Defined Benefit (Pension) · DOL Form 5500 · 2023

Lee Enterprises, Inc. Pension Plan

Data updated 2026-08-25

$182M
Total assets Near avg plan size
291
Participants Below avg headcount
94th
Percentile by assets National rank
$624,181
Avg per participant High balance/head
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Official DOL plan name: Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan · Sponsored by Lee Enterprises, Inc. · Iowa · Information & Media

$182M in assets, 291 participants

Lee Enterprises, Inc.'s Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan reported $182M in total assets and 291 participants in its 2023 DOL Form 5500 filing, ranking in the 94th 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.

  • #2,579 in Information & Media (2,818 peers)

Coverage in Iowa

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan covers 291 participants in Iowa, about 48% of the average Iowa filer (state average ~609 per filing). Assets: $182M.

#2,579
in Information & Media (2,818 peers)
-5.7%
assets change YoY
1.8×
vs typical plan assets (national mean)

The plan reported a net loss of $11M for the year, a single-year figure driven by markets and benefit payments, not a measure of plan health.

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan's outsized position by total assets

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan vs every filed plan by assets

End-of-year total assets · plan year 2023 · DOL Form 5500

$181,636,643 Top 6% higher than 94% of 127,068 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 2023

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan among mid-size filed plans by headcount

Plan-year 2023 Form 5500 filings with a reported participant count, partitioned by headcount band, not by assets. Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan sits mid-pack in the medium band (291 participants).

What changed between DOL Form 5500 filings

plan year 2022 → plan year 2023

  • Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan reported net income rose from -$20M in the plan year 2022 filing to -$11M in the plan year 2023 filing.
  • Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan reported participants fell from 440 in the plan year 2022 filing to 291 in the plan year 2023 filing.
  • Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan end-of-year assets fell from $193M in the plan year 2022 filing to $182M in the plan year 2023 filing.

See the national 2022→2023 release diff →

Plan-year Form 5500 strip

Filing strip 420823980 · Lee Enterprises, Inc. PY 2023 · Defined Benefit (Pension)

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan · $182M · 291 · 94th

  • NET $182M
  • NET 291
  • NET 94th
  • NET Defined Benefit (Pension)
  • NET near Bricklayers' Pension Trust Fund-Metropolitan Area
  • NET ind #2579

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 Information & Media retirement plans → · Plans in Iowa →

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan in the asset neighbourhood

United Assn of Journeymen Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 357 Pension PlanUnited Assn of Journeymen Pl…$182MPotlatchdeltic Retirement PlanPotlatchdeltic Retirement Pl…$182MThe Shubert Organization, Inc. Employees Pension PlanThe Shubert Organization, In…$182MLee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension PlanLee Enterprises, Incorporate…$182MBricklayers' Pension Trust Fund-Metropolitan AreaBricklayers' Pension Trust F…$182M
End-of-year total assets ($M) among Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan and nearest nationwide Defined Benefit (Pension) peers. Source: DOL Form 5500 plan year 2023.

Iowa filing particulars

Total Assets (Beginning of Year)$193M
Net Assets (End of Year)$182M
Net Income-$11M
Employer EIN420823980
Plan Effective Date1954-12-29
Filing StatusFILING RECEIVED

Sponsor Plan History (Lee Enterprises, Inc.)

Sponsor-wide plan assets over time

All Lee Enterprises, Inc. plans reported in each filing year

Latest sponsor-wide plan assets
$442M 31.24147324850351% vs 2022
2024 filing year
$400M$500M$600M$700M 202220232024 $642M $442M ▼ -31.2%
Year Plans Participants Total Assets
2022 3 5,241 $642M
2023 2 4,418 $629M
2024 1 3,415 $442M

Nearby Defined Benefit (Pension) Plans in Iowa

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

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan vs. nearby Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in Iowa, assets vs. participants Scatter plot of 6 data points. -5000050001000015000 00.511.522.5 Total assets ($B) Participants Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan, Total assets ($B): 0.181636643 · Participants: 291Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension PlanTransamerica Pension Plan, Total assets ($B): 2.323730661 · Participants: 6519Transamerica Pension PlanPrincipal Cash Balance Plan, Total assets ($B): 1.699129128 · Participants: 12492Principal Cash Balance PlanMidamerican Energy Company Retirement Plan, Total assets ($B): 0.515952654 · Participants: 3002Midamerican Energy Company Retirement PlanEmployers Mutual Casualty Company Retirement Plan, Total assets ($B): 0.346674752 · Participants: 1835Employers Mutual Casualty Company Retirement PlanNon-Contributory Retirement Program for Certain Employees of Wellmark, Inc., Total assets ($B): 0.297274074 · Participants: 1474Non-Contributory Retirement Program for Certain Employees of Wellmark, Inc.
Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan vs. nearby Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in Iowa, assets vs. participants
Compare Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan side-by-side with 3 peers →

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan's out-of-state Defined Benefit (Pension) peers by assets and headcount

Outside Iowa, the nearest Defined Benefit (Pension) by assets is Bricklayers' Pension Trust Fund-Metropolitan Area in MI ($182M); by covered participants it is Wagi Cash Balance Plan in WA (291 participants). Same-state nearby plans are listed separately above.

Similar participant headcount

Nearest other-state filings by covered participants (291 participants); asset peers above are excluded.

DOL Form 5500 plan year 2023. Asset totals can differ widely at the same headcount; neither axis is a quality rating.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan assets move in 2023? ▼
Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan pulled back noticeably - down 5.7% during 2023, from $193M to $182M. Reported net income was -$11M.
How have Lee Enterprises, Inc. plan assets changed over time? ▼
Across 3 plan years on file (2022-2024), Lee Enterprises, Inc.'s sponsor-wide assets declined 31.2%, from $642M to $442M.
Where does Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan rank by assets among Form 5500 filers? ▼
Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan ranks in the 94th percentile by end-of-year assets among 127,072 plans that reported assets for plan year 2023 (in the top 10% of all filed plans by assets).
Which Defined Benefit (Pension) plans are similar in size to Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan? ▼
Among Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in other states, the closest by assets is Bricklayers' Pension Trust Fund-Metropolitan Area in MI ($182M, 484 participants).
Which Defined Benefit (Pension) plans cover a similar participant headcount to Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan? ▼
Among Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in other states, the closest by covered participants is Wagi Cash Balance Plan in WA (291 participants, N/A in assets).

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), Form 5500 public disclosure dataset. Plan year 2023.

Source: DOL EFAST2 filing system (efast.dol.gov) - original filing retrieval by EIN 420823980.

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.