Defined Benefit (Pension) · DOL Form 5500 · 2024
Merck & Co., Inc. Pension Plan
Data updated 2026-08-11
- $10.1B
- Total assets
- 26,843
- Participants
- 100th
- Percentile by assets
- $375,893
- Avg per participant
Official DOL plan name: Merck US Pension Plan · Sponsored by Merck & Co., Inc. · New Jersey · Manufacturing
$10.1B in assets, 26,843 participants
Merck & Co., Inc.'s Merck US Pension Plan reported $10.1B in total assets and 26,843 participants in its 2024 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 123,622 plans)
- #17,721 in Manufacturing (17,777 peers)
Coverage in New Jersey
Merck US Pension Plan covers 26,843 participants in New Jersey, 32x the typical New Jersey plan (state average ~844 per filing). Assets: $10.1B.
- $10.1B
- total plan assets (2024 EOY)
- 26,843
- covered participants
- 100th
- percentile by assets (of 123,622 plans)
- $375,893
- avg assets per participant
The plan reported a net loss of $135M for the year, a single-year figure driven by markets and benefit payments, not a measure of plan health.
What changed between DOL Form 5500 filings
plan year 2023 → plan year 2024
- Merck US Pension Plan reported net income fell from $655M in the plan year 2023 filing to -$135M in the plan year 2024 filing.
- Merck US Pension Plan reported participants rose from 25,223 in the plan year 2023 filing to 26,843 in the plan year 2024 filing.
- Merck US Pension Plan end-of-year assets fell from $10.2B in the plan year 2023 filing to $10.1B in the plan year 2024 filing.
Participants vs New Jersey filers
In New Jersey, the average filing covers about 844 participants across 4,145 plans. Merck US Pension Plan reports 26,843 participants - 32x that state average ($10.1B EOY assets).
New Jersey filing particulars
| Total Assets (Beginning of Year) | $10.2B |
|---|---|
| Net Assets (End of Year) | $10.1B |
| Net Income | -$135M |
| Employer EIN | 221918501 |
| Plan Effective Date | 1956-01-01 |
| Filing Status | FILING RECEIVED |
Sponsor Plan History (Merck & Co., Inc.)
| Year | Plans | Participants | Total Assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4 | 55,803 | $22.2B |
| 2023 | 4 | 57,497 | $24.8B |
| 2024 | 4 | 59,874 | $26.3B |
Nearby Defined Benefit (Pension) Plans in New Jersey
Peer Defined Benefit (Pension) plans, same state, same plan type, ranked by total assets.
Merck US Pension Plan vs. nearby Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in New Jersey, assets vs. participants
- Retirement Plan of Johnson and Johnson $21.1B · 37,882
- JPMorgan Chase Retirement Plan $16.1B · 83,812
- Nokia Retirement Income Plan $12.9B · 7,280
- The Prudential Merged Retirement Plan $12.0B · 16,233
- Metlife Retirement Plan $7.9B · 13,263
Scale composition for Merck US Pension Plan
Merck US Pension Plan reports $10.1B in end-of-year assets across 26,843 participants (0.082% of the $12.3T held by all Form 5500 filers in the national rollup , and 0.029% of 93,925,755 covered participants) - about $375,893 per participant (2.7x the national average assets-per-participant) . Net income for plan year 2024 was -$135M.
This plan identity (EIN 221918501, plan #003) has 3 Form 5500 filings on file from 2022 to 2024 , with end-of-year assets moving from $9.6B to $10.1B (+5.4%) while covered participants moved from 23,981 to 26,843 . Single-year sparse filers cannot show that trail.
| Plan year | Participants | EOY assets | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 23,981 | $9.6B | Open filing |
| 2023 | 25,223 | $10.2B | Open filing |
| 2024 · index core | 26,843 | $10.1B | This page |
The same sponsor also keeps 3 other index-core plans on PlainRetire:
- Merck US Savings Plan (401(k), $15.0B, 27,956 participants)
- Retirement Plan for the Hourly Employees of Msd (Defined Benefit (Pension), $660M, 2,880 participants)
- Msd Employee Stock Purchase & Savings Plan (401(k), $545M, 2,195 participants)
Similar-Sized Defined Benefit (Pension) Plans Nationally
Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in other states closest to Merck US Pension Plan by total assets, not by location.
- The Citigroup Pension Plan (CT) $10.0B · 15,906
- Pfizer Consolidated Pension Plan (NY) $10.0B · 8,876
- Fca US LLC UAW Pension Agreement (MI) $10.3B · 12,752
- Pension and Retirement Plan (DE) $10.4B · 2,351
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Merck US Pension Plan assets move in 2024? ▼
How have Merck & Co., Inc. plan assets changed over time? ▼
Where does Merck US Pension Plan rank by assets among Form 5500 filers? ▼
Which Defined Benefit (Pension) plans are similar in size to Merck US Pension Plan? ▼
Next read for Merck US Pension Plan
Filing takeaways
Ways to act on Merck US Pension Plan's numbers.
- By total assets, Merck US Pension Plan ranks among the largest 1% of all filed plans. See the largest plans
- Compare it side-by-side against 3 similar Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in New Jersey. Compare plans
- Merck & Co., Inc.'s sponsor-wide assets have grown 18.1% since 2022 across 3 plan years on file. More Manufacturing plans