401(k) · DOL Form 5500 · 2022

Northwestern Corporation 401(k) Plan

Data updated 2026-08-25

$406M
Total assets Above avg plan size
1,494
Participants Near avg headcount
97th
Percentile by assets National rank
$271,426
Avg per participant High balance/head
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Official DOL plan name: Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan · Sponsored by Northwestern Corporation · Montana · Utilities

$406M in assets, 1,494 participants

Northwestern Corporation's Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan reported $406M in total assets and 1,494 participants in its 2022 DOL Form 5500 filing, ranking in the 97th 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.

  • #603 in Utilities (738 peers)

Coverage in Montana

Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan covers 1,494 participants in Montana, 5.5x the typical Montana plan (state average ~271 per filing). Assets: $406M.

#603
in Utilities (738 peers)
-17.8%
assets change YoY
4.1×
vs typical plan assets (national mean)

The plan reported a net loss of $88M for the year, a single-year figure driven by markets and benefit payments, not a measure of plan health.

Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan's outsized position by total assets

Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan vs every filed plan by assets

End-of-year total assets · plan year 2022 · DOL Form 5500

$405,510,912 Top 3% higher than 97% of 139,123 filed plans

This plan $0 $2,050,000,000 every filed plan with reported assets, bucketed by value

Dashed line + filled bar = this entry, among filed plans.

Source U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 filings (EBSA) · plan year 2022

Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan's large-plan peer group by participant headcount

Plan-year 2022 Form 5500 filings with a reported participant count, partitioned by headcount band, not by assets. Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan lands in the large band (1,494 participants).

EBSA filing schedule strip

Filing strip 460172280 · Northwestern Corporation PY 2022 · 401(k)

Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan · $406M · 1,494 · 97th

  • IND $406M
  • EOY 1,494
  • 5500 97th
  • ASSETS 401(k)
  • PCT near Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP Tax Opportunity Plan for Savings (Plan B)
  • EIN ind #603

Stamps derive from this plan's Form 5500 line items (assets, participants, type, EIN, cohort placement) - not a quality rating of the sponsor. Read with Utilities retirement plans → · Plans in Montana →

Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan in the asset neighbourhood

Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings PlanNorthwestern Energy 401(k) R…$406MCleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP Tax Opportunity Plan for Savings (Plan B)Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hami…$405MEngie 401(k) Plan$405MMcfarland Clinic, P.C. 401(k) Profit Sharing PlanMcfarland Clinic, P.C. 401(k…$405MDtts 401(k) Plan$405M
End-of-year total assets ($M) among Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan and nearest nationwide 401(k) peers. Source: DOL Form 5500 plan year 2022.

Montana filing particulars

Total Assets (Beginning of Year)$493M
Net Assets (End of Year)$405M
Net Income-$88M
Employer EIN460172280
Plan Effective Date1984-01-01
Filing StatusFILING RECEIVED

Sponsor Plan History (Northwestern Corporation)

Sponsor-wide plan assets over time

All Northwestern Corporation plans reported in each filing year

Latest sponsor-wide plan assets
$911M 6.581242375535956% vs 2022
2024 filing year
$840M$860M$880M$900M$920M 202220232024 $855M $911M ▲ +6.6%
Year Plans Participants Total Assets
2022 3 2,084 $855M
2023 3 2,047 $869M
2024 3 2,037 $911M

Nearby 401(k) Plans in Montana

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

Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan vs. nearby 401(k) plans in Montana, assets vs. participants Scatter plot of 6 data points. 10002000300040005000 340360380400420440 Total assets ($M) Participants Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan, Total assets ($M): 405.510912 · Participants: 1494Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings PlanFirst Interstate Bancsystem, Inc. 401(k) Plan, Total assets ($M): 425.784366 · Participants: 2313First Interstate Bancsystem, Inc. 401(k) PlanD.a. Davidson Companies Retirement Savings and Profit Sharing Plan, Total assets ($M): 421.705773 · Participants: 1507D.a. Davidson Companies Retirement Savings and Profit Sharing PlanGlacier Bancorp, Inc. Profit Sharing and 401(k) Plan, Total assets ($M): 412.377455 · Participants: 3272Glacier Bancorp, Inc. Profit Sharing and 401(k) PlanLogan Health Retirement Savings Plan, Total assets ($M): 358.733064 · Participants: 4055Logan Health Retirement Savings PlanWashington Companies 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan, Total assets ($M): 351.97038 · Participants: 2223Washington Companies 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan vs. nearby 401(k) plans in Montana, assets vs. participants
Compare Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan side-by-side with 3 peers →

Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan's out-of-state 401(k) peers by assets and headcount

Outside Montana, the nearest 401(k) by assets is Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP Tax Opportunity Plan for Savings (Plan B) in NY ($405M); by covered participants it is My 401(k) Plan in MA (1,494 participants). Same-state nearby plans are listed separately above.

Closest by plan assets

Nearest other-state filings by tot_assets_eoy ($406M here).

Similar participant headcount

Nearest other-state filings by covered participants (1,494 participants); asset peers above are excluded.

DOL Form 5500 plan year 2022. Asset totals can differ widely at the same headcount; neither axis is a quality rating.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan assets move in 2022? ▼
Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan declined sharply - down 17.8% during 2022, from $493M to $406M. Reported net income was -$88M.
How have Northwestern Corporation plan assets changed over time? ▼
Across 3 plan years on file (2022-2024), Northwestern Corporation's sponsor-wide assets grew 6.6%, from $855M to $911M.
Where does Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan rank by assets among Form 5500 filers? ▼
Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan ranks in the 97th percentile by end-of-year assets among 139,126 plans that reported assets for plan year 2022 (in the top 5% of all filed plans by assets).
Which 401(k) plans are similar in size to Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan? ▼
Among 401(k) plans in other states, the closest by assets is Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP Tax Opportunity Plan for Savings (Plan B) in NY ($405M, 1,099 participants).
Which 401(k) plans cover a similar participant headcount to Northwestern Energy 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan? ▼
Among 401(k) plans in other states, the closest by covered participants is My 401(k) Plan in MA (1,494 participants, $504M in assets).

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), Form 5500 public disclosure dataset. Plan year 2022.

Source: DOL EFAST2 filing system (efast.dol.gov) - original filing retrieval by EIN 460172280.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 filings (EBSA). See our methodology for details.