Judy Diamond Associates, the 401(k) plan intelligence provider affiliated with BenefitsPro.com, has released an analysis of the distribution of plan assets nationwide, revealing that the top 1 percent of plans hold 71.1 percent of all 401(k) assets.

There were about 500,000 active 401(k) plans in the fourth quarater of last year, with a collective $3.5 trillion in total assets. Nearly three-quarters, or $2.54 trillion, was controlled by the top 1 percent (5,000 companies). In contrast, the other 99 percent (495,000 companies) of all 401(k) plans nationwide control only 29 percent of the total assets

"This concentration of assets among such a small pool of plans gives large employers an outsize influence on the retirement market," said Eric Ryles, managing director of Judy Diamond Associates.  "Our research showed that fewer than two-tenths of one percent of 401(k) plan sponsors are responsible for fully half of our nation's 401(k) retirement plan assets.  That's only 630 very large companies controlling $1.75 trillion in assets."