Table 36. Standard errors for traditional defined benefit plans: Terminal earnings formulas, private industry workers, National
Compensation Survey, 2010
                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                       
                                             Flat percent per year of service                     Percent per year varies by           
                             Flat                                                                                                      
                           percent                                                     Percent                                         
     Characteristics       per year    10th      25th      50th      75th      90th    per year                      Earnings   Other  
                              of    percenti- percenti- percenti- percenti- percenti-   varies   Service   Earnings    and             
                           service      le        le        le        le        le                                   service           
                                                         (median)                                                                      
                                                                                                                                       
  Worker characteristic                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                       
All workers..............       4.3      0.09      0.09      0.11      0.01       (1)       3.9       3.7       2.7       1.7       1.7
                                                                                                                                       
Management, professional,                                                                                                              
and related..............       6.1      0.09      0.20      0.06      0.06      0.10         –         –       3.6         –         –
  Management, business,                                                                                                                
  and financial..........      10.0      0.28      0.00      0.03      0.06      0.22         –         –         –         –         –
  Professional and                                                                                                                     
  related................       5.3      0.05      0.24      0.11      0.07      0.15         –         –       4.9         –         –
Service..................       8.4      0.12      0.20      0.01      0.08      0.00         –         –         –         –         –
Sales and office.........         –         –         –         –         –         –       6.7         –         –       5.5         –
  Office and                                                                                                                           
  administrative support        7.6      0.20      0.07      0.13      0.02      0.06         –         –       5.3       4.7         –
Production,                                                                                                                            
transportation, and                                                                                                                    
material moving..........       8.5      0.14      0.09      0.04      0.28      0.04         –         –         –         –         –
                                                                                                                                       
Full time................       4.6      0.07      0.10      0.12      0.01      0.01       4.2       4.0       2.8       1.4       1.7
Part time................         –         –         –         –         –         –       8.6         –       5.1         –         –
                                                                                                                                       
Union....................       5.8      0.00      0.05      0.01       (1)      0.13         –         –         –         –         –
Nonunion.................       5.8      0.04      0.11      0.07      0.05      0.06         –       4.7       3.1         –         –
                                                                                                                                       
Average wage within the                                                                                                                
following categories:(2)                                                                                                               
  Second 25 percent......      10.6      0.07      0.07      0.23      0.00      0.02         –         –       5.0         –         –
  Third 25 percent.......       8.7      0.10      0.21      0.14      0.00      0.07         –         –         –         –         –
  Highest 25 percent.....       6.3      0.24      0.08      0.15      0.02      0.03         –       6.9       3.0         –         –
    Highest 10 percent...       9.0      0.06      0.10      0.08      0.00      0.04         –         –         –         –         –
                                                                                                                                       
      Establishment                                                                                                                    
     characteristic                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                       
Goods-producing                                                                                                                        
industries...............       8.2      0.00      0.16      0.16      0.03      0.00         –         –         –         –         –
                                                                                                                                       
Service-providing                                                                                                                      
industries...............       5.3      0.07      0.23      0.11      0.01      0.04         –         –       3.0       2.2         –
  Trade, transportation,                                                                                                               
  and utilities..........       8.1      0.25      0.29      0.03      0.04      0.00         –         –         –         –         –
  Financial activities...         –         –         –         –         –         –       7.2         –         –       7.4         –
    Finance and insurance         –         –         –         –         –         –       8.7         –         –       8.2         –
  Education and health                                                                                                                 
  services...............      10.8      0.06      0.22      0.21      0.00      0.11         –         –         –         –         –
    Health care and                                                                                                                    
    social assistance....      11.4      0.09      0.27      0.36      0.00      0.08         –         –         –         –         –
100 workers or more......       3.9      0.07      0.05      0.00      0.09      0.06       4.0       4.4       2.8       1.2       2.0
  100 to 499 workers.....         –         –         –         –         –         –       9.2         –         –         –         –
  500 workers or more....       4.0      0.11      0.10      0.10      0.08      0.07       3.9         –       3.7         –       1.7
                                                                                                                                       
     Geographic area                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                       
Middle Atlantic..........       4.6      0.00      0.00      0.25      0.00      0.06         –         –         –         –         –
East North Central.......         –         –         –         –         –         –       6.3         –       5.6         –         –
West North Central.......       7.4      0.35      0.04      0.33      0.21      0.08         –         –         –         –         –
South Atlantic...........         –         –         –         –         –         –       6.1         –         –         –         –
Pacific..................      17.1      0.38      0.19      0.00      0.00      0.00         –         –         –         –         –

  1 Less than 0.005.
  2 The categories are based on the average wage for each occupation surveyed, which may include workers with earnings both above and
below the threshold. The average wages are based on the estimates published in the "National Compensation Survey: Occupational Earnings
in the United States, 2009." See Technical Note for more details.

NOTE: Dashes indicate that no data were reported or that data do not meet publication criteria. For definitions of major plans, key
provisions, and related terms, see the "Glossary of Employee Benefit Terms" at www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/glossary20102011.htm.