A record 23 percent of participants in Fidelity-provided 401(k) plans increased their contribution rates in the first quarter of 2015, according to the company's Quarterly Retirement Snapshot.

The good news for the 13.5 million participants in Fidelity plans did not stop there. The average account balance was $91,800, up 3.6 percent from a year ago, and for those participants with at least 10 years in a plan, the average balance was $251,600, up 12 percent year-over-year.

Those figures outpace averages calculated by the National Institute on Retirement Security, which reported that the average retirement account balance nationwide was about $50,000. For pre-retirees, age 55 to 64, it was $104,000, and for workers 45 to 54, the average savings rate is $87,000.

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Nick Thornton

Nick Thornton is a financial writer covering retirement and health care issues for BenefitsPRO and ALM Media. He greatly enjoys learning from the vast minds in the legal, academic, advisory and money management communities when covering the retirement space. He's also written on international marketing trends, financial institution risk management, defense and energy issues, the restaurant industry in New York City, surfing, cigars, rum, travel, and fishing. When not writing, he's pushing into some land or water.