepest data and insights to help you build the strongest retirement plan possible for your participants.
After a quarter century, How America Saves continues to shape and define the retirement plan landscape—and we don’t see any reason to stop. We’re looking forward to what we can do together in the next 25 years.
Benchmarking that goes the distance
The 401(k) trends in How America Saves have been influencing plan design for 25 years. Here are some milestone improvements:
86
%
Average overall plan participation grew to 86%.
69
%
69% of participants are now in a professionally managed allocation.
61
%
61% of plans have adopted automatic enrollment.
96
%
96% of plans now offer target-date funds.
Source: How America Saves. Vanguard, 2026.
Coming soon: Benchmarking reports by industry
The benchmarking data you need for stronger retirement plan design is underway. Check back in a week for all 16 reports by industry:
Ambulatory health care services
Architecture & engineering
Construction
Finance
Information
Insurance
Legal services
Manufacturing
Mining, quarrying & oil & gas extraction
Professional, scientific & technical services
Retail trade
Technology
Transportation & warehousing
Unions
Utilities
Wholesale trade
The story continues with How America Retires
Despite its widespread acclaim and deep data-based insights, How America Saves tells only part of the story. This November, discover the trends and behaviors of participants moving from saving to spending in How America Retires. Our annual report helps bring clarity to the complex decisions many retirees face while managing day-to-day finances in retirement. Look for more information soon. You won’t want to miss it.
All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest.
Investments in target-date funds are subject to the risks of their underlying funds. The year in the fund name refers to the approximate year (the target date) when an investor in the fund would retire and leave the workforce. The fund will gradually shift its emphasis from more aggressive investments to more conservative ones based on its target date. An investment in target-date funds is not guaranteed at any time, including on or after the target date.
Advice services are provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc., a registered investment advisor. Eligibility restrictions may apply.
Related links
Check out Vanguard’s library of other retirement-based thought leadership.
