Crown Castle Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Crown Castle Inc. 401(k) Plan
Houston, TXConstruction4,362 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$11,822Employer $ per active participant
$11,911Employee $ saved per active participant
0.02%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$1.1BNet plan assets, end of year
$188,059Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity50.0 / 50100th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost23.1 / 2593th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving14.2 / 1595th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score97 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Construction plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (76 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 100th |
| Lower admin cost | 93th |
| Employee saving | 95th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 57% |
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Red flags from the filing
No red flags were reported on this filing's compliance questions.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Crown Castle put in about $11,822 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($1,965). Contribute at least enough to collect the full match. Skipping it leaves part of your pay on the table.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- The plan auto-enrolls employees. Check your default contribution rate. Defaults are often lower than what it takes to get the full match.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $51,568,347 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $51,954,090 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $5,231,770 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $268,458 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $219,601 |
| Benefits paid out | $159,991,445 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $1.1B / $1.1B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 4,777 / 3,947 |
| Participants with account balances | 6,081 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Bdo USA, P.A. |
| Employer stock held by plan | $92,284,276 |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Schwab Retirement Plan Services,inc | $157,094 reported compensation |
| Fisher Investments | $27,708 reported compensation |
| Abound Wealth Management LLC | $11,814 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251106091154NAL0025295362001, received 2025-11-06, EIN 76-0470458, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.