401(k) · DOL Form 5500 · 2022

Merck & Co., Inc. 401(k) Plan

Data updated 2026-08-11

$11.5B
Total assets
25,956
Participants
100th
Percentile by assets
$444,204
Avg per participant
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Official DOL plan name: Merck US Savings Plan · Sponsored by Merck & Co., Inc. · New Jersey · Manufacturing

$11.5B in assets, 25,956 participants

Merck & Co., Inc.'s Merck US Savings Plan reported $11.5B in total assets and 25,956 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 139,126 plans)
  • #20,562 in Manufacturing (20,602 peers)

Coverage in New Jersey

Merck US Savings Plan covers 25,956 participants in New Jersey, 31x the typical New Jersey plan (state average ~844 per filing). Assets: $11.5B.

$11.5B
total plan assets (2022 EOY)
25,956
covered participants
100th
percentile by assets (of 139,126 plans)
$444,204
avg assets per participant

The plan reported a net loss of $2.1B for the year, a single-year figure driven by markets and benefit payments, not a measure of plan health.

State
Industry

Participants vs New Jersey filers

In New Jersey, the average filing covers about 844 participants across 4,145 plans. Merck US Savings Plan reports 25,956 participants - 31x that state average ($11.5B EOY assets).

New Jersey filing particulars

Total Assets (Beginning of Year)$13.6B
Net Assets (End of Year)$11.5B
Net Income-$2.1B
Employer EIN221918501
Plan Effective Date1959-07-01
Filing StatusFILING RECEIVED

Sponsor Plan History (Merck & Co., Inc.)

$20B$22B$24B$26B$28B 202220232024 $22.2B $26.3B ▲ +18.1%
Total plan assets by year, all Merck & Co., Inc. plans on file
Year Plans Participants Total Assets
2022 4 55,803 $22.2B
2023 4 57,497 $24.8B
2024 4 59,874 $26.3B

Nearby 401(k) Plans in New Jersey

Peer 401(k) plans, same state, same plan type, ranked by total assets.

Merck US Savings Plan vs. nearby 401(k) plans in New Jersey, assets vs. participants

Merck US Savings Plan vs. nearby 401(k) plans in New Jersey, assets vs. participants Scatter plot of 6 data points. 050000100000150000200000 10203040 Total assets ($B) Participants Merck US Savings PlanJPMorgan Chase 401(k…Verizon Savings Plan…Johnson and Johnson …Pfizer Savings PlanErnst & Young Retire…
Merck US Savings Plan vs. nearby 401(k) plans in New Jersey, assets vs. participants

Scale composition for Merck US Savings Plan

Merck US Savings Plan reports $11.5B in end-of-year assets across 25,956 participants (0.094% of the $12.3T held by all Form 5500 filers in the national rollup , and 0.028% of 93,925,755 covered participants) - about $444,204 per participant (3.2x the national average assets-per-participant) . Net income for plan year 2022 was -$2.1B.

This plan identity (EIN 221918501, plan #001) has 3 Form 5500 filings on file from 2022 to 2024 , with end-of-year assets moving from $11.5B to $15.0B (+29.8%) while covered participants moved from 25,956 to 27,956 . Single-year sparse filers cannot show that trail.

Plan year Participants EOY assets Filing
2022 25,956 $11.5B This page
2023 26,850 $13.4B Open filing
2024 · index core 27,956 $15.0B Open filing

The same sponsor also keeps 4 other index-core plans on PlainRetire:

Similar-Sized 401(k) Plans Nationally

401(k) plans in other states closest to Merck US Savings Plan by total assets, not by location.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did Merck US Savings Plan assets move in 2022?
Merck US Savings Plan declined sharply - down 15.4% during 2022, from $13.6B to $11.5B. Reported net income was -$2.1B.
How have Merck & Co., Inc. plan assets changed over time?
Across 3 plan years on file (2022-2024), Merck & Co., Inc.'s sponsor-wide assets grew 18.1%, from $22.2B to $26.3B.
Where does Merck US Savings Plan rank by assets among Form 5500 filers?
Merck US Savings Plan ranks in the 100th percentile by end-of-year assets among 139,126 plans that reported assets for plan year 2022 (among the largest 1% of all filed plans).
Which 401(k) plans are similar in size to Merck US Savings Plan?
Among 401(k) plans in other states, the closest by assets is Delta 401(k) Retirement Plan for Pilots in GA ($11.5B, 12,193 participants).

Filing takeaways

Ways to act on Merck US Savings Plan's numbers.