Defined Benefit (Pension) · DOL Form 5500 · 2024

Northwestern Corporation Pension Plan

Data updated 2026-08-25

$53M
Total assets Below avg plan size
117
Participants Small participant base
85th
Percentile by assets National rank
$449,442
Avg per participant High balance/head
PlainRetire home → About this data RSS: change history

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

$53M in assets, 117 participants

Northwestern Corporation's Northwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension Plan reported $53M in total assets and 117 participants in its 2024 DOL Form 5500 filing, ranking in the 85th 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.

  • #381 in Utilities (732 peers)

Coverage in Montana

Northwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension Plan covers 117 participants in Montana, about 43% of the average Montana filer (state average ~271 per filing). Assets: $53M.

#381
in Utilities (732 peers)
-5.6%
assets change YoY
0.5×
vs typical plan assets (national mean)

The plan reported a net loss of $3M for the year, a single-year figure driven by markets and benefit payments, not a measure of plan health.

Northwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension Plan's outsized position by total assets

Northwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension Plan vs every filed plan by assets

End-of-year total assets · plan year 2024 · DOL Form 5500

$52,584,691 Top 15% higher than 85% of 123,620 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 2024

Northwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension Plan among mid-size filed plans by headcount

Plan-year 2024 Form 5500 filings with a reported participant count, partitioned by headcount band, not by assets. Northwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension Plan sits mid-pack in the medium band (117 participants).

What changed between DOL Form 5500 filings

plan year 2023 → plan year 2024

  • Northwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension Plan reported net income fell from $2M in the plan year 2023 filing to -$3M in the plan year 2024 filing.
  • Northwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension Plan reported participants fell from 131 in the plan year 2023 filing to 117 in the plan year 2024 filing.
  • Northwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension Plan end-of-year assets fell from $56M in the plan year 2023 filing to $53M in the plan year 2024 filing.

See the national 2023→2024 release diff →

Form 5500 schedule snapshot

Filing strip 460172280 · Northwestern Corporation PY 2024 · Defined Benefit (Pension)

Northwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension Plan · $53M · 117 · 85th

  • ASSETS $53M
  • PCT 117
  • EIN 85th
  • RANK Defined Benefit (Pension)
  • PHOTO near Velocity Credit Union Pension Plan
  • IND ind #381

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 Sd/Ne Pension Plan in the asset neighbourhood

Nysa-Ppgu Pension Fund & Plan$53MThe Legal Aid Society Retirement PlanThe Legal Aid Society Retire…$53MUfcw-Giant Variable Annuity FundUfcw-Giant Variable Annuity …$53MVelocity Credit Union Pension PlanVelocity Credit Union Pensio…$53MNorthwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension PlanNorthwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pe…$53M
End-of-year total assets ($M) among Northwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension Plan and nearest nationwide Defined Benefit (Pension) peers. Source: DOL Form 5500 plan year 2024.

Montana filing particulars

Total Assets (Beginning of Year)$56M
Net Assets (End of Year)$53M
Net Income-$3M
Employer EIN460172280
Plan Effective Date1940-10-01
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 Sd/Ne Pension Plan vs. nearby Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in Montana, assets vs. participants Scatter plot of 6 data points. 0100200300400 0100200300400 Total assets ($M) Participants Northwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension Plan, Total assets ($M): 52.584691 · Participants: 117Northwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension PlanNorthwestern Energy Mt Pension Plan, Total assets ($M): 345.755066 · Participants: 349Northwestern Energy Mt Pension PlanSt. Peter's Health Cashplus Retirement Plan, Total assets ($M): 60.721939 · Participants: 206St. Peter's Health Cashplus Retirement PlanRetirement Plan for Employees of Northern Montana Hospital, Total assets ($M): 31.808856 · Participants: 102Retirement Plan for Employees of Northern Montana HospitalPension Plan for Employees of Advanced Silicon Materials, LLC, Total assets ($M): 28.407335 · Participants: 60Pension Plan for Employees of Advanced Silicon Materials, LLCAmerican Chemet Corporation Retirement Income Plan, Total assets ($M): 16.495665 · Participants: 48American Chemet Corporation Retirement Income Plan
Northwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension Plan vs. nearby Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in Montana, assets vs. participants
Compare Northwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension Plan side-by-side with 3 peers →

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

Outside Montana, the nearest Defined Benefit (Pension) by assets is Velocity Credit Union Pension Plan in TX ($53M); by covered participants it is First Credit Union Cash Balance Defined Benefit Retirement Pension Plan in AZ (117 participants). Same-state nearby plans are listed separately above.

Closest by plan assets

Nearest other-state filings by tot_assets_eoy ($53M here).

Similar participant headcount

Nearest other-state filings by covered participants (117 participants); asset peers above are excluded.

DOL Form 5500 plan year 2024. Asset totals can differ widely at the same headcount; neither axis is a quality rating.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did Northwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension Plan assets move in 2024? ▼
Northwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension Plan pulled back noticeably - down 5.6% during 2024, from $56M to $53M. Reported net income was -$3M.
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 Sd/Ne Pension Plan rank by assets among Form 5500 filers? ▼
Northwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension Plan ranks in the 85th percentile by end-of-year assets among 123,622 plans that reported assets for plan year 2024 (in the top quartile of all filed plans by assets).
Which Defined Benefit (Pension) plans are similar in size to Northwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension Plan? ▼
Among Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in other states, the closest by assets is Velocity Credit Union Pension Plan in TX ($53M, 87 participants).
Which Defined Benefit (Pension) plans cover a similar participant headcount to Northwestern Energy Sd/Ne Pension Plan? ▼
Among Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in other states, the closest by covered participants is First Credit Union Cash Balance Defined Benefit Retirement Pension Plan in AZ (117 participants, $13M in assets).

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), Form 5500 public disclosure dataset. Plan year 2024.

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.