Defined Benefit (Pension) · DOL Form 5500 · 2022

Northwestern Corporation Pension Plan

Data updated 2026-08-25

$395M
Total assets Above avg plan size
451
Participants Below avg headcount
97th
Percentile by assets National rank
$876,605
Avg per participant High balance/head
PlainRetire home → About this data RSS: change history

Official DOL plan name: Northwestern Energy Pension Plan · Sponsored by Northwestern Corporation · Montana · Utilities

$395M in assets, 451 participants

Northwestern Corporation's Northwestern Energy Pension Plan reported $395M in total assets and 451 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.

  • #599 in Utilities (738 peers)

Where Northwestern Energy Pension Plan sits by assets

Northwestern Energy Pension Plan sits in the top 5% of all filed plans by assets, $395M for 451 participants (~$876,605/participant), down 27.4% in 2022.

#599
in Utilities (738 peers)
-27.4%
assets change YoY
4.0×
vs typical plan assets (national mean)

The plan reported a net loss of $149M for the year, a single-year figure driven by markets and benefit payments, not a measure of plan health.

Northwestern Energy Pension Plan's outsized position by total assets

Northwestern Energy Pension Plan vs every filed plan by assets

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

$395,349,017 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 Pension Plan among mid-size filed plans by headcount

Plan-year 2022 Form 5500 filings with a reported participant count, partitioned by headcount band, not by assets. Northwestern Energy Pension Plan sits mid-pack in the medium band (451 participants).

DOL schedule card

Filing strip 460172280 · Northwestern Corporation PY 2022 · Defined Benefit (Pension)

Northwestern Energy Pension Plan · $395M · 451 · 97th

  • EBSA $395M
  • EBSA 451
  • EBSA 97th
  • EBSA Defined Benefit (Pension)
  • EBSA near The Arxada Consolidated Pension Plan
  • EBSA ind #599

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 Pension Plan in the asset neighbourhood

The Arxada Consolidated Pension PlanThe Arxada Consolidated Pens…$395MNorthwestern Energy Pension PlanNorthwestern Energy Pension …$395MChick-Fil-a, Inc. Defined Benefit Pension PlanChick-Fil-a, Inc. Defined Be…$395MPainters District Council No. 30 Pension FundPainters District Council No…$395MEmployees' and Agents' Pension Benefits Plan Empower Holdings, Inc.Employees' and Agents' Pensi…$394M
End-of-year total assets ($M) among Northwestern Energy Pension Plan and nearest nationwide Defined Benefit (Pension) peers. Source: DOL Form 5500 plan year 2022.

Scale-class filing particulars (2022)

Total Assets (Beginning of Year)$545M
Net Assets (End of Year)$395M
Net Income-$149M
Employer EIN460172280
Plan Effective Date1948-06-01
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 Defined Benefit (Pension) Plans in Montana

Peer Defined Benefit (Pension) plans, same state, same plan type, ranked by total assets.

Northwestern Energy Pension Plan vs. nearby Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in Montana, assets vs. participants Scatter plot of 6 data points. 0100200300400500 -1000100200300400500 Total assets ($M) Participants Northwestern Energy Pension Plan, Total assets ($M): 395.349017 · Participants: 451Northwestern Energy Pension PlanNorthwestern Corporation Pension Plan, Total assets ($M): 53.989502 · Participants: 139Northwestern Corporation Pension PlanSt. Peter's Health Cashplus Retirement Plan, Total assets ($M): 49.437986 · Participants: 310St. Peter's Health Cashplus Retirement PlanRetirement Plan for Employees of Northern Montana Hospital, Total assets ($M): 32.485498 · Participants: 120Retirement Plan for Employees of Northern Montana HospitalPension Plan for Employees of Advanced Silicon Materials, LLC, Total assets ($M): 27.453705 · Participants: 87Pension Plan for Employees of Advanced Silicon Materials, LLCAmerican Chemet Corporation Retirement Income Plan, Total assets ($M): 16.280566 · Participants: 58American Chemet Corporation Retirement Income Plan
Northwestern Energy Pension Plan vs. nearby Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in Montana, assets vs. participants
Compare Northwestern Energy Pension Plan side-by-side with 3 peers →

Northwestern Energy Pension Plan's out-of-state Defined Benefit (Pension) peers by assets and headcount

Outside Montana, the nearest Defined Benefit (Pension) by assets is The Arxada Consolidated Pension Plan in NJ ($395M); by covered participants it is Lynden Pension Equity Plan in WA (451 participants). Same-state nearby plans are listed separately above.

Similar participant headcount

Nearest other-state filings by covered participants (451 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 Pension Plan assets move in 2022? ▼
Northwestern Energy Pension Plan declined sharply - down 27.4% during 2022, from $545M to $395M. Reported net income was -$149M.
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 Pension Plan rank by assets among Form 5500 filers? ▼
Northwestern Energy Pension 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 Defined Benefit (Pension) plans are similar in size to Northwestern Energy Pension Plan? ▼
Among Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in other states, the closest by assets is The Arxada Consolidated Pension Plan in NJ ($395M, 292 participants).
Which Defined Benefit (Pension) plans cover a similar participant headcount to Northwestern Energy Pension Plan? ▼
Among Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in other states, the closest by covered participants is Lynden Pension Equity Plan in WA (451 participants, $206M 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.