401(k) · DOL Form 5500 · 2022
Southwest Airlines Co. 401(k) Plan
Data updated 2026-08-06
- $8.0B
- Total assets
- 50,590
- Participants
- 100th
- Percentile by assets
- $158,005
- Avg per participant
Official DOL plan name: Southwest Airlines Co. 401(k) Plan · Sponsored by Southwest Airlines Co. · Texas · Transportation & Warehousing
$8.0B in assets, 50,590 participants
Southwest Airlines Co.'s Southwest Airlines Co. 401(k) Plan reported $8.0B in total assets and 50,590 participants in its 2022 DOL Form 5500 filing, ranking in the 100th percentile by assets among filed plans. Figures are as reported by the plan sponsor to the Department of Labor, not audited or endorsed by PlainRetire.
- 100th percentile by assets (of 139,258 plans)
- #3,871 in Transportation & Warehousing (3,884 peers)
Coverage in Texas
Southwest Airlines Co. 401(k) Plan covers 50,590 participants in Texas, 72x the typical Texas plan (state average ~704 per filing). Assets: $8.0B.
- $8.0B
- total plan assets (2022 EOY)
- 50,590
- covered participants
- 100th
- percentile by assets (of 139,258 plans)
- $158,005
- avg assets per participant
The plan reported a net loss of $1.6B for the year, a single-year figure driven by markets and benefit payments, not a measure of plan health.
Participants vs Texas filers
In Texas, the average filing covers about 704 participants across 9,718 plans. Southwest Airlines Co. 401(k) Plan reports 50,590 participants - 72x that state average ($8.0B EOY assets).
Texas filing particulars
| Total Assets (Beginning of Year) | $9.6B |
|---|---|
| Net Assets (End of Year) | $8.0B |
| Net Income | -$1.6B |
| Employer EIN | 741563240 |
| Plan Effective Date | 1991-01-01 |
| Filing Status | FILING RECEIVED |
Sponsor Plan History (Southwest Airlines Co.)
| Year | Plans | Participants | Total Assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 3 | 120,230 | $20.9B |
| 2023 | 3 | 141,844 | $24.8B |
| 2024 | 4 | 168,461 | $28.7B |
Nearby 401(k) Plans in Texas
Peer 401(k) plans, same state, same plan type, ranked by total assets.
Southwest Airlines Co. 401(k) Plan vs. nearby 401(k) plans in Texas, assets vs. participants
- AT&T Retirement Savings Plan $37.6B · 144,503
- Exxonmobil Savings Plan $21.3B · 23,619
- Caterpillar 401(k) Savings Plan $13.8B · 38,538
- American Airlines, Inc. 401(k) Plan $12.8B · 85,577
- Dell Inc. 401(k) Plan $12.0B · 47,532
Scale composition for Southwest Airlines Co. 401(k) Plan
Southwest Airlines Co. 401(k) Plan reports $8.0B in end-of-year assets across 50,590 participants (0.069% of the $11.6T held by all Form 5500 filers in the national rollup , and 0.056% of 89,805,449 covered participants) - about $158,005 per participant (1.2x the national average assets-per-participant) . Net income for plan year 2022 was -$1.6B.
This plan identity (EIN 741563240, plan #004) has 3 Form 5500 filings on file from 2022 to 2024 , with end-of-year assets moving from $8.0B to $17.0B (+112.6%) while covered participants moved from 50,590 to 67,820 . Single-year sparse filers cannot show that trail.
| Plan year | Participants | EOY assets | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 50,590 | $8.0B | This page |
| 2023 | 60,657 | $9.9B | Open filing |
| 2024 · index core | 67,820 | $17.0B | Open filing |
The same sponsor also keeps 3 other index-core plans on PlainRetire:
- Southwest Airlines Co. Retirement Savings Plan (401(k), $17.0B, 67,820 participants)
- Southwest Airlines Pilots Retirement Savings Plan (401(k), $11.6B, 11,242 participants)
- Southwest Airlines Market-Based Cash Balance Plan (Defined Benefit (Pension), $41M, 9,612 participants)
Similar-Sized 401(k) Plans Nationally
401(k) plans in other states closest to Southwest Airlines Co. 401(k) Plan by total assets, not by location.
- McKinsey & Company, Inc. (Psrp) Profit Sharing Retirement Plan (NY) $8.0B · 14,349
- The Travelers 401(k) Savings Plan (MN) $8.0B · 27,710
- The Vanguard Retirement and Savings Plan (PA) $8.1B · 17,073
- The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. Incentive Savings Plan (PA) $8.1B · 59,451
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Southwest Airlines Co. 401(k) Plan assets move in 2022? ▼
How have Southwest Airlines Co. plan assets changed over time? ▼
Where does Southwest Airlines Co. 401(k) Plan rank by assets among Form 5500 filers? ▼
Which 401(k) plans are similar in size to Southwest Airlines Co. 401(k) Plan? ▼
Next read for Southwest Airlines Co. 401(k) Plan
Filing takeaways
Ways to act on Southwest Airlines Co. 401(k) Plan's numbers.
- By total assets, Southwest Airlines Co. 401(k) Plan ranks among the largest 1% of all filed plans. See the largest plans
- Compare it side-by-side against 3 similar 401(k) plans in Texas. Compare plans
- Southwest Airlines Co.'s sponsor-wide assets have grown 37.3% since 2022 across 3 plan years on file. More Transportation & Warehousing plans